It began as a dreadful week for NBC, and it seemed to get worse as it went along as Jeff Zucker attempted to salvage the Golden Globe awards from becoming network TV's major no-show event of the year.

But then even the modest plan the NBC chief came up with unraveled heading into the weekend, amid lots of bickering, and what did finally air last night got ripped up by the critics.

NBC's one consolation: It was the one broadcast network to receive an award, for Tina Fey, the creator and star of NBC’s "30 Rock," as best actress in a comedy just months after her low-rated show won an Emmy for best comedy.

Otherwise, it was cable's night.

Cable shows took 10 of the 11 TV awards handed out last night by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, including best actress in a drama to Glenn Close of FX’s "Damages" and best actor in a comedy to David Duchovny of Showtime’s "Californication."

AMC’s critically lauded “Mad Men,” one of its first original series, earned two awards, best drama and Jon Hamm for best actor in a drama.

The HBO movie “Longford” earned three Globes, making it the night’s most-honored TV program (see complete list, below).

But overshadowing the awards themselves was the specter of the writers' strike, now in its third month.

Zucker had canceled the elaborate televised ceremony of recent years after the writers’ union refused to grant a temporary waiver allowing writers to work on the show. No waiver meant no actors would attend, in support of the writers.

Zucker then cooked up a scheme in which NBC would handle the event as a one-hour news conference announcing the winners. That way, Zucker would be able to recoup at least some of the tens of millions of dollars in advertising the network had sold for the event.

But here too he met resistance, this time from the HFPA, which now wanted the whole event to take place off camera. That way, the actors would show up, drink up, and have a good time, without the nuisance of having to cross a picket line of striking writers.

The snag in Zucker's fallback plan was that he was insisting that NBC News have exclusive access to the announcement. That angered networks such as TV Guide, E! and others who get big ratings bumps by providing extensive pre- and post-show coverage of the ceremony. The Globes averaged more than 20 million viewers on NBC last year.

The HFPA and Dick Clark Productions, the company behind the Globes, both fought NBC to open the Globes to other news outlets.

Meanwhile, those inside NBC News were reportedly none too happy to be stuck on Hollywood party detail, saying it compromised the integrity of the division. This was not news, they argued, but entertainment posing as news, which they wanted nothing to do with.

Finally, Zucker relented, and last night’s news conference included representatives from a number of cable channels, including CNN, but of course none of the movie stars who usually make the champagne-soaked Globes so fun.

The awards themselves were announced by anchors and reporters from tabloid shows such as “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight.”

Critics scathed.

“The Golden Globes officially became schlock,” writes McClatchy Newspapers’ Rick Kushman.

“No gowns? No half-drunk acceptance speeches? No thanks,” snarks The Chicago Tribune’s Maureen Ryan. “The NBC broadcast was speedy, yet the lack of anything fun or glitzy or celebratory about it made the Globes special seem longer than it was.”

Below, a list of television Golden Globe winners:

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
"MAD MEN," Lionsgate; AMC

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
GLENN CLOSE, "Damages"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
JON HAMM, "Mad Men"

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"EXTRAS," BBC And HBO Entertainment; HBO

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
TINA FEY, "30 Rock"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
DAVID DUCHOVNY, "Californication"

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"LONGFORD," A Granada Production In Association With Channel 4 And HBO Films; HBO
 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
QUEEN LATIFAH, "Life Support"
 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JIM BROADBENT, "Longford"
 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
SAMANTHA MORTON, "Longford"
 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JEREMY PIVEN, "Entourage"