Emmy says a short show is a comedy, a longer one's a drama

NEW YORK (AP) - What's so funny? Not hour-long episodes, says the Television Academy.

New rules for Emmy hopefuls include revamped comedy and drama series categories. The Academy said Friday that series with episodes of 30 minutes or less are now designated a comedy, while those over a half-hour are dramas. (Producers may petition the Academy to move a series to the alternative category.)

This new provision addresses past situations such as the bittersweet hour-long series "Orange Is the New Black" being treated as a comedy.

In another change, the "Mini-Series" category is now "Limited Series," defined as a program of two or more episodes totaling at least 150 minutes that tells a complete story, with no main characters returning in a subsequent season.

The Emmy Awards will be broadcast Sept. 20.