Class acts compete

Basic-cable TV series rocked the Emmys last year with victories in the drama acting races by Bryan Cranston (AMC’s “Breaking Bad”) and Glenn Close (FX’s “Damages”). Now what about such overdue veterans as Denis Leary (FX’s “Rescue Me”) and Kyra Sedgwick (TNT’s “The Closer”) and rookies Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) and Christina Hendricks (AMC’s “Mad Men”)?

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Front-runners

Simon Baker, “The Mentalist,” CBS

Benjamin Bratt, “The Cleaner,” A&E;

Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment,” HBO

Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights,” NBC

Michael Chiklis, “The Shield,” FX

Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad,” AMC

Laurence Fishburne, “CSI,” CBS

Matthew Fox, “Lost,” ABC

Michael C. Hall, “Dexter,” Showtime

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men,” AMC

Hugh Laurie, “House,” Fox

Denis Leary, “Rescue Me,” FX

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors,” HBO

Bill Paxton, “Big Love,” HBO

James Spader, “Boston Legal,” ABC

Kiefer Sutherland, “24,” Fox

Spotlight: It’s a crowded, fierce slugfest. Just like the race for lead drama actress, all six of last year’s nominees may return to the ring: Byrne, Cranston, Hall, Hamm, Laurie and Spader. Cranston’s victory was a jaw-dropper last year, but now he must square off against three-time champ Spader, 2002 winner Chiklis and 2006 victor Sutherland, who had to sit out last year’s bout because of the writers strike. Also in the race are overdue Laurie (three past nominations), Hall (two noms), Leary (two bids) and hot rookies like Baker.

Possible

Jeffrey Donovan, “Burn Notice,” USA

Dennis Hopper, “Crash,” Starz

Timothy Hutton, “Leverage,” TNT

Joshua Jackson, “Fringe,” Fox

Anthony LaPaglia, “Without a Trace,” CBS

Rob Lowe, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC

Benjamin McKenzie, “Southland,” NBC

Ian McShane, “Kings,” NBC

Christopher Meloni, “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC

John Noble, “Fringe,” Fox

Edward James Olmos, “Battlestar Galactica,” Sci Fi

Tim Roth, “Lie to Me,” Fox

Patrick Swayze, “The Beast,” A&E;

Spotlight: Emmy voters are secretly Oscar snobs, and there are lots of Academy Award rivals in this TV race, including past champ Hutton (“Ordinary People”) and nominees Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do With It”), ), Olmos (“Stand and Deliver”) and Roth (“Rob Roy”).

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Front-runners

Patricia Arquette, “Medium,” NBC

Angela Bassett, “ER,” NBC

Glenn Close, “Damages,” FX

Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC

Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC

Holly Hunter, “Saving Grace,” TNT

January Jones, “Mad Men,” AMC

Evangeline Lilly, “Lost,” ABC

Mary McCormack, “In Plain Sight,” USA

Mary McDonnell, “Battlestar Galactica,” Sci Fi

Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men,” AMC

Anna Paquin, “True Blood,” HBO

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

Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer,” TNT

Jeanne Tripplehorn, “Big Love,” HBO

Spotlight: African American actors have won in the drama and comedy categories -- Bill Cosby (“I Spy”), Robert Guillaume (“Benson”), Isabel Sanford (“The Jeffersons”) -- but none has prevailed for lead drama actress. There are several contenders here: Angela Bassett (“ER”), Regina King (“Southland”) and Jill Scott (“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”).

Possible

Calista Flockhart, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC

Marg Helgenberger, “CSI: Crime Scene

Investigation,” CBS

Jennifer Love Hewitt, “The Ghost Whisperer,” CBS

Regina King, “Southland,” NBC

Ellen Pompeo, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

Amber Tamblyn, “The Unusuals,” ABC

Anna Torv, “Fringe,” Fox

Kate Walsh, “Private Practice,” ABC

Spotlight: Dr. Grey needs an emergency prescription for Emmy success. Most of the female stars of “Grey’s Anatomy” have been nominated except Pompeo, who performs this series’ title role. Included in past Emmy races: Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl (winner, 2007), Chandra Wilson and even guest stars Kate Burton, Elizabeth Reaser and Christina Ricci.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA

Front-runners

Christian Clemenson, “Boston Legal,” ABC

Patrick Dempsey, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

Michael Emerson, “Lost,” ABC

Walt Goggins, “The Shield,” FX

William Hurt, “Damages,” FX

Harvey Keitel, “Life on Mars,” ABC

John Mahoney, “In Treatment,” HBO

John Noble, “Fringe,” Fox

Terry O’Quinn, “Lost,” ABC

Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad,” AMC

William Shatner, “Boston Legal,” ABC

John Slattery, “Mad Men,” AMC

Spotlight: When actors switch categories, they tend to jump from supporting to lead, like past champ Allison Janney (“The West Wing”). But after failing to be nominated in lead, Dempsey now humbly drops to supporting.

Possible

Carlos Bernard, “24,” Fox

Jeremy Davies, “Lost,” ABC

Bruce Dern, “Big Love,” HBO

John Doman, “Damages,” FX

Josh Holloway, “Lost,” ABC

Vincent Kartheiser, “Mad Men,” AMC

Ryan Kwanten, “True Blood,” HBO

John Larroquette, “Boston Legal,” ABC

Robert Sean Leonard, “House,” Fox

Jesse Plemons, “Friday Night Lights,” ABC

Matthew Rhys, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC

Harry Dean Stanton, “Big Love,” HBO

Max von Sydow, “The Tudors,” HBO

Jake Weber, “Medium,” NBC

Spotlight: Good news for Kartheiser. Emmy voters embrace actors in dastardly roles: Zeljko Ivanek (“Damages”), Shatner (“Boston Legal” and “The Practice”) and “The Sopranos” stars Michael Imperioli and Joe Pantoliano. In “Mad Men,” Kartheiser leveraged his dad’s death in a plane crash to get the airline’s ad account.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA

Front-runners

Candice Bergen, “Boston Legal,” ABC

Connie Britton, “Friday Night Lights,” ABC

Rose Byrne, “Damages,” FX

Ginnifer Goodwin, “Big Love,” HBO

Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC

Marcia Gay Harden, “Damages,” FX

Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men,” HBO

Cherry Jones, “24,” Fox

Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

Alison Pill, “In Treatment,” HBO

Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love,” HBO

Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment,” HBO

Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

Spotlight: Receiving an Emmy as take-charge U.S. President Allison Taylor in “24” would be sweet awards revenge for Cherry Jones. After winning a Tony Award as Sister Aloysius in “Doubt” on Broadway, she lost the film role to Meryl Streep.

Possible

Julie Benz, “Dexter,” Showtime

Jennifer Carpenter, “Dexter,” Showtime

Hope Davis, “In Treatment,” HBO

Sharon Gless, “Burn Notice,” USA

Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad,” AMC

Jane Kaczmarek, “Raising the Bar,” TNT

S. Epatha Merkerson, “Law & Order,” NBC

Elizabeth Mitchell, “Lost,” ABC

CCH Pounder, “The Shield,” FX

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

Katey Sagal, “Sons of Anarchy,” FX

Maura Tierney, “ER,” NBC

Lesley Ann Warren, “In Plain Sight,” USA

Annie Wersching, “24,” Fox

Patricia Wettig, “Brothers & Sisters,” ABC

Spotlight: Three male stars of “Lost” have been nominated (Naveen Andrews, Michael Emerson, Terry O’Quinn), but, so far, no women have broken through. Elizabeth Mitchell might be the first for seemingly sacrificing her character’s life to help her fellow castaways.