A '30 Rock' Win, A 5-Way Tie, & 8 Other Things We Need to See at the 2013 Emmys

The Emmys have a history of honoring a show's actors once the series is off the air (yay, Kyle Chandler!), but rarely do they give the departing show itself its due. This year, though, we hope they make an exception. The beloved 30 Rock reached its conclusion in January, and while it's certainly no stranger to Emmy love, it deserves to be recognized one last time.

The other contenders in the race for Best Actress in a Drama are worthy, but none caught our attention this year quite as much as Kerry Washington. As Olivia Pope on the cult ABC hit Scandal, Washington gives a powerhouse, must-watch performance that brings life to an otherwise soapy show. Add that to the fact that she's the first African-American actress to lead a network drama since 1974, and you've got yourself a contender to root for. Image: ABC

Sorry, haters: Anna Gunn, aka Breaking Bad's Skyler White, gave one hell of a performance last year. Playing terrified, furious, conniving, and vulnerable all at once, Gunn earned her Emmy nomination by the season's first episode. She's up against some tough competition this year, with Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke and Mad Men's Christina Hendricks in the mix, but a Gunn win would certainly send a message to those who believe Skyler has a "character issue."

Okay, this one's not that likely to actually happen, but a girl can dream. Every single person in the Best Supporting Drama Actor race deserves to win, and no matter who takes home the trophy, it's going to be bittersweet. Aaron Paul or Jonathan Banks? Peter Dinklage or Mandy Patinkin? Bobby Cannavale or Jim Carter? Don't make us choose.

Over five seasons playing Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, Amy Poehler has been nominated for four Emmys and two Golden Globes (not even including the two other nominations she's gotten for writing and producing the show), but for some strange reason, she's never won. She's up against some strong competition this year — Tina Fey and Lena Dunham both have good shots at winning — but if Poehler's ever going to take home an Emmy for Parks and Rec, this is the time. She shone brighter than ever in the show's fifth season, and never more so than in "Leslie and Ben," the episode that finally saw Poehler's Knope getting married to her soulmate. Image: NBC

Driver's Girls co-star Lena Dunham has said that "watching him work over the last three years now has been one of the greatest gifts I've ever had," and we don't doubt it. As Adam, the moody, on-again, off-again boyfriend of Dunham's Hannah, Driver is consistently exceptional. Everything his character says and does is utterly believable, including the disturbing but excellent scene last season where Adam borderline-raped his girlfriend at the time. Driver's career is on the rise — he had roles in Lincoln and Frances Ha, and will soon appear in Inside Llewyn Davis — and we'd love to see him take home an Emmy for the role that made him a star. Image: HBO

Like the Supporting Actor in a Drama race, the Best Actor race is full of strong contenders — Breaking Bad's Cranston, Mad Men's Hamm, Homeland's Damian Lewis, The Newsroom's Jeff Daniels, Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, and House of Cards' Kevin Spacey. We can narrow our favorites down to Cranston and Hamm, but after that, we're at a loss. Can't both of them take home the gold? If only.

There are many things fans of HBO's Game of Thrones can disagree on (was "The Red Wedding" overdone? Does Theon deserve redemption? Will Arya need PTSD therapy?), but everyone can agree that Lady Olenna is the best. Thanks in large part to Diana Rigg's portrayal, the Queen of Thorns' witty, no-nonsense manner gives the series some much-needed comic relief. Image: HBO

The Office may have gone downhill after Steve Carell left, but its series finale was good enough to redeem any mistakes the show may have made in its final few seasons. Greg Daniels, the series' developer, co-producer, and frequent writer/director, deserves an Emmy not just for penning its last episode, but for helping to bring Michael Scott and Co. to America in the first place.

There's a chance that Emmy voters will decide to hold off on honoring Breaking Bad in favor of waiting until next year when its off the air to give it its due, but we don't see why they can't just do both. Breaking Bad is the best drama on TV, and its stellar fifth season deserves recognition. Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards and the others are all great shows, but this year (and next), it should be all about Vince Gilligan's masterful creation. Image: AMC