Drama over dramas

It seems there will be real drama in the race for best drama series at the Emmys this year.

A big change in the nomination procedure opens the process to more than just the usual suspects, and sets up plenty of intriguing questions. Among them:

Can four-time champ "The West Wing" earn another shot in its swan song season? Does 2004 winner "The Sopranos" have what it takes to strong-arm its way back into the lineup? Will deserving contenders like "Grey's Anatomy," "Huff" and "Rescue Me" make the cut?

One thing is almost certain: the field will not be filled with the same old repeat nominees that for years have been the staple of Emmy nominations. Under the new process, only "Sopranos" and "Grey's Anatomy" seem like safe bets.

Wild cards could include "Huff," "Rescue Me," "E.R.," "House," "The Shield" and a few other red-hot series in the second Nielsen tier.

Why? The new voting system favors series that hold up during extensive scrutiny at judging panels, which will be conducted over one weekend at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' offices in North Hollywood.

Under the old ballot process, the five nominees in the top series races were chosen by a popular vote of academy members, which usually favored the biggest Nielsen hits.

This year judging panels will select nominees only after viewing a sample episode submitted by the top 15 vote-getters. (Read article on new Emmy voting system -- "'Girls' Power" -- click here.)

Which dramas are likely to make that top 15 list?

Of the new hot shows this past TV season, "Grey's Anatomy" was the breakout Nielsen hit that was also praised by critics. It's a shoo-in to get one of the five nominee slots.

"Big Love" was well received and it has Emmy-savvy HBO behind it, so it could slip in. The pay channel also launched "Rome," but it didn't conquer tough TV critics and wide audiences, so it's more likely to do well in the acting, writing, directing and crafts races.

That may be true of "The Closer," too. The hit TNT series scored great reviews, top-notch ratings (for cable) and nominations from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors' Guild Awards, but that was mostly for star Kyra Sedgwick.

Showtime's "Huff" demonstrated Emmy clout last year by reaping seven nominations (albeit none in the top category) and two wins (including the supporting-actress laurels for Blythe Danner).

Critics are passionate about "Rescue Me," the FX series about New York City firefighters starring Denis Leary. (Leary earned a writing nomination last year, but he and the show were snubbed in the prestige categories).

Another series that stands to benefit from the new voting process is Sci-Fi's "Battlestar Gallactica." But that show may be too far out for its own good, since Hollywood award voters seldom take the genre seriously.