Halifax: It's business as usual on the set of Topsail Entertainment's Trailer Park Boys, less than a week after the cast and crew heard the news about their nominations at the 18th annual Gemini Awards.

The dark-horse hit, about the oddball residents of the Sunnyvale trailer park, picked up noms for best comedy program or series, best ensemble performance in a comedy, and best achievement in makeup, for Annemarie Cassidy. The episode cited in the last two categories is titled "What the Fuck Happened to My Trailer Park?", perfectly capturing the tenor of the show. In the ep, Ricky (Rob Wells) takes a mall security job, putting himself at odds with Julian (John Paul Tremblay) and Bubbles (Mike Smith).

In the unseasonable Nova Scotia heat, series creator and director Mike Clattenburg and his cast steamroll through scene after scene with laughter and good-natured ribbing. Most in question seem somewhat cynical about their shot at taking home Canadian TV's most prestigious prize.

"I've been nominated a few times in the past, but I'm really not involved in the whole thing," says Clattenburg with a shrug, following a morning of shooting. "I just focus on the show, but it's cool that it happens."

This is the cast's third nomination for best ensemble, a fact not lost on the performers. However, two nominations and no wins thus far, despite a hardcore fan base (viewership has increased 215% since its May 2001 premier) and critical acclaim, doesn't fill the cast with optimism.

"I don't really pay much attention to awards," says Mike Smith, whose Bubbles wears TV's biggest bifocals and has a fondness for shopping carts and cats. "It's cool we got nominated, but we're probably going to fucking lose."

Actor Wells, who plays the none-too-swift, oft-inebriated, loose-tongued Ricky, chimes in.

"I think it's pretty fucking awesome that we got nominated," he says. "It's a low-budget show that makes people laugh, and that's what it comes down to. It's good that we got nominated, but I don't think we have a hope in hell of winning."

"We're not on the good end of the political setup," adds Smith. "Historically, a lot of CBC shows get four out of five nominations and usually win, and they'll probably win this year too."

For the record, a CBC show has taken home the trophy for best comedy program or series every year since the Geminis launched in 1986. And this year, Trailer Park Boys finds itself up against CBC's six-time winner This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Comedy Network's The Gavin Crawford Show and Puppets Who Kill, and VisionTV's Lord Have Mercy!

CBC also so far owns the best ensemble performance category, having won it for Made in Canada in each of the award's first two years. This year, the Boys will take on the teams from CBC's Made in Canada, An American in Canada and This Hour as well as that from W Network's A Guy & a Girl.

Although CBC may have an award-winning history, Trailer Park Boys has its own history of being a sleeper. It's been a sleeper on the TV dial ever since it began three seasons ago, notes Lucy DeCoutere (who plays single mom Lucy, Ricky's sometime squeeze).