Six Feet Under leads Emmy nominations

Six Feet Under, the US drama shown on Channel 4 about two brothers running a California funeral home, led the pack today with 16 Emmy nominations.

It narrowly edged ahead of three-time best drama winner The West Wing, which was given 15 nominations.

The Sopranos was back in contention with 13 nominations after missing out last year – it did not appear on screens during the eligibility period.

Sex and the City and the comedy Everybody Loves Raymond also received 13.

Law & Order missed out on setting a record when it failed to receive what would have been its 12th consecutive best drama series nomination. It is tied for the record with Cheers and M*A*S*H.

Six Feet Under also earned nominations for cast members Frances Conroy as best actress and Peter Krause as best actor. Other contenders for best drama series were CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and 24.

Among the nominees for best comedy series were Everybody Loves Raymond, Sex and the City, Will & Grace and Friends.

Among the acting nominees are James Gandolfini of The Sopranos, Marg Helgenberger of CSI, and Jennifer Aniston of Friends.

The annual Primetime Emmy awards are seen as television’s Oscars. The winners will be announced on September 21 in Los Angeles.