‘This Is Us’ Emmy Nomination Revoked: ‘Moonshadow’ Episode Failed To Meet Criteria For TV Academy Honor

This Is Us has lost one of its Emmy nominations due to a technicality. The hit NBC drama, which was nominated for a whopping 11 Emmy Award nominations last month, will lose its nod in the category of outstanding contemporary costumes for a series, limited series or movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Academy has revoked its nomination for This Is Us costumers Hala Bahmet, Marina Ray, and Elinor Bardach because the episode submitted did not meet the criteria for the nomination.

Bahmet submitted the This Is Us season finale, “Moonshadow,” for Emmy consideration, but because most of the episode was set in the 1970s, the Awards Committee of the TV Academy determined the episode fails to meet the required time period threshold. Academy rules state that a show must submit an episode in which at least 51 percent of the action takes place within the past 25 years. The flashback-filled format that This Is Us is known for has now cost the show its previous Emmy nomination.

A TV Academy statement to THR noted the following.

“The entrant, unfortunately, miscalculated the proportion of scenes that were period versus contemporary. In fact, the episode is predominately period. The entry (and subsequent nomination) are thereby disqualified.”

While This Is Us is now out in the category, HBO’s Big Little Lies, Fox’s Empire, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, and Amazon’s Transparent are still in the running and a replacement fifth nominee will soon be announced.

Because This Is Us features flashbacks in nearly every episode, it would be difficult to find an episode that meets the criteria for the contemporary costume category. This Is Us regularly features scenes take place in the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and present day.

Bahmet and her team work tirelessly to hunt down authentic pieces for This Is Us, and the “Moonshadow” episode, which was mostly set in 1972, features some of their best retro finds.

In an interview with Fashionista, This Is Us costume designer Hala Bahmet revealed that the pilot episode’s timeline fakeout caused her some anxiety as she tried to mask the fact that Jack and Rebecca Pearson’s maternity ward scenes were set in the year 1980. Bahmet faked viewers out by using timeless clothing pieces, like Jack’s classic Levi’s 501s, work boots, and jean jacket, and pregnant Rebecca’s “decade-ambiguous leisure-wear,” before cutting loose for the final scene in the hospital to reveal ’70s polyester leisure suits, embroidered denim, and nurses in throwback traditional white uniforms.

Bahmet also revealed that she scours costume houses, vintage shops, Goodwill, eBay, and Etsy to find vintage pieces suitable for all of the show’s eras. Unfortunately, that hard work backfired for the This Is Us costume designer’s Emmy Award dreams.

The rescinding of Emmy nominations is rare, but it does happen. In the past, Dennis Miller (1995), Henry Winkler (2000) and Peter MacNichol (2106) have had Emmy nods revoked due to technicalities similar to the This Is Us faux pas. According to E! News, in order to be nominated for a guest acting role, a performer must have been in less than 50 percent of a season’s episodes. So unfortunately for MacNicol, he appeared in too many Veep episodes to qualify. Miller’s nod for individual in a variety series was rescinded in 1995 because his name was featured in his show’s title, and in 2000, Winkler lost his nomination for guest actor on Battery Park because his episode aired after the cutoff date.

You can see a scene from the This Is Us “Moonshadow” episode below.

This Is Us returns to NBC on Sept. 26 in all of its retro-costumed glory.

[Featured Image by Arnold Turner/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images]