Will three times be the charm for ‘Big Love’ at the Golden Globes?

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“Big Love” co-creator Mark V. Olsen learned that the HBO drama had received three Golden Globe nominations when his partner and co-creator, Will Scheffer, woke him up this morning by thrusting a cup of coffee at him and saying, “Three.”

The duo had tried not to get too excited about the show’s prospects in the days leading up to the announcement.

“We are so superstitious,” Olsen said. “The words ‘Golden Globes’ did not cross our lips.”

In the end, the series’ third season was nominated for best television drama for the third time, and co-star Bill Paxton was nominated for best actor in a television drama for the third time. A third nomination went to co-star Chloe Sevigny, who plays Paxton’s second wife, Nicki -- her first for her work on the show.

That’s a lot of threes. So Olsen and Scheffer are allowing themselves a little hope that this will be the year that the drama about a polygamous Utah family will finally go home with the trophy.

“It’s great timing for us,” said Scheffer, who noted that the Globes will air during the second week of “Big Love’s” next season, which debuts Jan. 10. “I think it tops even Season 3 in scope.”

While many people focus on the films nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., Scheffer said the Globes are pivotal in the TV industry, adding that the organization was one of the first to spotlight shows like “The Sopranos” and “Six Feet Under.”

“They’re hugely important,” he said. “Being that the Emmys are the only major awards for television, the Globes give a chance for shows that might not be recognized by that particular body to shine through. The foreign press has always been really interesting with their choices. They have sophisticated tastes.”

The duo lamented the fact that all three of the show’s female co-stars were not recognized, which they believe is the result of the three actresses splitting the vote. But they at least hope that Sevigny will bring home a Globe for her work last season, in which Nicki betrayed the family and was temporarily exiled.

“We thought it was time to give that character something and help her deepen and be more than a compound Alexis Carrington, and she was stunning,” Olsen said.

-- Matea Gold