Alan Ball's mortuary drama Six Feet Under is alive and kicking with a stunning 23 Emmy nominations. While producer Alan Poul attributes the HBO show's kudo bonanza to its quality and popularity, he does acknowledge one major asset: "There wasn't any Sopranos this season!

"That left a slot open which a number of new shows were vying for," Poul tells TV Guide Online, "but this was [this season's] 'HBO is trying to push the boundaries of what TV can be' show. If we were up against The Sopranos, there would have been a lot more splitting down the line. That's just a fortuitous piece of timing, but I think it's definitely a factor."

Of all Six Feet's 23 noms, it's striking that none are for the series's writing team. "Well, I'm glad you brought it up," Poul sighs, "because I was going to be polite and not bring it up. It's very surprising, to say the least... However people feel about the show overall, people have always praised the actors and writing. It's meticulously written. People I meet out on the street like to quote lines to each other.

"It's hard to say that it's a slight," he adds, "because I know it's not a uniform block that's voting. It's the entire writing membership of the Academy voting by secret ballots. For whatever reason, the writing membership of the Academy has not responded to the show in the same way that other branches have."

Is Six Feet's landslide a sweet validation, considering that some critics haven't exactly been cooing about the show's wacky plotlines? "You're not talking about [TV Guide's] Matt Roush, are you?" Poul asks suspiciously, then continues: "The number of people in major critical positions who are still dissatisfied and sniping is a small handful. I'm not looking to say 'so there' to them. I think the world is always better when somebody loves you and somebody hates you. Otherwise the praise doesn't mean as much."

Emmy really shook things up this year, suddenly ignoring Malcolm in the Middle's child star Frankie Muniz — but nominating the long-neglected Bryan Cranston, who plays his TV dad, Hal! "That was a wonderful surprise," beams TV Guide critic Matt Roush. We agree, so we're celebrating by peppering Cranston with a bunch of random questions.

TV Guide Online: Congrats, Bryan. Did your asking price increase as of 5:30 am on July 18?
Cranston: Yes, including my wife's!

TVGO: Do you mean your TV wife Jane Kaczmarek or your real-life wife?
Cranston: No, my real wife Robin Dearden is asking for a lot more things now. "I need a gown, I need a necklace, I need shoes..." So yeah, everything's gone up. Poker's gone up!

TVGO: Much has been made about Jane's headaches being a salary-negotiation ploy. You work with the lady. What's her story?
Cranston: It was very scary there for awhile, because it was so unpredictable. I know Jane had a history of migraines before the show started. I understand they're very debilitating. I don't know what would happen if some people got a hold of that information and tried to use it for other reasons... There certainly are opportunists out there. To be honest with you, Jane has not discussed it with me. We don't talk about it. Now that she's pregnant, the theory is that she was taking a fertility drug and one side effect is migraine headaches.

TVGO: Why are you nominated in the supporting category?
Cranston: Oh, well that's my role on the show. I'm like support hose. I hold in the fat; I keep people from seeing cellulite on the legs. I just go about my job and do my work, so when the Fox publicist called at 5:30 to say I was nominated, I thought it was an emergency. I forgot they were announcing the Emmys! All of a sudden it's a massive media frenzy, but it's fun.

TVGO: Are you sick of seeing Frasier's David Hyde Pierce in your category? Enough of him already!
Cranston: (Laughs) No, David is such a sweetheart. As long as their shows are going, put David and Sean Hayes (Will & Grace ) in ink and let everyone else vie for those other positions. I'm the wild card.

TVGO: How will you dress for the Emmy shindig?
Cranston: (In a hillbilly accent) I'm gonna get me a spiffy ol' fancy suit and shine my shoes! I depend upon my wife for that sort of thing. If she likes it, I'll wear it.