The nominations for the\u00a02026 Daytime Emmy Awards\u00a0will be announced\u00a0on\u00a0July 14. This year, for the first time since 2014, there are five major soap operas in competition, with CBS’\u00a0Beyond the Gates<\/a><\/em>, created by Michele Val Jean<\/a> (General Hospital<\/em>;\u00a0The Bold and the Beautiful<\/em>), now eligible after its 2025 debut<\/a>.<\/p>\n While it can sometimes take a new show years to gain traction in the nominations, let alone\u00a0a win or two, one industry expert believes that\u00a0Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u00a0will not only score some nods, but may also walk home with a few golden statuettes.<\/p>\n Voting has already closed, but daytime talent manager\u00a0Michael Bruno, who reps or has repped Daytime Emmy winners\u00a0Mary Beth Evans\u00a0(Kayla,\u00a0Days of our Lives<\/em>),\u00a0Amelia Heinle (Victoria,\u00a0The Young and the Restless<\/em>), and\u00a0Julie Pinson\u00a0(ex-Janet,\u00a0As the World Turns<\/em>), said the show would have been wise to not over-submit, despite having numerous contenders in multiple categories.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “When I sit with my clients to choose scenes for their reels, the first thing I say to them is we need to include scenes that enable me to understand your character and the story if I’d never seen your show,” Bruno says. “That’s the most important thing.”<\/p>\n “Beyond the Gates<\/em> \u2014 or, for that matter, any show \u2014 shouldn’t have any expectations because it’s always a crapshoot,” Bruno says of the upcoming awards.\u00a0That said, he believes that\u00a0BTG<\/em>‘s\u00a0Tamara Tunie, who plays matriarch Anita Dupree, is a stronger contender for Best Actress for her character’s breast cancer story.<\/p>\n While that tale played out mostly in 2026, Anita received her diagnosis and she shared the news with her family in late December 2025 inside the eligibility period.<\/p>\n “Tamara can not only get the nomination, but I feel she can win, too,” Bruno says. “She’s somebody new. It’s not the same eight actresses that we’ve seen for the last 20 years. Here’s someone fresh.”<\/p>\n But not entirely fresh, Bruno hastens to clarify, as the daytime community knows and respects Tunie from her time as savvy attorney Jessica Griffin on\u00a0As the World Turns,\u00a0<\/em>a role she\u00a0played on and off for 20 years starting in 1987.<\/p>\n “She’s also someone we know,” Bruno adds. “She’s familiar and beloved.”<\/p>\n Beyond the Gates<\/em>, Bruno continues, has an “embarrassment of riches” because there are some\u00a0actors\u00a0who deserve to be on the ballot, but they\u00a0most likely won’t be because\u00a0it would\u00a0weaken somebody else’s chances on the show to get on it. “The votes may split,” Bruno cautions.<\/p>\n Bruno says that all shows have to act strategically when it comes to who they’ll submit. “It’s got to be\u00a0Sophie’s Choice<\/em>,” he says\u00a0with a hint of dark humor. “You’ve all got to band together at the show and decide who are our top two in each of the categories. Even though a show could have three or four or more candidates, you can’t go with all of them for fear of risking the votes splitting. You’ve got to be strong.”<\/p>\n For Best Actor, Bruno will not be surprised to see both\u00a0Clifton Davis\u00a0(Vernon) and\u00a0Jon Lindstrom\u00a0(Joey) on the ballot. “Clifton is known for his primetime work,” Bruno says. “And Jon is known in the industry for his work on\u00a0General Hospital<\/em>\u00a0[as\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Kevin\u00a0Collins]. Both Jon and Tamara have been in this for 35 years. People vote for their friends. I imagine all of\u00a0General Hospital<\/em>\u00a0is going to vote for Jon.”<\/p>\n In the Best Supporting Actress category, Bruno feels that the show’s strongest selections are\u00a0Daphn\u00e9e Duplaix (Nicole) and\u00a0Trisha Mann-Grant\u00a0(Leslie). Duplaix broke hearts in May 2025 as Nicole learned that her husband, Ted (then,\u00a0Maurice Johnson), had fathered a daughter, Eva (Ambyr Michelle), with Leslie.<\/p>\n Mann-Grant, as Leslie,\u00a0is the delicious\u00a0“have-not”\u00a0on the show who never misses an opportunity to\u00a0both point out and capitalize on the foibles of others.<\/p>\n Last year, the Best Emerging Talent category was created, and while\u00a0BTG<\/em>\u00a0has several newcomers who\u00a0could easily land a spot in that\u00a0category, Bruno reiterates the importance of not over-submitting.<\/p>\n “If I were making the decision at the show in that category, I would have submitted Ambyr Michelle [Eva] and\u00a0Marquita Goings\u00a0[Hayley],” Bruno says.<\/p>\n The rules for the Best Guest Performer changed this year. Performers can’t appear in more than 19% of the show’s total episodes.\u00a0If that math works in her favor, Bruno sees\u00a0Ernestine\u00a0Johnson, who plays nurse Shaunice Johnson, as an ideal candidate because\u00a0“she’s very likable. Ernestine took what could have been a supporting day player role and turned it into a character I care about. I want to see more of her journey.”<\/p>\n For Best Supporting Actor, Bruno is hoping to see\u00a0Timon Kyle Durrett, who plays attorney Bill Hamilton, make the cut. “He’s their J.R. Ewing [Larry Hagman],” Bruno says. “I say that because he’s a bad guy who has a wink in his eye. He’s fun to watch, and you know that [Bill] has a heart. You know he’s a good guy playing a bad guy. They need to give him more.”<\/p>\n Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u00a0producers had 200 episodes to choose from for the categories of Best Drama Series, Best Writing Team, and Best Directing Team; he feels that Anita’s breast cancer story, which kicked off in\u00a0late\u00a0December,\u00a0is the way to go\u00a0across the board.<\/p>\n “Show, writing, and directing should\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0be the breast cancer story,” Bruno says. “I wouldn’t dissipate those categories with anything else.”<\/p>\n In the Creative Arts categories, Bruno expects to see\u00a0casting director\u00a0Kim\u00a0Taylor-Coleman receive a nod. “Kim hit it out of the park,” the talent manager notes. “She found everyone.”<\/p>\n Whether or not\u00a0Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u00a0takes home any gold in October, Bruno says that the newest soap in more than two decades is already a winner.<\/p>\n “The soap industry is psyched for this show,” Bruno says. “I can see people voting for\u00a0Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u00a0because the show is a great sign for all of us. The show being greenlit is the best news the genre has had in over 20 years.”<\/p>\n Bruno\u00a0suggests\u00a0that the show will be a winner on Daytime Emmy night just by\u00a0showing up\u00a0for the ceremony.\u00a0“The show has a two-year renewal, and the Daytime Emmys<\/a> are going to be a night in which actors from that show can meet the Los Angeles-based actors,”\u00a0the talent manager points out.<\/p>\n “The actors from\u00a0Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u00a0got to meet some of the\u00a0Y&R<\/em>\u00a0cast when they did the crossover, but now, they\u2019ll be able to meet fellow performers from other shows, as well,” Bruno concludes. “Actors from\u00a0Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u00a0are going to be interacting with the community that night. They should send a lot of people,\u00a0no matter what.”<\/p>\n The 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out Oct. 30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.goldderby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/John-Oliver-General-Hospital.jpg?w=300&h=168&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n![\"Tamara](\"https:\/\/www.goldderby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/3064313_0301b2.jpg?w=650\")
![\"Clifton](\"https:\/\/www.goldderby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/3047515_1334b3.jpg?w=650\")
![\"Beyond](\"https:\/\/www.goldderby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Beyond-the-Gates.jpg?w=650\")