The 66th Prime Time Emmys are kicking off tonight at 8pm EDT on NBC, and with plenty of long-running shows still in the mix to pick up awards, plenty of actors, actresses, comedies dramas and miniseries are ready to make Emmy history with their potential wins. 

Bryan Cranston Breaking BadWill Bryan Cranston win again for Breaking Bad?

In terms of ‘first timers’, Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" and  "House of Cards" could become the first online shows to pick up high end Emmy Awards. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the popular comedy, Modern Family and AMC’s five-season meth drama, Breaking Bad, could also make history. Modern Family could tie with Frasier on five awards for best Comedy Series, while Bryan Cranston could go level with Dennis Franz on four Best Actor in a Drama awards.

More: Usual Suspects: Breaking Bad, True Detective, GoT, Mad Men, to Duke it Out For Emmy Wins

Matthew McConaughey, meanwhile, could be in line for a quite unique achievement, putting him amongst Helen Mirren, Helen Hunt, Liza Minnelli and George C. Scott as actors that have managed to take home an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year. The Texan actor picked up his Academy Award for portaying Ron Woodruff in The Dallas Buyers Club, which also saw Jared Leto pick up the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Rayon. 

Elsewhere, Scandal star Kerry Washington could become the first African-American to win a Best Actress in a Drama role for her turn as Olivia Pope. The political drama has been renewed for a fourth season as its popularity continues to grow. 

And, back in the comedy genre, Jim Parsons could find himself amongst sitcom royalty with a win for his work as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. A fourth win would see him level with Kelsey Grammer and Michael J. Fox. The Big Bang Theory’s biggest star was at the centre of a contractual debate alongside his co-stars Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco recently over pay, but a new deal will see the trio net a cool $1m per episode for the show’s eighth season.