Mt. Emmy

PEAKING

JACK ATTACK: How hard was it to watch Kiefer Sutherland squirm and sweat as the clock ticked toward Jack Bauer’s imminent death on “24”? So hard. And so Emmy-worthy too.

CLIMBING

FUNNY GIRLS: TV procedurals the last few years have been good for older actresses, you know, like over 35. Now comedies are shaping up as a golden era too, what with Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler, the “Desperate Housewives” and, next season, the return of Patricia Heaton.

BAD JUJU? HBO’s acclaimed “The Wire” seems to have been cursed; none of its cast members was ever nominated for an Emmy. But two may break through with other roles: John Doman for his villainous turn on “Damages” and possibly Idris Elba’s comic role on “The Office.”

AT BASE CAMP

WHERE’S THE JOY? Will voters add one more Emmy to Jaime Pressly’s shelf as a final send-off for NBC’s canceled “My Name Is Earl”?

A GOOD BAD GUY: We actually feel sorrier for Jesse than Walt in the second season of “Breaking Bad.” Walt may have terminal cancer, but Jesse has terminal stupidity to contend with. But in Aaron Paul’s hands, he also has a great heart.

LOOKING FOR A SHERPA

NOW OR NEVER: While “The Sopranos” and “The Shield” were often compared as groundbreaking dramas with charismatic antiheroes, “The Shield” has never rated with the Emmys quite like “The Sopranos” did -- and this year is its last shot.

QUICK CATCH-UP: If there’s an Emmy for montages, we give ours to “Prison Break.” The last seven minutes of its series finale was poetry on film, a sentimental sequence that updated us on the lives of all the characters and ended with a surprising death.

HARDLY KNEW YE: We loved “Life on Mars” and were disappointed when it was canceled, but at least we got to see it through to its ending. But we hadn’t even gotten around to setting our DVR for “The Unusuals” before it got the ax.