Henson plays Joss Carter, a hard-nosed New York detective. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role. She has one previous nomination in her career.
Alexander plays Dr. Maura Isles. She has no previous Emmy nominations in her career.
Washington plays Olivia Pope. She has no previous Emmy nominations in her career.
Goodwin plays Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard. She has no previous Emmy nominations in her career.
Harmon plays Det. Jane Rizzoli. She has no previous Emmy nominations in her career.
Dockery plays Lady Mary Crawley, the oldest daughter of an aristocratic family. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Pare plays Megan Draper. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Hewitt plays Melinda Gordon, a Texas starlet who works at at high end prostitution service. She has no previous Emmy nominations in her career.
Katic plays Kate Beckett. She has no previous Emmy nominations in her career.
Dobrev plays dual roles on the popular series. Katherine Pierce is a vampire loved by two human brothers during the Civil War era. Elena Gilbert is a human girl caught between the same two brothers who are now vampires themselves in the present day. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
McGovern plays Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham. She has one previous Emmy Award nomination for this role.
Montgomery plays Carrie Wells, a New York police detective with a rare condition that allows her to remember every detail of her life. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role.
Callies plays Lori Grimes, the wife of a deputy sheriff on the run from zombies. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Gellar plays Bridget Kelly, a troubled woman on the run from the mob, and her twin sister Siobhan Martin, a wealthy young woman. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role.
Perabo plays Annie Walker, a young CIA trainee who is suddenly promoted to field operative. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Enos plays Sarah Linden, a homicide detective who is leaving her job in Seattle before deciding to wrap up a murder case of a teenage girl. She has one Emmy nomination for this role.
McCormack plays Mary Shannon, a deputy U.S. marshal in the New Mexico office in charge of federal witnesses. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Hargitay plays Olivia Benson, a New York detective specializing in sexual and special crimes. She has one Emmy win in eight career nominations for this role.
Stowe plays Victoria Grayson, a family matriarch who betrayed her former husband. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role.
Sagal plays Gemma Teller Morrow, the hard-living matriarch of the Sons of Anarchy motorcyle club. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Bates plays Harriet "Harry" Korn, a sarcastic and passionate lawyer who runs her own small firm. She has one Emmy nomination for this role. She has nine previous career nominations.
Sagal plays Gemma Teller Morrow, the hard-living matriarch of the Sons of Anarchy motorcyle club. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, a junior litigator at a law firm who is coping with her husband's affairs. She has one Emmy win in two nominations for this role. She has one previous win in six other career nominations.
Close plays Patty Hewes, a brilliant yet ruthless lawyer who takes on complex and high profile cases. She has two Emmy wins in three nominations for this role. She has one previous win in 10 other career nominations.
Rossum plays Fiona Gallagher, the oldest of six children of a single alchoholic father who helps keep the family together. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
VanCamp plays Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke, who moves back to the Hamptons to seek revenge on the people who caused the death of her father. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role.
Pompeo plays Dr. Meredith Grey, a young doctor in a Seattle hospital. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Moss plays Peggy Olson, a secretary who has risen to be a copywriter for a 1960s advertising agency. She has three Emmy nominations for this role.
Messing plays Julia Houston, a songwriter working on a Broadway musical. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role. She has one previous win in six career nominations.
Delany plays Dr. Megan Hunt, a former neurosurgeon who accidentally killed a patient and now works as a medical examiner. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role. She has two previous wins in five career nominations.
Danes plays Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who suspects a former prisoner-of-war Marine might be a threat to the United States. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role. She has one previous win in two career nominations.
Thorne plays Dr. Dani Santino, a divorced therapist for a pro football team. This is her first time eligible at the Emmys for this role.
Torv plays Olivia Dunham, an FBI agent assigned to investigate the spread of unexplained phenomena. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role.
Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid from Louisiana who is romantically involved with a vampire. She has no previous Emmy nominations for this role. She has one previous career nomination.