Orange Is the New Black Is Already Having Emmys Drama

Netflix's hit dramedy will be kept from competing as a comedy

Orange Is the New Black is being locked up with TV dramas for this year's Emmys.

The Netflix dramedy series, which competed in the 2014 Emmys as a comedy series, will be forced to compete in the Drama Series categories this year after the Television Academy set new eligibility rules. Variety first reported the news.

Under the new rules, the TV Academy has deemed shows with episodes that run 30 minutes or less comedies. This year the Comedy and Drama Series categories will have seven nominees.

Drama Category? We got this... #Emmys #OITNB https://t.co/7vu8m4Dcsi

— Orange Is the New... (@OITNB) March 20, 2015

Shows were allowed to petition to enter a different category, and some successfully did. Glee, Jane the Virgin and Shameless will be allowed to compete in the Comedy Series categories, but Orange Is the New Black's appeal was denied. That means Orange Is the New Black and its stars such as Taylor Schilling and Uzo Aduba will be going up against the likes of Mad Men, The Good Wife and Downton Abbey.

Last year, Schilling, Aduba, Natasha Lyonne, Kate Mulgrew, Laverne Cox and the show were all nominated in Comedy categories. The show received a total of 12 nominations. Aduba took home the award for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

"Orange is the New Black is a truly pioneering series and an iconoclast which has always defied genre or easy categorization," Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, said in a statement. "While we're disappointed in the committee's decision, we believe that Orange represents the best of television in either category." The official show Twitter account shared the above tweet after the news broke.

OITNB can appeal again next year. The new season premieres Friday, June 12 on Netflix.

PHOTOS: Orange Is the New Black cast in and out of costume