Emmys: Best Actress

Best Actress (Comedy)

My picks: Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives), Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls)

Six strong contenders from just two shows. Thank god for Desperate Housewives (and its producers who risked angering many in the industry by submitting the impossible-to-categorize show as a comedy for awards consideration).

Housewives is an ensemble effort but if one person had to be singled out from the sterling first season it would be the formerly washed-up Teri Hatcher. Yes her work as Susan Mayer required more than her fair share of pratfalls but the character's klutziness and propensity for being in the wrong place at the wrong time were only part of an overall creation that helped to anchor the relentlessly genre-hopping show.

The best compliment I can give Hatcher is that I've selected her over Lauren Graham whose sharp delivery of the abundance of witty, rapid-fire dialogue on Gilmore Girls remains one of that show's key selling points. And just as the show had one of its finest seasons, so did Graham (the fact she's never been nominated for an Emmy is insane; anyone who has ever had the chance to nominate her and hasn't is an idiot).

The only suitable competition for both women is their own co-stars. Among the Housewives, Eva Longoria's naughty Gabrielle Solis blossomed as the season progressed, some of the show's funniest material went to Longoria and she demonstrated considerable comic skill; Marcia Cross had one of the show's biggest breakout characters in uptight control freak Bree van de Kamp; and although I think Felicity Huffman had the least impressive storylines as stressed out stay at home mom Lynette Scavo she never came close to being a weak link, thanks in part to the actress' considerable talent. On Gilmore, Alexis Bledel had another strong season as wide-eyed Rory Gilmore and got to be a little more daring than usual.

Since the Emmys refuse to acknowledge the existence of Gilmore this category will be filled with Housewives, joined by one or two previous nominees: Everybody Loves Raymond's Patricia Heaton and Will & Grace's Debra Messing.

Best Actress (Drama)

My picks: Glenn Close (The Shield), Jennifer Beals (The L Word), Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under), Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under), Molly Parker (Deadwood), Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia), Jennifer Garner (Alias)

One of the television season's most exciting performances came from Glenn Close in her first series regular role on gritty FX cop drama The Shield. It's hard to imagine Close could've picked a better show to join. The Shield's riveting explorations of complex characters were a perfect fit with her well established skills as an actress. As Captain Monica Rowling, the Oscar nominee was seamlessly woven into the fabric of the four year old drama and became a vital part of the season.

Although she wasn't a new arrival to her show Jennifer Beals managed to surprise anyway. Going far beyond the promise she displayed in her first season as Bette Porter on Showtime's The L Word, Beals navigated a tricky season of emotional breakdowns with a complex portrayal that few would've truly expected from the former Flashdance star.

Cable TV was very good to women this year as the performances delivered on HBO by Lauren Ambrose, Frances Conroy and Molly Parker all prove (if I valued individual episodes over entire seasons I'd also include Joely Richardson of FX's Nip/Tuck and, if the series was better written, Paget Brewster from Showtime's Huff).

Amber Tamblyn continued to be the best thing about Joan of Arcadia, even if the show got cancelled, and Jennifer Garner didn't let potential movie stardom deter her from another strong season on Alias. And if I'd seen more than two episodes of Veronica Mars I suspect I'd be including series star Kristen Bell here as well, but I'll catch up with that show on DVD.

Close and Conroy are likely to be nominated, as is Garner and maybe Parker. Ambrose is up for consideration in the supporting category (due, it seems, to her age and not her actual importance on the show), but her co-star Rachel Griffiths has an outside chance here. The West Wing's Allison Janney turns up here consistently and Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay has become a default nominee lately, although maybe she can be pushed out this year.