Jim Parsons is a seriously viable candidate for an Emmy this year. He's not only the breakout star of a hot new comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," he appears on Mike Ausiello's Dream Emmy Ballot over at TVGuide.com

But what is Jim Parsons' best shot — the lead or supporting race? He's chosen lead and I dish both alternatives with him in our podcast chat. (CLICK HERE to Download the MP3 File and Listen — (Note: You may need to hold down your computer's control key while clicking.)

At the Golden Globes, Jim Parsons entered in the supporting category, but he switched to lead at his first Emmys. So I ask him, "Why?"

"Who am I supporting?" he asks in return, which is a good point. He and Johnny Galecki are co-leads of the series about two geeky, physicist roommates who struggle to cope with a crazy world — and with each other. There's an obvious parallel to a classic TV series of yore, "The Odd Couple."

"Definitely," Parsons says. "There's no way around it. I hear that all the time."

And if the parallel holds up, then it's smart that Parsons and Galecki both submitted themselves in lead. Their predecessors Jack Klugman and Tony Randall both won Emmys in lead: Klugman, in fact, won two as the equivalent to Galecki's role (the more grounded, "normal" one) while Randall —l ike Parsons' character ("the persnickety one," he notes) — won only once.

But despite the size of their roles, wacky characters often go supporting, as the persnickety David Hyde Pierce learned on "Frasier," winning four Emmys. Costar Kelsey Grammer won four times in lead, but probably would've beaten Pierce most times if they shared the same category since Grammer's role had more emotional gravitas. That's what voters tend to look for in lead. Winners in supporting tend to be more cartoonish (think of Sean Hayes in "Will & Grace" and Michael Richards in "Seinfeld").

"The more I find out about how the process works the more confused I get," Parsons confesses to Gold Derby. "If somebody doesn't win who I think should win, I don't even know who to blame anymore. It could be their own fault" — because of what race they entered or due to the sample episode they chose to give to judges.

Parsons submitted "The Pancake Batter Anomaly" episode as the one judges will view if he makes the top 10 runoff. "I chose the episode where I'm sick. I thought the whole episode had a real good flow."

And what does he think about the Emmys in general?

KEEP READING - CLICK HERE!