Rachel Schwartz on the 2025 Daytime Emmys: Eligibility, Nominations, and the Future of Soaps
Rachel Schwartz is the first female Head of the Daytime Emmys and Children’s & Family Emmys, bringing a deep history with Gold Derby. “I was one of the original forum moderators back in early 2000,” she shares. “It’s always great to connect with people passionate about the nitty-gritty like we are.”
With the 2025 Daytime Emmy nominations set to begin rolling out—starting tonight for the first eight categories and continuing tomorrow morning for the rest—Schwartz sat down with Gold Derby to reveal exclusive insights and insider details that only true awards aficionados would appreciate. The Daytime Emmys are awarded annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).
One key update for fans of the buzzy new CBS soap opera Beyond the Gates is that it will not be eligible for this year’s nominations. Schwartz explains, “They weren’t eligible this year because our eligibility window follows the calendar year, but we look forward to their participation next year at the 2026 Daytime Emmys.” This show is notable as the first new network soap featuring a predominantly Black cast in 35 years and the first new network soap of any kind in 25 years.
Regarding the number of nominees in the Best Drama Series category, Schwartz notes variability: some years feature three nominees, others four, five, or even six, as was the case in 2024 and 1989. However, due to NATAS policy ensuring “equity for submitters and communities,” she cannot disclose submission numbers.
She clarifies that last year’s six nominees resulted from a now-eliminated rule that divided entrants into two subcategories based on episode count:
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Subcategory A: 52 or more episodes per year
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Subcategory B: 51 or fewer episodes per year
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Scores from both groups were combined, allowing up to five nominees from each, resulting in a mix of nominees. This division was removed this year to simplify the process; now, nominees are simply the highest scoring entries regardless of episode count.
A newly applied rule, with greater enforcement this year by the National Awards Committee (NAC), limits nominees to no more than 50% of total entries per category. Schwartz explains this mirrors practices in the Primetime Emmys, where nomination counts are proportional to entry numbers. While category expansions for oversubscribed fields were common before, reductions in undersubscribed categories are now also enforced and will continue across all Emmy competitions.
Addressing misconceptions, Schwartz refutes the idea that any submitted entry automatically earns a nomination: “We believe the Emmy represents the highest standard of achievement in television, so the nomination standard is higher than mere submission.”
On the topic of the decline in daytime dramas, she acknowledges the shift: “There used to be many more soaps, but several factors contributed to the reduction. Originally, soaps targeted women who were at home during the day—something less common now. Streaming platforms have changed viewing habits, favoring binge-watching over daily serial investment.”
Still, Schwartz is optimistic: “The soap opera genre is ripe for resurgence. Shows like Beyond the Gates demonstrate renewed interest. The success of The Bold and the Beautiful on Paramount+ and Days of Our Lives on Peacock show the format can thrive outside traditional networks. We expect innovative minds to reinvent soaps, perhaps with different episode lengths, release patterns, or formats.”
