Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LOS ANGELES, July 18 (UPI) -- The HBO funeral home drama "Six Feet Under" has more nominations than any other show for the 55th Prime Time Emmy Awards, but the same network's crime family drama "The Sopranos" is getting most of the media attention. That's probably understandable, given the absence of Tony Soprano and company from the primetime schedule last year, but the people at "Six Feet Under" may be wondering what they have to do to get a little respect. The show also had more nominations than any other show when nominees were announced this time in 2002 for the 54th Emmys. Advertisement The cast and crew at both shows can be excused for looking over their shoulders at "The West Wing" -- which has won the Emmy for Best Drama Series in each of the past three years, and has the second-highest number of nominations this year with 15. Advertisement "Law & Order" has come to the end of a remarkable streak, and remains tied with "Cheers" and "M*A*S*H" for most consecutive nominations for the top prize, 11. The exclusion of the long-running legal drama -- and of shows such as "Boomtown" and "The Wire" -- illustrates how tough the competition is these days in the most prestigious Emmy category. On the other hand, the list of nominees for Best Comedy Series may represent just about the only quality half-hour comedies on TV right now. Once you get past "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Friends," "Sex and the City" and "Will & Grace," it's difficult to come up with more than one or two shows worthy of consideration for the comedy Emmy. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" might have the inside edge for the top prize. "Seinfeld" creator Larry David's HBO hit has become a favorite among entertainment industry professionals, and took home a Golden Globe Award in January for best TV comedy. Some critics think "Friends" might repeat as outstanding comedy, but there is also a school of thought that "Friends" and "Everyone Loves Raymond" -- both heading into their final seasons -- will tend to cancel each other out among the sentimental favorite constituency. Advertisement Even if "Curb Your Enthusiasm" manages to win for best comedy, don't look for it to turn into some kind of Emmy juggernaut. The show picked up 10 nominations, but four of them are for directing, and David and co-star Cheryl Hines are not likely to put up much of a fight for acting Emmys against the likes of Bernie Mac, Eric McCormack, Ray Romano, Jennifer Aniston and Patricia Heaton. "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" made quite a splash before it even aired on CBS, largely owing to a controversy over the subject matter. Not it is up for the Emmy for outstanding miniseries, along with A&E's "Napoleon" and the Sci Fi Channel's "Steven Spielberg Presents Taken." The competition for Made for Television Movie does not appear as brutal this year as it has in past years. William H. Macy's "Door to Door" -- based on the life of Bill Porter, who overcame disability to become a star salesman -- is likely to go into the Emmys as a favorite. The other nominees are "Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story," "Live from Baghdad," "My House in Umbria" and "Normal." Advertisement "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is up for the first time for Variety, Music or Comedy Series. The rest of the field includes the usual suspects -- "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "Late Show with David Letterman," "Saturday Night Live" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." ABC's "75th Annual Academy Awards" is up for eight Emmys, including best Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Another nominee in the category, NBC's "Cher -- The Farwell Tour," is up for six awards. The other nominees are "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band" (CBS), "Robin Williams: Live on Broadway" (HBO) and "Rolling Stones -- Licks World Tour, Live from Madison Square Garden" (HBO). The new category of Reality/Competition Program, not surprisingly, featured nominations for CBS' "The Amazing Race," Fox's "American Idol" and CBS' "Survivor." It also included CBS' "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Passions: America's Greatest Love Stories" and the NBC special "100 Years of Hope and Humor." HBO continued its recent trend toward dominating the Emmys, with 109 nominations -- 32 more than the next-closest rival, NBC. CBS was third with 59, followed by Fox with 37 and ABC with 33. Advertisement The 55th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards will be presented on Sept. 21 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, in ceremonies to be televised by Fox.
