Martha Plimpton, "Raising Hope"

Nomination Status: Likely to get squeezed out by new arrivals.

In Her Favor: Martha Plimpton scored a well-deserved nod last year for FOX's "Raising Hope," one of the larger surprises of last year's Nomination Morning, both because of the low profile for the show and because of her relative lack of screentime compared to her rivals in the category. Plimpton has worked hard to consistently keep her "Raising Hope" character from becoming a lazy compilation of blue collar schtick and malapropisms and she deserves much credit for that. And, like Garret Dillahunt and Lucas Neff, she gets bonus points for doing what she does playing opposite two small children and Cloris Leachman.

Working Against Her: Plimpton's role is either a small lead or a meaty supporting role, but either way, when you look at the women ahead of her on this list, they're all the legitimate focal points of their respective shows. It's hard for her to compete.