Well, that sucks. Imagine being an actor up for an award at the biggest television event of the year, only to be told that you're ineligible for candidacy because you work too much. That's what happened to 'Veep' star Peter MacNicol who has had his nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series revoked this week.

Emmys

It's no doubt a disappointment for the actor, but maybe he'll be recognised for his larger role at next year's Emmys. On the grounds of a technicality that labels guest actors as only those who have appeared in less than 50% of a series, Peter MacNicol has been disqualified from the awards show.

At the time of the nomination, MacNicol had appeared as Jonah's uncle Jeff Kane in four out of ten episodes of the series. However, following that he was invited onto the show for one more episode which totalled his appearances at 50%. 

'Upon review of the Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category, the Television Academy has determined that Peter MacNicol unfortunately exceeds the number of episodes permissible for inclusion in that category', The Television Academy said in a statement. 'HBO's guest actor entry for Peter MacNicol was accurate at the time of the submission deadline, but he was subsequently included in an additional 'Veep' episode. Unfortunately, that additional appearance places him in 50% of the season's episodes and makes him no longer eligible to compete in the guest actor category. This decision is in no way a diminishment of Mr. MacNicol's stellar performance on this season of 'Veep'.'

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Also nominated in the Guest Actor category were Tracy Morgan and Larry David from 'Saturday Night Live', Bob Newhart from 'The Big Bang Theory' and Bradley Whitford of 'Transparent'. 'Veep' was one of the top nominated shows at the Emmys this year, with a total of 17 nominations including for Outstanding Comedy Series.

A replacement nominee is expected to be announced soon.