Gillian Anderson - "The X-Files" (2-1)

Again, I haven't seen more than seconds-long clips of Anderson's performance, but she is the reigning champ in this category, and the rest of the nominees don't present much of a challenge. My personal favorite is Julianna Margulies, but she didn't have a standout episode this year. Christine Lahti won this year's Golden Globe, but that was for an episode that she turned in for last year's Emmys, only to lose to Anderson. The only major competition will come from a character who may be an ancestor of Margulies' character: Jane Seymour's Dr. Michaela Quinn. Sympathy is on her side after that show's cancellation, and there is nothing Emmy voters like more than to champion a cancelled show. If we're talking about merit alone, I'd say Anderson has it, and I haven't even seen the show! What does that say about how strong I think the category is this year?

Roma Downey - "Touched By An Angel" (8-1)

Last year, I said Roma Downey may not win because Academy voters are primarily men, looking for shows that aim for a larger male audience. Thomas O'Neil, author of the book The Emmys (a fantastic read, by the way), corrected me. When talking about the chances of "Ally McBeal," he mentioned that voters are primarily female. So why did Downey lose last year? Well, judging from the one episode of "Angel" that I've seen, I can only offer the reason I gave for Della Reese's bleak chances: the show is way too sugary sweet for most mainstream viewers. This is an award for drama, after all, not feel good stories. Downey has expressed her desire to play an evil character just once, to get away from the monotony of playing an angel week in and week out. Perfectly understandable.

Christine Lahti - "Chicago Hope" (6-1)

Lahti worked with even weaker material than she's had in seasons past. You want the truth? I didn't even notice she was on the show this year. The one performance of hers from this season that sticks out in my mind is due to its ridiculous nature, and not its dramatic merit. Adam Arkin's Dr. Shutt, after having his ceisure, started hallucinating that everyone around him was performing musical numbers. Just as Lahti's Dr. Austin was about to perform crucial, parylasis-preventing surgery on him, she was dressed in drag, complete with a slick Elvis haristyle, lipsynching to "Walk Like A Man." The situation has gotten hellish. Lahti is an accomplished actress. Jeez, she even won an Oscar two years ago for producing a short film. What is she doing performing in piffle like this? Get out while you still have your artistic integrity, Christine. "Hope" is no longer a show worth losing it over.

Julianna Margulies - "ER" (4-1)

See Carol reunite with Doug. See Carol kiss another guy. See Doug freak. See Carol fret. See Doug and Carol reunite. See Carol help throw the ashes of Doug's dad off a real steep cliff. See Carol lose Emmy to Dana. That appears to be the likely progression this year. Margulies is fantastic. She had that great episode last year where she was taken hostage in a convenience store. But of course, last year is last year, and this year appears to be Anderson's yet again. Carol was wrongly accused of dropping a baby during birth, which subsequently died this season, but the story line was an underdeveloped, mere blip on the "ER" radar screen. I'll root for the possibility that voters see Margulies' abundant talent through this year's scant material, but realistically, it's a longshot.

Jane Seymour - "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (4-1)

Dr. Quinn was ordered to close her practice by CBS this spring, after a number of weekly patients switched over to see Dr. Hibbard on "The Simpsons." Fans started a letter writing campaign, the sheer size of which hasn't been seen since the annual pleas for "Homicide"s life ended a couple of years ago. Plans were made for a "Quinn" TV movie next season. Then Seymour's nomination came over the wires. Will the show somehow be revived in full? That's highly unlikely, but any "Quinn" fans in the Academy may figure that the only way that will happen is if they do their part and cast a vote for Seymour's solid work as the good doctor. Thus, sympathy and talent have mixed to make Seymour a credible threat in this category. This makes two cases of possible large sympathy factions (Phil Hartman) at this year's awards.

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