Orange is the New Black can't compete as a comedy at the Emmys

Orange is the New Black competed in the Best Comedy category at the 2014 Emmy Awards. But the Netflix series won't get another chance to take on 2014 winner Modern Family; under new rules enacted earlier this year, the TV Academy has reclassified Orange is the New Black as a drama, putting it up against presumptive nominees like Mad Men, House of Cards, and Game of Thrones.

The Emmys have long struggled to categorize shows like Orange is the New Black, which are most accurately described with the unwieldy phrase "dramedy." The new rules call for all 30-minute shows to be treated as comedies, and all hour-long shows to be treated as dramas.

The new rules also allow for hour-long shows to petition to compete as comedies. This year, Jane the Virgin, Glee, and Shameless were all granted exemptions. Orange is the New Black tried, and failed, to get the same exemption.

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"Orange Is the New Black is a truly pioneering series and an iconoclast which has always defied genre or easy categorization," said Netflix's Ted Sarandos, in a statement at Variety. "While we're disappointed in the committee's decision, we believe that Orange represents the best of television in either category."