Sean Bean, "Game of Thrones"

Nomination Status: If "Game of Thrones" builds up a head of steam with Emmy voters, Bean could take a hack at a nomination.

In His Favor: Sean Bean's reliable gravitas and sturdy star presence played a key role in simultaneously grounding and elevating "Game of Thrones" in its first season. Will he be able to capitalize on the show's success and move to the head of the Emmy roster? As something of a movie star, you know he has the respect of Emmy voters for daring to spend time in their medium.

Working Against Him: Bean is probably first among equals on the "Game of Thrones" call sheet, which could make it challenging for Emmy voters to view him as the lead of his show. Also, until the nominations are announced, we don't know if Emmy voters are going to love "Game of Thrones" enough for it to break into the big categories, or just enough to pick up a ton of technical nominations.