Benedict Cumberbatch - "Sherlock Holmes", Sherlock
Idris Elba - "John Luther", Luther
Bill Paxton - "Randall McCoy", Hatfields and McCoys
Dominic West - "Fred West", Appropriate Adult
Ben Whishaw - "Freddie Lyon", The Hour
Sherlock's second series focused on examining Holmes' relationships with others, and Cumberbatch's performance utilized the right amount of introspection without seeming out of character or veering off into sentimentality. Much of the same is true of Elba's second-series arc on Luther, particularly in John's relationship with Aimee Ffion-Edwards' wayward teenager. Paxton tapped into a similar vein as his work on Big Love, presenting McCoy as a true believer for whom his family's feud is rooted in a deeply held sense of honor. West's performance was unbelievably chilling, depicting a man who spun an elaborate web of half-truths and outright lies that revealed a conscience-less core. There isn't really another performer right now with the same kind of nervous energy Whishaw brings to bear on his characters, in this case showing Freddie to be someone made restless by a lack of answers, whether in the show's spy plot or in his regular journalistic investigations.
Honorable Mentions: Kevin Costner, Hatfields and McCoys; Woody Harrelson, Game Change; Dylan McDermott, American Horror Story; Bill Nighy, Page Eight; Clive Owen, Hemingway and Gellhorn; Dominic West, The Hour
I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Sean Bean, Missing; Douglas Booth, Great Expectations; Bruce Greenwood, The River; Rob Lowe, Drew Peterson: Untouchable; Eddie Redmayne, Birdsong; Alan Rickman, The Song of Lunch
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