Are Orange is the New Black and Shameless really comedies? That won’t won’t be a question any longer now that the Television Academy has changed the definition of “comedy” and “drama” for the next Emmys.

The TV Academy announced a slate of changes for the Emmys, but the most important is the redefinition of what it means to be a comedy or drama.

From now on, any series that has episodes that run 30 minutes or less is a “comedy.” Any series that is over 30 minutes per episode will be defined as a “drama,” even if audiences consider them “dramedies.”

Producers can still petition to a new, nine-member Academy industry panel that will be set up to argue where their series belongs. If the show gets a two-thirds vote, it can win its petition. That means, for example, if OITNB producers still want their show considered a “comedy,” they can petition the panel for the change.

The change will also cut down on shows deciding for themselves which category they belong in. The best recent example of this is Showtime’s Shameless, which was in the running for drama categories for most of its run. However, in 2014, the network decided to move it to comedy and it wound up with three nominations.

In addition, to account for the greater number of shows being produced, the Drama and Comedy Series categories will be expanded from six to seven nominees.

The Academy also created stronger definitions for “series” and “limited series.” The term “limited series” will refer to programs that have two or more episodes that run a combined 150 minutes or more to tell one story that is non-recurring and does not have anything to do with the following season. (So True Detective would still be considered a “limited series.”)

“Series” will refer to any program with six or more episodes that have an ongoing storyline and main characters.

“Guest Actor” will also cover actors who only appear in less than 50 percent of a series’ episodes.

And finally, the Variety Series category will be split in half. Outstanding Variety Talk will likely include the late night shows, allowing shows like Saturday Night Live to compete in their own category, called Outstanding Variety Sketch.

The 2015 Emmys are scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 20.

image of ‘OITNB’ star Taylor Schilling courtesy of INFphoto.com