Most likely to be snubbed goes to ...

On Thursday, the 2007 Emmy nominations will be announced. Yes, the contest that didn't put Hugh Laurie on the best-actor list last year, that named the mediocre "Two and a Half Men" one of the five best comedies of 2006, that praised Stockard Channing for shouting her way through the excruciating "Out of Practice" but then ignored Neil Patrick Harris of "How I Met Your Mother" and James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of "The Sopranos," will dare to rear its head again for another year of ouch-errific nods.

So prepare yourselves for yet another nuts-oid gathering of nominees, one that automatically wastes category space with beloved performers such as Mariska Hargitay or flashy Hollywood-story types such as Charlie Sheen while disregarding some of the best that TV has to offer in a given year. And take a moment now to acknowledge the underdogs, the shows and actors who are unlikely to get their due on Thursday. Just as the mainstream Oscars are preceded by the Independent Spirit Awards, here's a look at TV's hidden treasures.

Last year, HBO's "Rome" was not nominated for any major Emmys, even while it brought glorious realism and storytelling magic to the history of the Roman Empire. This year, the show may get some due for its second and final season, according to theenvelope.com, which recently leaked a list of 10 comedies and 10 dramas under serious Emmy consideration.

But I don't think two of the best "Rome" actors, both Brits, will land on the list. Ray Stevenson was both a violent monster and a humane puppy dog as Titus Pullo, one of the show's fictional characters. He held the narrative together once Ciaran Hinds's Julius Caesar was dead. And Lindsay Duncan, who also shined in the HBO movie "Longford," evoked tragic vengeance as the much-abused Servilia. Anyone who saw her chant ing "Atia of the Julii, I call for justice" outside the home of her enemy will not soon forget it.

Showtime's "Brotherhood" is not on the leaked list but should be. The series about two Bulger-like brothers in Providence -- one a politician, the other a thug -- was among the year's top 10 dramas, if not top 5. The season had flaws, for sure, including the lack of a clear arc and a few very shaky local accents; but it was nonetheless compelling. At the center of the drama was Jason Clarke, an Australian actor who made quiet state legislator Tommy Caffee into the more interesting brother. His eyes, so weary, honorable, and desperate all at once, revealed a man trapped in a corner.

For some inexplicable reason, the Emmys have not been celebrating the ensemble cast of NBC's "The Office," despite the fact that they make the show such a hysterical celebration of ordinary misfits. I would argue that Rainn Wilson is as essential to the sitcom as Steve Carell, who was nominated last year, and that Wilson's Dwight Schrute is as indelible and inimical a character as Frank Burns from "M*A*S*H." And as his " Hot Lips " Houlihan, Angela, Angela Kinsey is a complete gas. Both actors deserve supporting nods.

NBC's "Friday Night Lights" is on the leaked list, and I am fully expecting it to land in the final drama-nominee category. The show is too good for the Emmys to ignore, as are Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as the couple at its center. The Emmy voters will name them, if only so they don't have to listen to the loud critical whining that would ensue.

But I fear the special supporting actors of "Friday Night Lights" will be overlooked. Scott Porter was a powerhouse as Jason Street, the quarterback who lost the use of his legs but managed to keep his competitive spirit in tact. Porter helped to make Street a hallmark of TV's portrayal of the handicapped, as he showed both pain and a strong refusal to be pitied. There was nothing mawkish about his performance. Adrianne Palicki, too, brought great dignity to Tyra, an intelligent teen beaten down by small-town despair. And as the geeky Landry, who had an impossible crush on her, Jesse Plemons was unforgettable.

I have a feeling the Emmys will finally nominate Harris for his outstanding work as Barney on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother." With "Will & Grace" and "Malcolm in the Middle" out of the picture, there is room for him in the supporting actor category. But the sitcom is not on the leaked list, and I fear it will be ignored once again, despite the fact that it is so smartly written. Seriously, overlooking this series is becoming one of the most ignominious of Emmy botches.

Two cable actors absolutely will not get nominated, but absolutely deserve note. Tom Everett Scott was amazing in a short-lived TNT drama called "Saved" that never realized its storytelling potential. Scott was finally able to let loose as a paramedic who lived a life of high risk, romantically, professionally, and financially, in order to run from his deeper emotions. It was a star-making performance.

And in Showtime's "The Tudors," a plastic take on the life of Henry VIII that revolves around a thin performance by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, an actress named Maria Doyle Kennedy delivered the only truly subtle performance as Catherine of Aragon. Her desperation to bear Henry a son, and her covert efforts to save herself, led to the series' most truly intriguing dramatic moments.

What is the problem with the Emmys when it comes to the supporting actors on FX's "Rescue Me"? Andrea Roth is always fierce as Janet, and she was particularly effective last season in the plot involving her rape by ex-husband Tommy. And John Scurti is touchingly real as Kenny Shea, who lost and then found his self-esteem after getting scammed by a porn star. Another FX series, "The Riches," also deserves some Emmy love, especially for Eddie Izzard, who carefully veered between comedy and drama as a con artist who takes his work to heart.

There are a number of supporting comedic actors who bring it on but will probably get blown off by the Emmys. NBC's "30 Rock" is on the leaked list, and I'm hoping it will win nominations not only for best comedy but for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. Alas, Jack McBrayer will not be nominated, although his innocent NBC intern Kenneth is a wonderfully original piece of work. His pairing with Tracy Morgan was beautiful .

Stephen Merchant is the co-creator of Britain's "The Office" and HBO's "Extras." Onscreen as the passive, useless agent on "Extras," he is a fantastically funny alternative to Jeremy Piven on "Entourage." He's the anti-Ari, and he was a supporting highlight of the show's strong second season.

And Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke still go unrecognized by the Emmys, despite their charming and expert supporting work on NBC's "Scrubs." For six seasons, they've helped make the show a witty pleasure, and for six years the Emmys have snubbed them.

They are outcasts, but certainly not outclassed.