Inside This Year's Hottest Emmy Races

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ETONLINE

The Emmys are less than a week away, and ET is delving into the categories everybody is watching.

While Bryan Cranston is going for his fourth consecutive Lead Actor win as Walter White on Breaking Bad, Matthew McConaughey, up for his role on HBO's True Detective, is fresh off his first Oscar win, so at this point, it's hard to call who will take the prize.

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"Voters might be tempted to give Bryan Cranston a farewell hug because this is the last time Breaking Bad will be up for the Emmy," said Tom O'Neil of GoldDerby.com.

The Lead Actress race is similarly packed with drama. While Julianna Margulies is thought to be the favorite, Scandal's Kerry Washington could make history in the category.

"If Kerry Washington wins for Scandal, she'll be the very first African-American ever to win Outstanding Drama actress," said Tom. "It's the last of the big categories at the Emmys not to break the color barrier."

So what will it take to win? Tom told us that it come down to the actors taking extreme care when submitting clips for consideration.

"Emmy voters are looking for three things: range, impact, empathy," said Tom. "They want to see the full gamut of what a star can do."

Tune in to the Emmy Awards Monday, August 25 at 8 ET/5 PT on NBC.