The six shows nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at last year’s Emmys were The Big Bang Theory, Louie, Modern Family, Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley, and Veep. If you’re thinking, one of these things is not like the other, you’re right: The Big Bang Theory is terrible. The rest are good-to-great. But also, every comedy is 30 minutes, except for the hour-long Orange Is the New Black. That will change for this year’s ceremony after the Emmys put in place new eligibility rules that will also affect True Detective.
Among the major tweaks announced Friday: a comedy series will now be defined as a program that clocks in at 30 minutes or less, and the drama and comedy categories will include seven nominees, up from six.
Additionally, the Miniseries category has been renamed Limited Series, now defined as a “complete, non-recurring story” told in at least two episodes totaling at least 150 minutes. Further, a Limited Series must feature “no ongoing story lines or main characters” in any subsequent seasons. (In turn, Drama and Comedy series are defined as telling ongoing stories in runs of at least six episodes.) (Via)
Not only is Orange now considered a drama — producers can, however, file a formal petition to argue otherwise; the case would be heard in front of a nine-member panel — but True Detective will compete against Fargo in the limited series category. Unfortunately, none of the new rules is “nominate Charlie Day,” so the Emmys are still bunk.
