Cult advertising agency drama, Mad Men, is pitching for a fourth straight triumph at the Emmy awards tomorrow, as the US television industry hands out its annual glittering prizes.

Mildred Pierce, the mini-series starring British actress Kate Winslet, is also tipped for a clutch of gongs at the Primetime Emmy awards, the Oscars of the small screen.

But pundits say this year’s show, hosted at Los Angeles’s Nokia Theatre, is among the most difficult to predict.

“Some unexpected contenders are shaking up the odds, making this year’s Emmys a refreshing break from business as usual,” commented the Hollywood Reporter after the nominations were announced in July.

Mad Men, the brilliantly-styled series set in a 1960s New York advertising agency, is up against new HBO series Game of Thrones and popular CBS drama The Good Wife for the prized best drama accolade.

But Boardwalk Empire is also among the hotly-tipped for the Outstanding Drama category – which Mad Men has dominated for the last three years – while Friday Night Lights and Dexter are the other contenders.