"Mad Men," which has won four best drama series trophies and is tied with "Hill Street Blues," "L.A. Law" and "The West Wing," received a fifth bid in the category.
The miniseries "American Horror story," a nightmarish saga about a haunted house, received a matching 17 awards, including an acting nod for star Connie Britton.
Other leading nominees include the elegant British-born soap opera "Downton Abbey," which earned 16 bids, and two miniseries, "Hatfields & McCoys," with 16, and "Hemingway & Gellhorn" with 15.
"Modern Family," honored as best comedy series for two years, was the sitcom leader with 14 bids, but the category also saw an infusion of girl power.
Breakout comedies with women at their center -- in fashion after the box-office success of "Bridesmaids" -- proved alluring to Emmy voters.
"Girls," creator-star Lena Dunham's darkly comedic coming-of-age New York story, received a best comedy nod and an acting nomination for its star, Lena Dunham. Zooey Deschanel's offbeat charm in "New Girl" earned her an acting bid.
"Girls" is HBO's "current spin on `Sex and the City,' which was a strong past Emmy favorite," said Tom O'Neil, editor of the Gold Derby awards website.
Top nominations were announced by Kerry Washington of "Scandal" and by Jimmy Kimmel, who will host the awards and who filled in Thursday for Nick Offerman of "Parks and Recreation," who was held up by weather-related travel delays on the East Coast.
"This is a sex dream, isn't it," joked Kimmel, ABC's late-night host, who arrived on stage at the TV academy dressed in pajamas.
The Emmy ceremony is scheduled to air on ABC on Sept. 23. Nominees in major categories for the 2012 Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Drama Series: "Boardwalk Empire," HBO; "Breaking Bad," AMC; "Downton Abbey," PBS; "Game of Thrones," HBO; "Homeland," Showtime; "Mad Men," AMC.
Comedy Series: "The Big Bang Theory," CBS; "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; "Girls," HBO; "Modern Family," ABC; "30 Rock," NBC; "Veep," HBO.
Miniseries or Made-for-TV Movie: "American Horror Story," FX Networks; "Game Change," HBO; "Hatfields & McCoys," History; "Hemingway & Gellhorn," HBO; "Luther," BBC America; "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)," PBS.
Actor, Drama Series: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire," HBO; Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Michael C. Hall, "Dexter," Showtime; Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Damian Lewis, "Homeland," Showtime; Jon Hamm, "Mad Men," AMC.
Actress, Drama Series: Glenn Close, "Damages," DirecTV; Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife," CBS; Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law," NBC; Claire Danes, "Homeland," Showtime; Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men," AMC.
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Giancarlo Esposito, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Brendan Coyle, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones," HBO; Jared Harris, "Mad Men," AMC.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife," CBS; Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife," CBS; Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men," AMC.
Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory," CBS; Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; Don Cheadle, "House of Lies," Showtime; Louis C.K., "Louie," FX Networks; Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock," NBC; Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men," CBS.
Actress, Comedy Series: Lena Dunham, "Girls," HBO: Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly," CBS; Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl," Fox; Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie," Showtime; "Parks and Recreation," NBC; Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation," NBC; Tina Fey, "30 Rock," NBC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep, HBO.
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family," ABC; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family," ABC; Ty Burrell, "Modern Family," ABC; Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family," ABC; Max Greenfield, "New Girl," Fox; Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live," NBC.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory," CBS; Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives," ABC; Julie Bowen, "Modern Family," ABC; Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family," ABC; Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie," Showtime; Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live," NBC.
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Woody Harrelson, "Game Change," HBO; Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys," History; Bill Paxton, "Hatfields & McCoys," History; Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn," HBO; Idris Elba, "Luther," BBC America; Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)," PBS.
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Connie Britton, "American Horror Story," FX Networks; Julianne Moore, "Game Change," HBO; Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn," HBO; Ashley Judd, "Missing," ABC; Emma Thompson, "The Song of Lunch (Masterpiece), PBS.
Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Denis O'Hare, "American Horror Story," FX Networks; Ed Harris, "Game Change," HBO; Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys," History; David Strathairn, "Hemingway & Gellhorn," HBO; Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)," PBS.
Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Frances Conroy, "American Horror Story," FX Networks; Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story," FX Networks; Sarah Paulson, "Game Change," HBO; Mare Winningham, "Hatfields & McCoys," History; Judy Davis, "Page Eight (Masterpiece)," PBS.
Reality Program: "Antiques Roadshow," PBS; "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," ABC; "MythBusters," Discovery Channel; "Shark Tank," ABC; "Undercover Boss," CBS; "Who Do You Think You Are?" NBC.
Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race," CBS; "Dancing With the Stars," ABC; "Project Runway," Lifetime; "So You Think You Can Dance," Fox; "Top Chef," Bravo; "The Voice," NBC.
Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Colbert Report," Comedy Central; "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central; "Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC; "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," NBC; "Real Time With Bill Maher," HBO; "Saturday Night Live," NBC.
Children's Program: "Degrassi," TeenNick; "Good Luck Charlie," Disney Channel; "iCarly," Nickelodeon; "Victorious," Nickelodeon; "Wizards Of Waverly Place," Disney Channel.
