Claire Danes, "Homeland"

Nomination Status: Your winner.

In Her Favor: We all knew Claire Danes could act. She was nominated for an Emmy as a teenage for "My So-Called Life." She won an Emmy (and every other available award) in 2010 for "Temple Grandin." But we didn't know she could act like this. In Carrie Mathison, Danes was given one of the most complicated, damaged female leads in television history and she tore into it with a conviction that was terrifying at times. Male or female, drama or comedy, lead or supporting... This is the performance of the year.

Working Against Her: That SAG Award voters didn't nominate Claire Danes earlier this year is a true bafflement. They nominated Kathy Bates. You can't make sense of something like that. It's cause for eyebrow-raising, if not concern.