Cloris Leachman, "Raising Hope"

Nomination Status: My prediction is that one of three older actresses is going to break into this category. Precedent says Leachman is the most likely to get the call.

In Her Favor: Cloris Leachman and Betty White keep swapping back and forth on who has the stronger claim as Hollywood's favorite wacky grandma. Leachman has won eight Emmys and she was nominated for this role last year, albeit as a total cheat in the Guest Actress field. She's a beloved industry icon getting to do ridiculous things on a weekly basis on FOX in a role so showy that voters will be hard-pressed to ignore it.

Working Against Her: The Betty White Factor can't be denied. Emmy voters love Cloris, but are they going to look at their vote for Betty and feel that they've done their part to support working actresses born 1926-or-earlier? Also, how many people really like Maw Maw on "Raising Hope"? I probably don't want the answer to that one.