Talking with: Hank Azaria

Last year "Huff" surprised Emmy-watchers by pulling off seven nominations after its premiere season on Showtime. That's rare, especially for a cable series.

Hank Azaria plays the show's title character, a do-gooder psychiatrist who valiantly tries, and fails, to save his crazy family, friends, lovers and clients from the wacky world around them.

Azaria's portrayal of Huff earned him a nomination for best drama series actor, and he could be there again. He is, after all, a longtime Emmy favorite, having won best supporting actor in 2000 for portraying author Mitch Albom in TV film "Tuesdays with Morrie." He was also awarded three juried Emmys for voice-over work on "The Simpsons."

Here, the multi-talented actor talks about his work on "Huff," the shifts from comedy to drama and his "Simpsons" costars.

Q: Did all those Emmy nominations last year put "Huff" on the map?

A: Gosh, I hope so. Industry pros really seem to love the show and TV viewers are finding it and appreciating it, too. The Emmys helped to get that momentum going.

Q: Even though you've starred in some movie and TV dramas, you're probably best known for appearing in comedies like "The Birdcage" on film and "The Simpsons" on TV. You even played a gay Sir Lancelot on Broadway in "Spamalot."

A: But who hasn't, really?

Q: Good point. So what's it like to take on a really meaty dramatic showcase in "Huff?"

A: A lot of work, because I also produce the show, so this is my serious job in every way. "Spamalot," by comparison, was just a lot of prancing around acting silly. "The Simpsons" is always a laugh festival. Over at "Huff" we do some very serious stuff and suddenly I have to focus and act tough. Frankly, I prefer jumping around in tights on Broadway, but I often have to play daddy on the set on "Huff" and make sure we finish on time. It's been a great learning experience for me. I love acting, but I want to explore other things. There's no experience like on-the-job training.

Q: You portray a psychiatrist. Why can't this doctor heel thyself? Huff is an eternally tortured character.

A: My character actually reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore from the old show. The problem is that he helps too much. He's too good a guy. He understands that he needs to be selfish, but he can't figure out how to do that. There's a good way to be selfish, which is self-care, but he's always trying to save other people and it's a losing battle. That's why I find the character so interesting. He's very reactive, which is tough to play. He's kind of a passive guy stuck at the center of a maelstrom.

Q: You mean like when he dropped everything he was doing and dashed off to Mexico to help his drug-addict brother in the season premiere this year?

A: Yes, that's typical. Like many people who ignore problems until it's too late, he's good in a crisis and crises occur a lot because he's surrounded by lunatics. But he waits too long to make a decision -- like having an affair or leaving his wife. He doesn't face things head-on and he suffers for it.

Q: As a producer, do you do any writing?