TORONTO — CTV cop drama Flashpoint once again snared the most Gemini Award attention as nominations for the best in Canadian TV were announced Tuesday.

Last year, Flashpoint led with a record 19 nominations and went on to win six Geminis, including awards for best dramatic series, direction, and performance by an actor, for Enrico Colantoni. Colantoni picked up another nomination this year but for a guest spot on Cra$h & Burn, which got six nominations.

Other top-nominated shows include coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics with 13 nods, and nine each for the CBC miniseries Guns and The Summit, HBO Canada’s Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, and the Space drama Stargate Universe.

The most comedy nominations went to HBO’s Less Than Kind with eight, including best comedy, director, writing and three nods for individual performances.

HBO’s Durham County picked up seven, including best dramatic series and best performance by an actress in a continuing leading dramatic role. Director and executive producer Adrienne Mitchell said she was thrilled to be nominated, particularly since the nominations and winners are determined by others in the industry.

A jury of five to seven members chooses the nominees for each category and winners are then voted on by various members of the academy.

It was also a very strong year for dramatic television, Mitchell said, noting the other contenders in the best drama category: Flashpoint, Stargate Universe, and CBC’s The Tudors and Republic of Doyle.

“I think this is really a hallmark year of excellent Canadian drama series and it’s inspiring to be a part of this community,” she said.

Republic of Doyle also picked up nominations for best performance by an actor and actress in a continuing leading dramatic role. Three-time nominee Lynda Boyd admitted she’d love to finally take home a trophy.

“You always say it doesn’t matter, (it’s an honour) just to be nominated and that is true — but I’d like to win it,” she said with a laugh.

“It’s just a real nice acknowledgment that what we were doing there in Newfoundland last year . . . has become this hit, and it’s really lovely to be part of it.”

Liane Balaban was nominated for best lead actress in a dramatic program or miniseries for the CBC TV movie Abroad, which picked up three nominations. It was Balaban’s first Gemini nomination and she said she was genuinely excited to have her name called out on Tuesday.

“I’m thrilled,” she said. “It’s really nice to be recognized by my colleagues. It means someone was watching and someone cared and someone wanted you to be recognized.

“As much as I never cared about awards — because I’ve never really been nominated for them,” she said with a laugh, “as soon as I was nominated for a Gemini, it really matters to me now.”

Acting less excited in his trademark sardonic manner was Kenny Hotz of Kenny and Spenny fame. He has a handful of nominations to his name but still no hardware to show for it. This year, his show is up for best ensemble performance in a comedy.

“We haven’t won one yet, we’ve been nominated 412 times, best catering mostly,” he quipped.

“You’d think one of the most famous, successful shows in the history of all of Canada would have already received a Gemini after seven years of being the Canadian diplomats for 150 countries in the world, and the largest selling format in the history of Canada but meh,” he said shrugging his shoulders, “whatever.”

Other notable nominations include Christopher Plummer’s nod for best performance by an actor in a miniseries, for The Summit, and Michael Buble for best performance or host in a variety program, for At The Concert Hall.

In a couple weeks, the Geminis will host a website asking TV fans to vote on their favourite Canadian show of the last quarter century. The results will be counted down on the Gemini award broadcast, which airs Nov. 13.