The nominations for the 2023 Daytime Emmys have been announced, and this year's nominations were full of twists, surprises, and returning favorites. But isn't that exactly how a soap opera competition should be?
To skip ahead to the complete list of nominations, click here.
General Hospital scored the most nominations with 19. For the first time since 2017, The Bold and the Beautiful tallied the second-highest number of nominations, with 14. The Young and the Restless nabbed 13, while Days of our Lives earned 11.
This marks the first time that The Bold and the Beautiful had more nominations than its channel mate and sister soap, The Young and the Restless.
This is the second year that a realignment made many of the technical categories open to daytime programs other than the soaps. Last year, several of those categories didn't have a single soap nominee. This year, just one -- Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing -- was devoid of a soapy nominee.
"Today we not only honor this year's outstanding programs and individuals, we mark a milestone in television history. Our golden anniversary celebrates the talented creators who have made the last 50 years of Daytime Television so unforgettable," Adam Sharp, President and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, said.
"In addition to this year's many esteemed nominees, it is especially gratifying to also be celebrating so many milestones of Daytime television in our 50th anniversary year," Brent Stanton, Head of Daytime, NATAS, added. "Not only are we celebrating 50 years of Daytime Emmy Award programming, we are also celebrating the milestones of some of its longest-running shows such as General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Dr. Phil, and Rachael Ray."
Earlier this year, it was announced that this will be the final season for both Dr. Phil and the Rachael Ray Show. The shows ran for 21 and 17 years, respectively. General Hospital marked its 60th anniversary earlier this month, and The Young and the Restless hit its own 50th anniversary milestone in March.
Now, let's circle back to some of those surprises.
At the top of the ballot, the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series kicked things off with five nominees. That might not be such a shock, since the same thing happened last year when Beyond Salem scored a nod. But this year, it was another dramatic series that joined the four traditional soaps in the category: The Bay.
The Bay, a previous winner in the streaming categories, became eligible this year by changing the way that its episodes were filmed and released. According the updated eligibility requirements, to be eligible as a Daytime Drama Series, a series must shoot 50% or more of the season's material on a soundstage, in a multicamera format, and initially distribute the show on a daily basis.
Interestingly, while Beyond Salem (Chapter Two) did not receive a nod for Drama Series, the DAYS spinoff did pick up nominations in the Writing Team and Directing Team categories. It was joined there by the four traditional soaps and The Bay.
Among the acting categories, there are several things that jump out. The late Sonya Eddy (Epiphany Johnson) received a posthumous nomination in the Supporting Actress category. It is Eddy's first nomination.
For the first time, a single soap scored four of the five nominations in a given category. General Hospital's Nicholas Chavez (Spencer Cassadine), Chad Duell (Michael Corinthos), Robert Gossett (Marshall Ashford), and Jon Lindstrom (Kevin Collins and Ryan Chamberlain) were all nominated in the Supporting Actor category. The other nominee was Days of our Lives' Daniel Feuerriegel (E.J. DiMera).
The age limit for the Younger Performer category was dropped to 18 this year, meaning that a handful of truly younger performers found their way to the ballot. DAYS' Cary Christopher (Thomas DiMera) and The Bold and the Beautiful's Henry Joseph Samiri (Douglas Forrester) both earned their first nominations this year. Christopher's castmate Victoria Grace (Wendy Shin) also picked up her first nomination. The category is rounded out by GH's Eden McCoy (Josslyn Jacks), who is nominated for the third time.
In the Guest Performance category, Steve Burton has a chance to pick up a third Daytime Emmy for a third daytime role on a third daytime drama series. Burton won two Supporting Actor trophies previously, a 1998 win as GH's Jason Morgan and a 2017 win as Dylan McAvoy on The Young and the Restless. This year, he is nominated as Harris Michaels on Beyond Salem.
Other nominees include Cassandra Creech (Grace Buckingham, B&B), Alley Mills (Heather Webber, GH), Robert Newman (Ashland Locke, Y&R), and Kevin Spirtas (Craig Wesley, DAYS).
The 50th Annual Daytime Emmys will be broadcast Friday, June 16, at 9pm EDT on CBS and Paramount+
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