The Emmys have just a few new home guidelines.
On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the Tv Academy introduced rule adjustments for 4 completely different classes of competitors: directing, guest-acting, casting, and theme music. The primary two might be carried out in time for this 12 months’s Emmy Awards, the ultimate two will watch for the 2026 awards.
Prolific TV administrators will need to be aware of the primary change. Starting with the 77th Emmy Awards in 2025, a director or directing crew can now topic a number of episodes for nomination — as long as they stick to one per present. You couldn’t do this earlier than.
Within the official language: “An eligible particular person or the similar crew might now enter a number of achievements per class if the achievements are for various applications. Beforehand, administrators had been allowed to submit just one entry per class. This variation will enable the director to submit an episode from every of the applications they directed.”
So, diversify that calendar.
And as for you visitor performers, we’ve obtained excellent news and dangerous information. The excellent news is that any earlier nominees from the lead or supporting-actor classes can not dip from a present, return for a visitor spot, and get an inexpensive Emmy nomination for a similar position. It opens up the race for true visitors however maybe disincentivizes previous fan-faves from a pop in.
“If a performer has been nominated or has gained in a Lead or Supporting Performer class, the performer won’t be eligible to submit in a Visitor Performer class in a subsequent Emmy 12 months for enjoying the identical character position in the identical collection,” the Tv Academy’s rules-change sheet reads. “They could, nevertheless, proceed to enter in a Lead or Supporting class.”
We’re certain the leads and recurring performers that caught round love that final possibility.
For 2026, the Academy is streamlining the laundry checklist of eligible titles one can submit with in reality-TV casting. If you happen to don’t have one among these credit, you not qualify:
- Casting By
- Government in Cost of Casting
- Supervising Casting Director
- Supervising Casting Producer
- Senior Casting Director
- Casting Director
- Senior Casting Producer
- Casting Producer
- Movie star Casting By
OK, in order that’s nonetheless 9 potential titles that can work.
Final however actually not least, let’s hear it for theme music! Starting with 2026’s 78th Emmy Awards, a present’s Primary Title Theme should seem in half or extra eligible episodes to be submitted for an Emmy. It additionally “has been additional outlined as a musical fingerprint and calling card that’s identifiable and distinctive to a present, thereby drawing an viewers in by setting the present’s tone and what’s to return,” the Academy says.
IndieWire requested the TV Academy if the full theme music must be performed earlier than 50 % or extra eligible episodes to qualify or if an abbreviated model of a longtime theme music would work. We didn’t instantly obtain a response, however will replace this story if and after we do.
For now, we’re simply gonna depart this right here for inspiration:
The complete 2025 Guidelines & Procedures guide might be posted the week of January 20.