2014 Emmy Contenders: Best Actor in a Drama Series

2014 Contenders
Bryan Cranston "Breaking Bad"
Kevin Spacey "House of Cards"
Matthew McConaughey "True Detective"
Woody Harrelson "True Detective"
James Spader "The Blacklist"
Jon Hamm "Mad Men"
Damian Lewis "Homeland"
Jeff Daniels "The Newsroom"
Matthew Rhys "The Americans"
Michael Sheen "Masters of Sex"
Hugh Bonneville "Downton Abbey"
Steve Buscemi "Boardwalk Empire"
Liev Schreiber "Ray Donovan"
Charlie Hunnam "Sons of Anarchy"
Andrew Lincoln "The Walking Dead"
Peter Krause "Parenthood"
Patrick Dempsey "Grey's Anatomy"
Clark Gregg "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Hugh Dancy "Hannibal"
Michael C. Hall "Dexter"
Freddie Highmore "Bate's Motel"
Kevin Bacon "The Following"
Timothy Olyphant "Justified"
Travis Fimmel "Vikings"
Demian Bichir "The Bridge"
Jamie Bell "Turn"
Jonny Lee Miller "Elementary"

Commentary - If you think the Best Actress-Drama Race is a tough one, then this one is just plain brutal. We know this for sure, that Bryan Cranston and Kevin Spacey are locks. Their shows are fantastic and clearly Emmy favorites, the both have incredible material, and are two of the best actors working today. I would also put good money on Matthew McConaughey, who is fresh off an Oscar win, and does tremendous work in True Detective. You know how much Emmy voters love Oscar winners, and this one is a true movie star. His co-star Woody Harrelson should be a shoo-in, but this category is so tough, his nomination is far from certain. Other newcomers hope to make a splash in the race including former winner James Spader. I never really liked him when he was winning all those unnecessary Emmys for The Practice and Boston Legal. But this time around, he is totally deserving of recognition for his juicy turn in The Blacklist. I think that he is so popular among voters, they are willing to give him another try at Emmy gold. Michael Sheen is also a potential for Masters of Sex, although I think he might get passed over for other contenders simply because his performance is a bit subdued. All of these new contenders means that some popular old ones might finally be boosted. Hugh Bonneville is most certainly going to be left off this year, although he surprised us the last two years and got in, so don't count him out yet. Damian Lewis is a previous winner and his character had some meaty material this season. But with Homeland's sharp decline, I wonder if he still has enough goodwill to even make the top six. Jeff Daniels won last year, and now may not even make the cut (something that happens more frequently than you make think). The Newsroom didn't really take off with Emmy voters, and there are just too many names in the pot this year. But once again, you cannot count him out just yet. Past nominees like Michael C. Hall, Timothy Olyphant, and Steve Buscemi are always on the radar. As are contenders such as Matthew Rhys, Liev Schreiber, Hugh Dancy, and Freddie Highmore.