Emmy Nominations: 'Game of Thrones,' HBO Lead the Pack

Power-and-blood fantasy saga "Game of Thrones" ruled the Emmy nominations Thursday with a leading 23 bids, including best drama, while a real-life epic of murder and celebrity, "The People v. O.J. Simpson," was close behind with 22 nods.

"Game of Thrones" gets the chance to win its second top Emmy, while "Veep," last year's top comedy winner, also will get another shot at holding office.

Breakthrough nominations include a best comedy series nod for sophomore "black-ish," which brought the African-American family comedy back to network TV, with bids as well for its stars, Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross.

They were among a number of black actors recognized by TV academy voters, who have started to keep pace with TV's growing diversity - in sharp contrast to the moviedom's Academy Awards, which were slammed as "OscarsSoWhite" this year.

Here's a list of the major nominees:

• Kyle Chandler — Bloodline
• Rami Malek — Mr. Robot
• Bob Odenkirk — Better Call Saul
• Matthew Rhys — The Americans
• Liev Schreiber — Ray Donovan
• Kevin Spacey — House of Cards

• Claire Danes — Homeland
• Viola Davis — How to Get Away with Murder
• Taraji P. Henson — Empire
• Tatiana Maslany — Orphan Black
• Keri Russell — The Americans
• Robin Wright — House of Cards

• Bryan Cranston — All The Way
• Benedict Cumberbatch — Sherlock
• Idris Elba — Luther
• Cuba Gooding Jr. — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• Tom Hiddleston — The Night Manager
• Courtney B. Vance — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

• Kirsten Dunst — Fargo
• Felicity Huffman — American Crime
• Audra McDonald — Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
• Sarah Paulson — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• Lili Taylor — American Crime
• Kerry Washington — Confirmation

• Anthony Anderson — Black-ish
• Aziz Ansari — Master of None
• Will Forte — Last Man on Earth
• William H. Macy — Shameless
• Thomas Middleditch — Silicon Valley
• Jeffrey Tambor — Transparent

• Ellie Kemper — Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus — Veep
• Laurie Metcalf — Getting On
• Tracee Ellis Ross — Black-ish
• Amy Schumer — Inside Amy Schumer
• Lily Tomlin — Grace and Frankie

• The Amazing Race
• American Ninja Warrior
• Dancing with the Stars
• Project Runway
• Top Chef
• The Voice

• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• The Late Late Show with James Corden
• Real Time with Bill Maher
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

• A Very Murray Christmas
• All The Way
• Confirmation
• Luther
• Sherlock

• American Crime
• Fargo
• The Night Manager
• The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• Roots

• Black-ish
• Master of None
• Modern Family
• Silicon Valley
• Transparent
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Veep

• The Americans
• Better Call Saul
• Downton Abbey
• Game of Thrones
• Homeland
• House of Cards
• Mr. Robot