What the new Emmy rules mean for this year’s race

With the Oscars now over, it's time to shift our attention to the small screen and look ahead to the 2015 Emmy Awards. This year is like no other, with multiple changes to the Emmy rulebook, which will throw a wrench into several shows.

The first new rule is probably the most shocking. The Academy will now define comedies as shows with a runtime of less than 30 minutes, while a drama is more than 30 minutes. This mostly affects shows like  Shameless, and Glee, which have competed in comedy up until now. As for new shows, Golden Globe nominee Jane the Virgin will have to compete in drama, which will definitely hurt Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez's chances at the Emmys.

However, producers will be able to petition their show to bend the genre rule. It might be advantageous for the three above shows.

The second new rule expands the program categories to 7 nominees. Similarly to the Oscars, this will let less likely contenders into the competition. This year can see perennially snubbed shows like Parks and Recreation or highly acclaimed shows like The Good Wife sneak in.

A much needed rule change has also come in the miniseries category, which will be renamed “Limited Series.” This change defines a limited series as one with more than two episodes of at least 150 minutes that tells a complete non-recurrent storyline that doesn't have any recurring themes or characters. This will keep shows like True Detective from competing in the Drama category.

Another much needed change also came in the Guest categories. In this case, the Academy reverted to their original rules. A guest performer is an actor who appears in less than 50% of the program's episodes. Under this new rule last year's winners like Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), Allison Janney (Masters of Sex), and Joe Morton (Scandal), would not be eligible for that category.

At this point, we have to see where the derby goes before seeing how some of these rules turn out. All and all, I'm mixed about them. The expansion of the categories and definition of guest actor and limited series are really great. However, while I agree there has to be a clarification of a comedy and drama, I don't think this one is it. That being said, this should be an interesting year at the Emmys.