John Noble, "Fringe"

Nomination Status: Unlikely to get more than a passionate pocket of support.

In His Favor: It's not John Noble's fault he won't be nominated. Always excellent, Noble took Walter Bishop to a place of almost Shakespearean sadness in the "Peter" episode of "Fringe," an Emmy episode if there ever was one. He's capable of making Walter into a daffy comedic foil and then turn around and rip your heart out with a single world-weary gaze. If "Fringe" has even moderate fans in the Emmy universe, those fans won't forget to include Noble.

Working Against Him: Alas, it's doubtful anybody else will remember him. "Fringe" is already a hard world to crack and with its alternate dimension mumbo-jumbo, "Peter" wasn't an especially accessible episode. Noble and "Fringe" would probably be more likely to get a toehold courtesy of Golden Globe voters, then maybe rippling into Emmy recognition down the road, should the show survive. That won't help Noble this year.