Jennifer Carpenter, "Dexter"

Nomination Status: Perhaps a pity nomination for having to inhabit a character destined to destroy a once-beloved show?

In Her Favor: This wasn't a bad season for Jennifer Carpenter, but boy oh boy was it an awful season for Deb on "Dexter." She just kept doing one thing after another that caused fans to go "No!" or "Just stop it!" Well, none of that is Jennifer Carpenter's fault. An Emmy nomination would respect that she's not bad, she's just written that way.

Working Against Her: Yeah, "Dexter" is actually losing Emmy nominations this year, rather than gaining nominations for people who haven't been nominated.