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  (Photo: Reuters)
  "Mad Men" actress Christina Hendricks.

The 2012 Emmy Awards nominees have been announced on live television Thursday morning, with "Mad Men" in the lead.

With 17 nominations total, AMC's hit series has the opportunity to make history as the most celebrated television series of the year.

Announcing the nominations on "The Today Show" Thursday were this year's hosts Kerry Washington and late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Alternately, FX's "American Horror Story" also earned 17 Emmy Award nods.

Next, the History Channel's "Hatfields & McCoys" earned 16 nods as an outstanding mini-series or movie. Lead actors Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton contributed to the show's nominations.

Also picking up 16 nominations was "Downton Abbey," PBS's hit drama series. It stars this year's Emmy-nominated actors Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery, among others.

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Following in the number of nominations was HBO's "Hemingway & Gellhorn" which saw 15 nods, of which included best actress for Nicole Kidman and best actor for Clive Owen.

Rounding out the top-nominated in the mini-series or movie category were PBS's "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia" and BBC's "Luther," both earning 13 nominations.

For a full list of the 2012 nominees, visit Emmys.com.

The 64th Annual Emmy Awards saw many former nominees return this year; such as "30 Rock," "The Big Bang Theory," and "The Good Wife."

This year also saw some newcomers listed among the nominees, such as "Homeland" and "New Girl."

HBO saw a total of 81 nominations at the Emmy's this year. The network heads the number of nods by a long shot for their top shows such as "Boardwalk Empire," "Game of Thrones," and the newcomers "Girls" and "Veep."

Getting just as much attention as the nominees are this year's hosts, Washington and Kimmel, who displayed an easy, hilarious interaction together. Kimmel, who was nominated for an Emmy, had popular one-liners during the announcement.

"This could be just as good at noon, really," Kimmel joked of the Emmy nominations being announced at 5:45 a.m. Pacific Time.

The 64th Prime Time Emmy Awards will air on ABC Sept. 23.