The pilot episode was positively received and earned several award wins and nominations . Creator Alan Ball won for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards , while the episode received nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single Camera Series , Outstanding Makeup for a Series ( Non-Prosthetic ) , Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series , and Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Series . Alan Ball also won for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for the 2001 Directors Guild of America Awards . The episode won an Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design in 2001
54th Primetime Emmy Awards
54th Primetime Emmy Awards
Pilot (Six Feet Under)