Emmy '13 Spotlight: Lead Actor in a Drama

There's less than two weeks until the 2013 Emmys, and ET is breaking down your contenders. On now to the Lead Actor in a Drama category.

Sgt. Brody has been a name-making role for British actor Damian Lewis. He, along with Claire Danes and the rest of the Homeland production team, were the far and away favorites of last year's award season, taking home six Emmy's, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for Lewis.

Through it all, the stakes only got higher for Lewis and Danes' characters in the show's second season, which they hope will be just as revered by the voting committee.

Perhaps a good sign for Lewis is the strong anticipation by audiences for the upcoming third season of the Showtime program. If Homeland is once again the show everyone is talking about, then Lewis just might boast one more statuette.

Being a perennial contender in the Lead Actor in a Drama category each year since the show's inception, it might surprise some people that Jon Hamm has never actually taken home an Emmy for his work as Don Draper in AMC's Mad Men.

Still, the now-iconic character has not gone unrecognized by critics and audiences alike and Hamm has been nominated for multiple Emmys for the role.

With Hamm the famous face of the much-celebrated (and awarded) series, and with the final season drawing near, it's hard to imagine that Hamm doesn't have a good shot of finally getting his own statuette.

While his movie career spans decades, The Newsroom is Jeff Daniels’ first experience at the helm of a TV series. Judging by his second Lead Actor Emmy nod for the HBO Drama, the move was a good one for Daniels.

Playing the host of a nightly news program devoted to covering stories "the right way," Daniels and his fictional Aaron Sorkin-directed news team use real headlines to create a compelling narrative that translated to awards buzz right out of the gate.

But that buzz hasn't lead to major accolades quite yet for Daniels or the sophomore series. However, that could change this year with the show's aggressive campaigning and a second dramatic season underway.

With claim to three consecutive Lead Actor Emmys, it's clear that his character Walter White on AMC's Breaking Bad has been quite a powerhouse role for Bryan Cranston.

Cranston had received nominations before for Malcolm in the Middle, but his tenure as a teacher-turned-meth dealer is what really earned Cranston his accolades and turned him into a household name.

This awards season, Cranston is up for his fifth Emmy with the series -- three years separated from his last win -- following a snub in 2011, and falling to Homeland star Damian Lewis last year.

However, given the buzz from the show's last season, and his role in the heavily acclaimed film Argo, this might be the year Cranston adds one more statuette to his collection.

Despite appearing in multiple movies, including Tomorrow Never Dies and the cult-hit TV show Dr. Who, Hugh Bonneville's real notoriety came from the PBS series and unlikely sensation, Downton Abbey.

Playing an aristocrat who struggles to change with the times in the heralded program, Bonneville is yet to take home a Lead Actor Emmy of his own.

This is Bonneville's second go at the Emmy, for which he was also nominated for in 2012. With any luck and if the Downton buzz holds up, Bonneville could take home an Emmy of his own in September.

Some would see House of Cards as a risky return to TV for Kevin Spacey after more than 20 years.

The series is not on a traditional network, but hosted by Netflix; one of the internet streaming service's first forays into original content.

It seems for Spacey, however, that the risk paid off. His role as Frances Underwood, an ambitious politician with sights on the White House, has earned him a Lead Actor nod in the show's inaugural season, one of 14 for Netflix in its first Emmy campaign.

Whether Spacey can win remains to be seen. But if we've learned anything from his ruthless House of Cards character, it's that one should never count him out.

Check out our other Emmy Spotlight galleries:

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Supporting Actress in a Drama

Supporting Actor in a Drama