Television Academy Announces Elimination of Hanging Episode Rule Beginning With 2023 Emmy Competition

The Television Academy today announced its Board of Governors has approved the elimination of the Hanging Episode Rule beginning with the 2023 Emmy competition, as recommended by the organization's Awards Committee.

The Hanging Episode Rule currently allows a series (including Limited or Anthology series) that premieres current-season episodes after the May 31 eligibility deadline, but prior to the start of nomination-round voting, to post those episodes on a platform available to Academy members by May 31 for episode eligibility in the current Emmy competition.

Beginning with the next eligibility year (June 1, 2022-May 31, 2023), the Hanging Episode Rule has been eliminated; only episodes that premiere on a platform available to a national audience by May 31 will be Emmy-eligible. The Academy has made the change to standardize all submissions within the eligibility year.

New rules for Series and Limited/Anthology Series eligibility beginning with 2023 Emmy competition:

Series

• The required number of episodes from a series must premiere nationally by May 31 to be eligible in the current Emmy competition. (Six episodes are required for series in animation, comedy, drama, variety, short form and reality categories. Three episodes are required for documentary series and hosted nonfiction series).
• If a series premieres within the current Emmy eligibility year but doesn't have the required number of nationally premiered episodes to qualify for its category, the series, along with the individual achievements, would gain eligibility in the subsequent Emmy competition.
• If a series qualifies in the current eligibility year, but has additional episodes from its current season premiering after May 31, those episodes will gain Emmy eligibility with the series' subsequent season.
• If the series doesn't return in the subsequent Emmy competition, those episodes would be eligible as single "orphaned" episodes in certain individual achievement categories. Submission for a body of work (including series and acting categories) would not be eligible under the "orphaned" episodes rule.

Limited/Anthology Series

• All episodes/parts of a limited/anthology series must premiere nationally by May 31 to be eligible in the current Emmy competition.
• If all episodes/parts do not premiere within the current eligibility year, the complete limited series, along with the individual achievements, would gain eligibility in the subsequent Emmy competition.

Download the press release here.

Contact:
Jim Yeager
jim@breakwhitelight.com
Cell: 818.264.6812
breakwhitelight for the Television Academy