Tight grip on the ship: showrunners keep firm hand on series' creative direction.(ROAD TO THE EMMYS: DRAMA)

Although "Breaking Bad" showrunner Vince Gilligan is eager to praise the creative staff around him when it comes to his Emmy-winning cable series, he believes he's speaking for many other showrunners when he says the job "requires someone who's a control freak."

"It's a group effort, and I try to be a benevolent dictator," Gilligan says, "but I want things the way I want them."

Gilligan's efforts have once again brought "Breaking Bad" to the Emmy nominees circle for outstanding drama, a category with its fair share of series--such as "Lost" and "Mad Men"--whose lauded creativity stems directly from a hands-on sense of vision from the top.

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