(via The Hollywood Reporter)

In lieu of television really being as expansive and growing as it ever has been, The Television Academy has decided to simplify distinctions with The Emmys with some rule changes.

The most notable one is having TV series that submit as a comedy have episodes with a duration of 30 minutes or less. That means that Better Call Saul, Orange Is The New Black, etc. will be in the dramatic categories rather than comedy. The Television Academy is also making a distinction between outstanding talk variety and outstanding sketch variety. 

Still, that doesn’t clear up all their issues between which shows should or shouldn’t be going up against each other or whether shows get to pick to be considered for drama or comedy.

In light of this rule change, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if someone ends up making a great hourlong comedy series or the comedy series from online streaming services start casually running to 40 minutes and longer, even if it’s just to spite the new rule. Also, Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Eric Andre Show, and The Chris Gethard Show (remember that’s going to be on TV in a few months) really blur the lines between a sketch show and a talk show. 

Would they make a new set of categories for these? Perhaps The Television Academy would given the multitude of Emmy categories that already exist. 

How these new rules will affect the Emmys ultimately has yet to be seen, but at least we get to see some great TV in the meantime.