He starred as psychiatrist Craig "Huff" Huffstodt in the Showtime drama series "Huff", which ran for two seasons between 2004 and 2006, airing 24 episodes. Azaria served as an executive producer on the show and directed an episode of its second season. After reading the pilot script, he sent it to Platt, who took the role of Huff's friend Russell Tupper. Azaria enjoyed working on the show, but struggled with the bleak subject matter and was often in dispute with its creator Bob Lowry, noting that it "was tough to marry our visions all the time, we both cared so much about it that neither of us were willing to let go." Gillian Flynn of "Entertainment Weekly" called Azaria "impressively subtle" in the role, while John Leonard of "New York magazine" said he was a "shrewd bit of casting." The show garnered seven Emmy nominations in 2005, including a nomination for Azaria for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Despite the awards, the show continually received low ratings, and Showtime chose not to commission it for a third season.