Boardwalk Empire
Why It Will Be Nominated: The HBO hit series pulled off one of the biggest jawdroppers of the year with the shocking death of Jimmy (Michael Pitt), capping off an already-excellent sophomore season.
Why It Won't: Boardwalk lost out on the top prize last year to Mad Men, and it's likely to happen again. Plus, the show might be far from voters' minds considering its finale aired in December.
Breaking Bad
Why It Will Be Nominated: Breaking Bad goes into its fifth and final season with critics already predicting its legacy as one of television's greatest dramas. Not to mention the show was nominated in this category for its last two seasons.
Why It Won't: The series will face some stiff competition, especially against fellow AMC critical darling Mad Men.
Dexter
Why It Will Be Nominated: Nominated the last four years in a row, the Showtime hit is an Emmy favorite.
Why It Won't: Um, have you seen the backlash the most recent season received? Like one of Dexter's crime scenes, it wasn't pretty.
Downton Abbey
Why It Will Be Nominated: It won an Emmy last year when it was competing in the Miniseries category, and it seems like the obsession with this little period drama has only grown since then.
Why It Won't: This year it's up against the big boys of the drama series, and those dramas are some fierce competitors who wouldn't know a fish knife from a soup spoon.
Game of Thrones
Why It Will Be Nominated: Season two introduced new lands, greater foes and even bloodier wars, proving that sometimes bigger really is better. With its legion of loyal followers, we have no doubt that Game of Thrones will be nominated again this year.
Why It Won't: Despite its high ratings, fantasy series have historically struggled in this category. Mo' dragons, mo' problems!
The Good Wife
Why It Will Be Nominated: Nominated in the top category in its first two seasons, there's almost no way the Julianna Margulies starrer won't earn a nod.
Why It Won't: The only way the CBS hit will be overlooked is if the cable dramas, such as Mad Men, The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, take up the coveted slots or if an underdog, such as Boss or Luck, sneaks in.
Homeland
Why It Will Be Nominated: For one, every celebrity we talk to loves this year's breakout hit, and on top of that the spy thriller took home the Golden Globe for Best Drama earlier this year. With the Globe under its belt, Homeland will definitely give Don Draper & Co. a run for their money.
Why It Won't: Beating Mad Men will be no easy feat for the HBO newbie. With the show's impeccable four-year streak, we have a feeling the AMC drama might just make history with a fifth win.
Justified
Why It Will be Nominated: A star with swagger (Timothy Olyphant!) and "bad guys" you empathize with, it's everything you could possibly want in a modern western. While it perfectly finds a balance in the gray of good and bad, it's firmly in our favorite show category.
Why It Won't: With Breaking Bad back in the mix, plus Homeland and Downton Abbey as possible new contenders, there might just not be room.
Mad Men
Why It Will Be Nominated: The AMC hit series has won the coveted Emmy for the last four years. Need we say more?
Why It Won't: Perhaps the Emmy Committee thinks it's time to give another show a moment under the spotlight.
Once Upon a Time
Why It Will Be Nominated: The highest-rated new drama of the season, ABC's fantasy series perfectly balanced emotional storytelling with escapist fun via daring twists on classic fairy tales.
Why It Won't: While it's fun and sometimes heartbreaking, Once may skew a bit too young and frothy for Emmy voters...even if they did introduce an eighth dwarf just to kill him off.
Revenge
Why It Will Be Nominated: The breakout hit of the season, Revenge dominated water-cooler conversations all year with its seemingly endless supply of plot twists (there're about three per episode) and stellar performances from Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe and Gabriel Mann.
Why It Won't: At the end of the day, Revenge is a well-executed soap, and Emmy voters are not exactly fans of the genre. Beware of Emily Thorne's red Sharpie, y'all!
Sons of Anarchy
Why It Will Be Nominated: Will the beloved FX drama get its first Emmy nomination after a suspenseful fourth season received good reviews? Our fingers are crossed for this constantly overlooked biker gem.
Why It Won't: It's very unlikely that creator Kurt Sutter's disparaging tweets about last year's Emmy snub will be forgotten. Tweets are written in ink, y' know!
Southland
Why It Will Be Nominated: We don't think anyone can dispute that this is one of, if not the best cop drama out there. The cast is fantastic, and we can't think of another show that makes you feel like you are on a ride-along.
Why It Won't: It's the underdog of dramas. Surviving a move from NBC by tightening belts and cast, the TNT drama has only gotten better, but maybe it's also stayed under the radar.
The Walking Dead
Why It Will Be Nominated: A throng of cultlike fans, riveting plot lines and memorable characters may garner the show a nomination this year.
Why It Won't: Considering that its violent plots (sans period costumes) were considered lowbrow in the past, there's a good chance the show will be snubbed again this year.