Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series | |
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Country | United States |
Presented by | |
First awarded | 2011 |
Last awarded | 2021 |
Website | emmyonline.org/daytime |
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series was an award presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).
The first incarnation of the award was the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Short Format Daytime,[1] which was given to the soap opera web series Venice: The Series at the 38th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2011.[2] The category became Outstanding New Approaches Original Daytime Program or Series in 2013,[3] and evolved into Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series in 2014.[4] It was renamed Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series in 2016.[5][6][7] In 2015, Alina Adams of Entertainment Weekly attributed the addition and evolution of the category to the increasing audience for, and presence of, independent soap opera web series.[4]
The associated category Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series was added for the 42nd Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2015, with Martha Byrne the first recipient for her role as Alexis Jordan/Joanne Edwards on Anacostia.[8][9][10] In 2016, this was split into two categories, Outstanding Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series and Outstanding Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series,[11] with Mary Beth Evans and Kristos Andrews winning for their mother-son roles of Sara and Peter Garrett on The Bay.[7] These performer categories were further expanded to four for the 44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series, and Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.[12][13][14] In 2018, the Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress/Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series categories became Outstanding Supporting Actress/Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series, and a fifth performer category was added, Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Daytime Drama Series. New categories were also added for Outstanding Writing in a Digital Drama Series and Outstanding Directing in a Digital Drama Series.[15]
To be eligible for the Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series category, programming was required to be "continuous, episodic works of dramatic fiction from over-the-air, cable, satellite and internet broadcasters" which have more than three but less than 35 original episodes; 35 episodes was the minimum required for the main Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series category. The award recognized producers, directors, and writers credited on a minimum of 19 percent of total episodes first aired in the applicable year.[16] The performer categories applied to actresses and actors who appeared in these series.[17] The Digital Daytime Drama Series and related performer awards were typically awarded as part of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony, a separate presentation of awards which included recognition of technical and craft categories.
In December 2021, the ATAS and the NATAS announced a major realignment of the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies. Other than daytime serial dramas (as defined as an episodic, multi-camera drama serial that airs on a weekday basis, or a reboot or spin-off of such a series) or children's programming (which will move to the new Children's & Family Emmy Awards), all categories for scripted comedies and dramas will now fall under Primetime Emmys, regardless of scheduling.[18]