JACK IS BACK . . .

By Tom O’Neil

June 3, 2009 12 AM PT

Will voters welcome back “24,” which was dormant last year due to the writers strike? This year the 2006 winner was ticking away like one of those bombs Kiefer Sutherland often disarms. “Mad Men” shook things up in 2008 as the first basic-cable show to win for drama series. Joining the AMC program in this category were Showtime’s “Dexter” and FX’s “Damages” as the first non-HBO cable series ever nominated here. Can they blast through again?

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

Front-runners

“Big Love,” HBO

“Boston Legal,” ABC

“Breaking Bad,” AMC

“Damages,” FX

“Dexter,” Showtime

“ER,” NBC

“Friday Night Lights,” NBC

“Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

“House,” Fox

“In Treatment,” HBO

“Lost,” ABC

“Mad Men,” AMC

“Rescue Me,” FX

“The Tudors,” Showtime

“24,” Fox

Spotlight: Many TV critics say “Mad Men” is even better this year than it was when it triumphed last year, but the competition is fierce. Don’t dismiss threats by shows that have failed to be nominated so far (“Breaking Bad,” “In Treatment,” “Rescue Me,” “The Tudors”) or ones that haven’t made the race for a while (“ER”).

Possible

“Battlestar Galactica,” Sci-Fi Channel

“Brothers and Sisters,” ABC

“Burn Notice,” USA

“The Cleaner,” A&E;

“The Closer,” TNT

“CSI,” CBS

“Dollhouse,” Fox

“Fringe,” Fox

“Heroes,” NBC

“Law & Order,” NBC

“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” NBC

“Law & Order: SVU,” NBC

“Lie to Me,” Fox

“The Mentalist,” CBS

“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” HBO

“Saving Grace,” TNT

“The Shield,” FX

“Southland,” NBC

“True Blood,” HBO

“The Unusuals,” ABC

“Without a Trace,” CBS

Spotlight: Don’t give up on “Battlestar Galactica” just because its TV journey is over and sci-fi is usually cursed at showbiz awards. Remember what happened in this category in 1994: After its final season, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” boldly went where no show of its kind had gone before. It became the first syndicated show nominated for outstanding drama or comedy series.

Longshots

“The Beast,” A&E;

“CSI: Miami,” CBS

“Gossip Girl,” CW

“Harper’s Island,” CBS

“In Plain Sight,” USA

“Kings,” NBC

“Leverage,” TNT

“Life on Mars,” ABC

“Medium,” NBC

“NCIS,” CBS

“Prison Break,” Fox