The acclaimed Netflix limited series The Beast in Me received nominations for nine Primetime Emmys on July 8, including best limited or anthology series, as well as best actress (Claire Danes) and actor (Matthew Rhys) in a limited or anthology series or movie. Another of its noms came in the category of best original main title theme music, recognizing Sean Callery, a distinguished four-time Emmy-winning composer and one of the two representatives of the music peer group on the TV Academy’s board of governors — and that one has raised some questions.
Indeed, it was brought to the attention of The Hollywood Reporter that although Emmys rules state that main title theme music must be “at least 15 seconds in length” to be eligible for an Emmy, the longest the theme music is heard in any episode of The Beast in Me — namely, episode four — is 13 seconds.
The rules also state: “A Main Title Theme must appear in 50 percent or more of eligible episodes. The Main Title Theme has been further defined as a musical fingerprint and calling card that is identifiable and unique to a show, thereby drawing an audience in by setting the show’s tone and what is to come.” While main title theme music does appear in a majority of the eligible episodes of The Beast in Me — five of eight — each of those five episodes features different theme music.
