Emmys 2013: Claire Danes wins best actress in a drama

Claire Danes won an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series Sunday for her role as psychologically troubled CIA officer Carrie Mathison on the Showtime series “Homeland.”

Is a streak in its beginning stages? Danes took home the trophy last year too. Just as then, she was the favorite to win this year in the category, which included Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”), Robin Wright (“House of Cards”), Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), Connie Britton (“Nashville”), Kerry Washington (“Scandal”) and Vera Farmiga (“Bates Motel”).

The 34-year-old actress made her break on TV in the short-lived cult ABC series “My So-Called Life” as angsty teenager Angela Chase. She would move on to movies before returning to television in the 2010 HBO biopic “Temple Grandin,” for which she scored her first Emmy.

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And then came “Homeland.” The Showtime drama, in which she stars as a CIA officer obsessed with proving an American POW is secretly working for Al Qaeda, premiered in 2011 and quickly drew acclaim — though some of the chatter waned in its second season. But maybe that can be reclaimed when it returns for its third season next week.

The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, are being held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and the show is airing live on CBS.