SAG Nominees: Best Male Actor in a Drama Series

My predictions: 4/5, missing Baker
Who’s missing: John Lithgow (Dexter), Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment)

I don’t know what everyone loves so much about Simon Baker (The Mentalist). There’s nothing particularly terrific about his performance or his show, but he just seems to keep getting in everywhere. He doesn’t really take anyone’s slot, however, because, though the SAG supposedly aggregates supporting and lead performances into their categories, it’s usually just leads, as it is in all fields this year. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), despite another Globe snub, managed to break in here, which is a good thing, joining returning nominees Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Hugh Laurie (House). Minus “In Treatment” star Gabriel Byrne, this is the same group that was nominated at the Emmys this past year.

Who could win? This is the first nomination for Cranston; he takes it.