A pair of detective shows -- one set in the 19th century and another that takes place in present-day suburbia -- are this year's leading Gemini Award nominees.

Murdoch Mysteries, which airs on Citytv and stars Yannick Bisson as a sleuth who solves crimes in 1895 Toronto, is up for 14 of the prizes, which recognize excellence in Canadian television.

The show received nods for best dramatic series, writing, visual effects, photography, score and makeup. A host of guest stars who appeared on the program are also vying for awards.

Durham County, in which Hugh Dillon plays a homicide detective who moves his family from Toronto to the suburbs only to discover that his neighbour may be a serial killer, nabbed 13 Gemini nominations.

Dillon is up for an acting prize, as are costars Helene Joy and Justin Louis. The program, which airs on The Movie Network and Movie Central, is also up for best dramatic series as well as for writing, directing, editing, sound and photography.

"This was a banner year for Canadian television," Sara Morton, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, said after the nominations were announced yesterday.

In the best drama category, Murdoch Mysteries and Durham County will square off against the sexy Henry VIII drama The Tudors, cop thriller The Border and organized crime drama Intelligence.

The Tudors received 12 nominations overall, as did The Englishman's Boy, a miniseries based on a Guy Vanderhaeghe novel.

The Fifth Estate picked up 11 nods, while The Border and CBC News: The National tied with nine apiece.

The TV miniseries Would Be Kings picked up eight nominations and Across the River to Motor City and Mayerthorpe each collected seven.

Competing for best comedy will be: Cock'd Gunns, Corner Gas, Kenny vs. Spenny, Odd Job Jack, Rent-A-Goalie and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

And, the reality show contenders are: Canada's Next Top Model, Dragons' Den, Project Runway Canada, Triple Sensation, and The Week the Women Went.

Three nights of Gemini galas will be held on Oct. 20, 21 and 22 to hand out hardware for various categories including news, sports, documentaries and children's shows.

The main Gemini Awards show will take place in Toronto on Nov. 28.