Great Performances

(Photo: (Clockwise from top left) Mathew Imaging/WireImage; Chris Haston/Courtesy of NBC; courtesy of Mutant Enemy Productions; Justin Lubin/Courtesy of NBC; Timothy White/Courtesy of FX; Carin Baer/Courtesy of AMC (2); Prashant Gupta/Courtesy of FX; Dana Edelson/Courtesy of NBC; Cliff Lipson/Courtesy of CBS)

Clockwise From Top Left

Ricky Gervais at the Emmys
His Blighty bile, genuine wit, and spontaneity saved a stultifying evening.

Damian Lewis
As Hugh Laurie is to House, Lewis is to Life: The you-can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him star of a ho-hum show.

Neil Patrick Harris
Officially TV’s MVP (see Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and How I Met Your Mother).

Amy Ryan
Ryan’s funny—who knew? Her endearingly goofy Holly was the perfect foil for Michael on The Office.

Katey Sagal
Sons of Anarchy’s a must-see for Sagal’s Lady Macbeth–meets–Carmela Soprano biker moll.

Patrick Fischler
As Mad Men’s seething, self-loathing comedian Jimmy Barrett, he stole every scene he was in.

January Jones
Mad Men’s Betty Draper could have easily slipped into melodrama but for the power of her icy fury.

Michael Chiklis
The Shield’s stupendously amoral, bald-headed, bare-knuckle renegade: R.I.P., Vic Mackey.

Kristen Wiig
Tina Fey may have stolen Saturday Night Live’s spotlight, but Wiig stole almost every show.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Her vibrantly loserish MILF divorcée lends The New Adventures of Old Christine oddball guts!