This is almost as disappointing as Selina Meyer not getting to free Tibet. HBO's "Veep" was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards, but one of them is going to have to be scratched off the list: Peter MacNicol for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Both he and Martin Mull were nominated in that 2016 category but, it turns out, MacNicol was disqualified and had his nomination rescinded.

In "Veep" Season 5, MacNicol played Jonah's influential (at least in New Hampshire) uncle Jeff Kane, and apparently he was on screen just a few seconds too long to be eligible for the guest actor Emmy. Blame Jonah!

As The Hollywood Reporter explained:

"TV Academy rules stipulate that, in order to be considered in any of the four guest acting categories, a performer must have appeared in 'less than 50 percent' of a season's episodes. But MacNicol, 62, appeared in five of the 10 episodes of Veep's fifth season, a fact acknowledged on his IMDb page and first brought to the attention of the TV Academy by GoldDerby.com."

So the Academy of Television and Arts and Sciences issued a statement saying, upon review, MacNicol "unfortunately exceeds the number of episodes permissible for inclusion in that category." The entry was accurate when submitted, but then MacNicol went and appeared in more episodes, tipping him over the 50 percent mark.

It sounds like it was only about 10 seconds that sent him over the edge, when he appeared in Episode 9, the amazing documentary footage episode. If only they had cut him out of that episode, there would be no issue.

MacNicol already has a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for "Ally McBeal," along with two other "Ally McBeal" nominations. But it would've been nice to add another nod. HBO told THR, "We are very sorry that Peter's brilliant performance will not be recognized."

So a new nominee for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series will be announced "shortly." Any guesses on who might get that lucky call?

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