Emmys say Jane, Shameless, and Glee count as comedies, even past the 30-minute mark

By Michelle Peterson  |  March 18, 2015 | 3:00pm
Aux Features TV

Jane The Virgin can be an award-winning comedy and a whole hour long, says an industry panel created to rule on some of the recent Emmy changes set by the TV Academy. In the required two-thirds majority, the panel similarly agreed Shameless and Glee made successful cases for themselves and are also eligible to compete as comedies during the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

In case you missed it, the TV Academy made some sweeping changes in February 2015, declaring, among other things, that shows over 30 minutes are no longer defined as comedies for Emmy purposes. This is despite the fact that, while timing is essential to comedy, even a rigged applause meter is a better gauge than a stopwatch.

The TV Academy seems to understand the rigidity of the new terms, however, and developed a process for hour-long comedies to petition an industry panel for individual rulings. Jane, Shameless, and Glee are the first to make the cut, though the panel’s still out on Orange Is The New Black.

Look for more earth-shattering rulings soon, because like choosing love him/hate him Andy Samberg to host the upcoming Emmys, these appeals, panels, and rulings are sure to continue their attempts to stir up chatter in the off-season, which plods along until the July 16, 2015 nominations.

 
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