Netflix's Orange Is the New Black may find difficulty winning Emmy Awards this year after a new rule change has been put in place.

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The Television Academy, who hand out the Primetime Emmy Awards annually, announced last week a series of new rules regarding show submissions. One of the most noteworthy rules was that half hour shows would have to be placed in Comedy Series categories while one hour shows would have to compete in Drama Series categories.

For a show like Orange Is the New Black, which has equal elements of comedy and drama, this puts them in a situation where they have to switch over to Drama after being showered with nominations in Comedy last year. Some believe that the Comedy races are less competitive than the Drama races, so this could possibly affect their award chances greatly.

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However, the Television Academy also revealed that shows will be allowed to petition to potential compete in the alternate category. An executive board at the Academy will make the decision on if shows like Orange Is the New Black, Shameless or Jane the Virgin (all comedy-dramas) could compete in Comedy instead, assuming they petition.

In some ways, this could benefit some actors on Orange Is the New Black. Star Taylor Schilling (who plays Piper) has more of a dramatic performance in the show than a comedic one, so she could potentially win Drama Lead Actress if she is nominated. Similarly, guest star Lorraine Toussaint (Vee) was hardly a comedic force in season 2 but she could find Emmy gold if the show is indeed competing as a Drama.

Only time will tell as Orange Is the New Black will likely petition to stay in the Comedy races.

Orange Is the New Black returns for season 3 in mid-2015 on Netflix, though the streaming site has not yet announced a specific premiere date.

Tags: Orange is the New Black television netflix