Holt McCallany, "Lights Out"

Nomination Status: Another dark-horse from a short-lived FX show.

In His Favor: You can look at Holt McCallany and you can quickly see how he'd physically be able to portray a former heavyweight champion facing an unlikely comeback. What you couldn't see, either from looking at McCallany or looking at his body of work, is that he'd be a convincing enough dramatic actor to carry an entire high-stakes FX series on his broad shoulders. But even though some of the "Lights Out" pieces around him were unsteady, McCallany held "Lights Out" together for 13 episodes, definitely earning attention for whatever he decides to do next.

Working Against Him: Like "Terriers," "Lights Out" was a one-and-done wonder on FX, though one with perhaps less critical consensus.