Absence of The Sopranos may help Six Feet Under's Emmy chances

TVGuide.com reports that since the acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos is ineligible for Emmy Awards this year--no new episodes ran between June 2001 and May 2002, the qualifying period--the show's network mate Six Feet Under may be in a better position at the awards. Awards watcher Tom O'Neil says that "Six Feet Under will take over as the new Emmy darling," and that the gay-inclusive series from out producer Alan Ball is "the front-runner to win." Some observers, in fact, accused HBO of holding back Sopranos episodes to make the field less competitive for Six Feet Under (which won the Golden Globe this year for Best Television Series as a drama), but a network spokesperson denied such maneuvering, saying that the Sopranos postponement was a production issue.

Emmy ballots are mailed the week of June 3, and nominations will be announced July 18.