Joel Kinnaman, "The Killing"

Nomination Status: Doubtful, but we'll send Holder to the schoolyard to investigate.

In His Favor: Proof of a great performance: For the first episode of "The Killing," everything about Kinnaman's Holder annoyed me. Then, as the episodes progressed, without doing anything differently, Kinnaman (and the show's writers, clearly) showed how all of the pieces of the quirky performance were part of a thoroughly inhabited and realized character. The slurred speech, the slouched posture, the twitchy mannerisms, those are only the outside affectations, but Holder became a real and relatable person by the end of the season.

Working Against Him: Even if Emmy voters love "The Killing," Brent Sexton and Billy Campbell are both more likely to get recognition that this previously under-known Swedish actor.