Guiding Light Information

Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light before 1975, abbreviated commonly as GL) is September 18, 2009. On October 5, 2009, CBS replaced Guiding Light with an hour-long revival of Let's Make a Deal, hosted by Wayne Brady.

Origins, plot development, and cast

Guiding Light has had a number of plot sequences during the series's long history, on both radio and television. These plot sequences include complex storylines, and different writers and casting.

1930s and 1940s

The series was created by Irna Phillips, who based it on personal experiences. After giving birth to a still-born baby at age 19, she found spiritual comfort listening to the radio sermons of Preston Bradley, a famous Chicago preacher and founder of the People's Church, a church which promoted the brotherhood of man. It was these sermons that originated the idea of the creation of The Guiding Light, which began as a radio series. The original radio series was broadcasted first as 15 minute episodes on January 25, 1937, on NBC Radio. The series was transferred to CBS Radio during 1947.

1950s

The Guiding Light was broadcasted first by CBS Television on June 30, 1952. With the transition to television the main characters became the Bauers, a lower-middle class German immigrant family. These episodes were also 15 minutes long. During the period from 1952 to 1956, The Guiding Light existed as both a radio and television serial, with actors recording their performances twice each day the shows were broadcasted. The radio broadcast of The Guiding Light ceased production during 1956, ending this overlap.

The Guiding Light ranked as the #1 rated soap opera during both 1956 and 1957, before being replaced during 1958 by As the World Turns. After Irna Phillips was transferred to As the World Turns during 1958, her protege Agnes Nixon became Head Writer of The Guiding Light.

1960s

Agnes Nixon relinquished her role as chief writer during 1965 to work for the series Another World. On March 13, 1967, The Guiding Light was first broadcast in color. A year later, the program was expanded from 15 to 30 minutes.

The 1960s featured the introduction of African-American characters, and the main emphasis of the series shifted to Bill and Bert's children, Mike and Ed.

A number of new characters were introduced during the mid-to-late-1960s, perhaps most notably Dr. Sara McIntyre, who would remain a major character through the early 1980s.

1970s

Much of the story during the first half of the 1970s was dominated by Stanley Norris' 1971 murder and the ensuing trial, as well as the exploits of villainesses Charlotte Waring and Kit Vested. (Charlotte was murdered by Kit during 1973, and then Kit herself was shot by Joe Werner in self-defense during 1974, after she had attempted to poison Sara McEntire.)

Pressure by newer, more youth-oriented soap operas such as All My Children, Procter & Gamble hired head writers Bridget and Jerome Dobson during 1975. The Dobsons introduced a more nuanced, psychologically layered writing style, and included timely storylines, including a complex love/hate relationship between estranged spouses/step-siblings Roger and Holly. They also created a number of well-remembered characters, including Rita Stapleton, whose complex relationships with Roger and Ed would propel much of the story for the remainder of the decade, and Alan Spaulding and Ross Marler, who would both remain major characters into the 2000s (decade).

The decision was made during 1977 to re-introduce the thought-dead character of Bill Bauer. Everyone thought that he had died in an airplane crash during 1969, but he was said to actually be alive. Hillary Kincaid (Bauer), Bill's daughter (and thus Ed and Mike's half-sister) was also introduced during this period, and she would become a major character who would remain into the mid-1980s.

Surprisingly to many viewers, Jerome and Bridget Dobson killed the show's young heroine, Leslie Jackson Bauer. She was killed by a drunken driver, and some viewers stopped watching the series because of this death.

During the autumn of 1975, the name was changed in the show's opening and closing visuals from The Guiding Light to Guiding Light. On November 7, 1977, the show expanded to a full hour and was broadcasted from 2:30"3:30 p. m. daily.

The series during the 1970s emphasized the Bauers and the Spauldings. Several notable characters were introduced.

1980s

Jerome and Bridget Dobsons began writing As the World Turns,. Former actor Douglas Marland and writer for NBC Daytime The Doctors and ABC Daytime General Hospital (1978"79) assumed the head writing reins of New York-based Guiding Light in 1979. He created some new characters like vixen Nola Reardon, among others. During May 1980, Guiding Light won its first Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in a Daytime Drama. Another story was an envelope-pushing story that featured the character of Carrie Todd Marler (played by Jane Elliot). Carrie was diagnosed with multiple personalities, and Marland had barely delved into her psychosis when Elliot's contract was abruptly terminated by Executive Producer Allen M. Potter in 1982; Marland resigned in protest.

During the early 1980s, the show began to emphasize younger characters more, as an attempt to compete with the younger-skewing ABC soap operas. A number of longtime characters were eliminated during this time, including Ben and Eve McFarren, Diane Ballard, Sara McIntyre, Adam Thorpe, Barbara Norris Thorpe, Justin Marler and Steve Jackson; actress Lenore Kasdorf quit the show during 1981, and producers decided not to recast the role of Rita Stapleton Bauer, given how popular Kasdorf had been; and Bauer family matriarch Bertha "Bert" Bauer died, after Charita Bauer's death during 1985. (The character was said initially to be visiting Meta Bauer for several months, until a tribute episode could be constructed where the characters could mourn Bert's passing onscreen.)

An ever more complicated storyline emphasized the Bauers, Spauldings, Reardons, and Raines families. Pam Long, actress and writer for NBC's Texas from 1981"82, became head writer during 1983 and reemphasized the series on Freddy Bauer (now called "Rick"), Phillip Spaulding, Mindy Lewis, and Beth Raines. She also introduced characters Baroness Alexandra Spaulding and Reva Shayne Lewis, performed by accomplished Emmy nominated actress Beverlee McKinsey (Another World/Texas) and multiple Emmy winner Kim Zimmer, respectively. The ratings in the mid to late eighties were solid and healthy. However, no competitive network soap opera had succeeded in attaining the weekly number one spot in the ratings from ABC's General Hospital. Consequently, when both Anthony Geary and Genie Francis left their respective show in 1984, the ABC soap's ratings took a hit (its direct competitor Guiding Light benefited when it saw its ratings rise to number one. Guiding Light had been the only soap from a competitive network to dethroned General Hospital from the Neilsen's top spot(from 1979 to 1987) for a consecutive three weeks. Eventually, CBS daytime the Young and the Restless would reigned over GH in 1987.

Pamela K. Long would return for a second head writer stint from 1987 to 1990.

The characters of Holly Norris and Roger Thorpe returned to the series during 1988 and 1989, respectively. (Both characters had been eliminated during 1980.) The original actors from the 1970s, Michael Zaslow and Maureen Garrett, would continue to entertain viewers throughout the succeeding decade with their accolades.

1990s

With the new decade, the series's storytelling transitioned from Long's homespun style to a more realistic style with a new group of chief writers. The Bauers, Spauldings, Lewises, and the Coopers had been established as core families, and most major plot developments concerned them.

The show suffered major character losses mid-decade, including the car accident death of Maureen Bauer and the exit of Alexandra Spaulding from the story. As the decade progressed, the program developed a series of outlandish plot twists seemingly to compete with the serials Passions and Days of our Lives.

In an attempt to revive the series, the character Reva Shayne was brought back to Springfield during April 1995. She'd been presumed dead for the previous five years, after having driven her car off of a bridge and into the water off the Florida Keys and later that July, Marcy Walker, was eliminated after nearly two years with the show, playing the anti-hero Tangie Hill in favor of the full-time return of fan favorite, Nola Chamberlain, played by Lisa Brown. Brown return on-screen as Nola Chamberlain during late-July 1995, with Walker appearing on-screen as Tangie Hill a month later, during August 1995.

During January 1996, soap opera veteran Mary Stuart joined the cast as Meta Bauer (though referred to many times over the years, the long-running character originally played by Ellen Demming had not been seen onscreen since 1974); the character would remain on the show until Stuart's death during 2002.

2000s

The 2000s began with the division of the show into two locales: Springfield and the fictional island nation of San Cristobel. In Springfield, the Santos mob dynasty created much of the drama. Meanwhile, the royal Winslow family had their own series of intrigues with which to deal. During 2002, however, San Cristobel was eliminated from the series and the mob's influence in the story was subsequently diminished and, with the departure of character Danny Santos during 2005, eliminated altogether. Also, Guiding Light celebrated its 50th Anniversary as a television show on June 30, 2002.

During 2004, former director and actress Ellen Wheeler (Emmy Award winner as an actress for the series All My Children and Another World) took over as executive producer of Guiding Light. She and writer David Kreizman made numerous changes to the sets, stories, and the cast. Several veteran actors were eliminated, mainly because of budget decreases. Kreizman and Wheeler also re-hired actress, Marcy Walker, who re-introduced the character of Tangie Hill from August 2005 to February 2006, a role she previously played from 1993 to 1995. Because of the lack of veteran influence, Wheeler reemphasized the youth of Springfield, especially the controversial pairing of cousins Jonathan and Tammy.

During 2006, an episode featured character Harley Cooper gaining heroic abilities. The episode was semi-continued in an 8 page story in select Marvel Comics productions.

The series had its 70th broadcast anniversary during 2007. The anniversary was commemorated with the initiation of website FindYourLight.net and a program of outreach, representing Irna Phillips' original message. There was also a special episode during January 2007, with current cast members playing Phillips and some of the earlier cast members. The series also introduced special beginning credits commemorating the anniversary.

Despite low ratings, the show won 2007 Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Writing and Best Show (sharing Best Show with The Young and the Restless).

The end

On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it would not renew the show and the last broadcast date would be September 18, 2009. Procter & Gamble initially announced that they would attempt to find another outlet to distribute the series, but later admitted that they had been unsuccessful in doing so, and that on September 18, after 57 years on television (preceded by 15 years on radio for a total broadcast history of 72 years), Guiding Light would end its broadcast history on CBS.

During the final weeks of the series, numerous characters from the series's past passed through Springfield one last time, culminating with Ed and Holly, who impulsively embarked on an unspecified journey together. Alan Spaulding suffered a fatal heart failure during the final week, but not before resolving conflicts with many former adversaries, including Jonathan. Alan's death brought the characters together in a way that could not have happened while he was still alive. Alexandra is especially distraught about Alan's death, but was pleased when Fletcher Reade came to the Spaulding Mansion after Alan's service, and convinced her to accompany him to Europe. Beth and Phillip have grown closer and decided to remarry; Mindy Lewis returned to Springfield for good, and she and Rick also became fonder of each other. Reva and Josh had a discussion, and agreed that they each had their respective problems that they need to solve. Josh told Reva that he was leaving Springfield for a job for the next year, but proposes that he return one year from that date, and if by that time, she wants to reunite with him, she should meet him at the lighthouse, and if she is not there, he will assume she is not interested.

The final episode is pleasant, featuring many of the characters gathering in the park for a large picnic. Toward the end of the episode, it jumps forward one year, by which time, Phillip and Beth have reunited, as have Rick and Mindy. Olivia and Natalia, happy with their new baby, pick Rafael up, as he returns from the Army. The episode concludes with Josh arriving at the lighthouse, as promised, and finding Reva there. They declare their undying love. James, Ashlee, and Daisy leave Springfield and relocate to Santa Barbara, California. Josh asks if Reva is packed, to go on an adventure. The two grab the luggage, and with Reva's young son, they climb into Josh's pick-up truck. Josh says to Reva, "You ready?" She replies "Always." As the truck drives away with the lighthouse in the background, "The End" appears on the screen before a final fadeout. The song heard playing in the background during the final scene is "Together" by Michelle Branch.

The final episode also included the original tag line, with some revision, printed on the screen with the words "There is a destiny that makes us FAMILY" (replacing the word 'brothers'), as well as quick film clips of each of the show's title cards and announcers during the six decades it was on television, leading to the show's former long-time beginning announcement: "And now, The Guiding Light".

Production and locales

Guiding Light was broadcast from three locations: Chicago (where creator Irna Phillips resided), from 1937 until 1946; Hollywood, from 1947 until 1952; and New York City starting during 1952. It was relocated from Chicago to Hollywood (despite objections of both Phillips and Arthur Peterson) to take advantage of the talent pool. Production was subsequently relocated to New York City, where the majority of soap operas were produced during the 1950s, 1960s and much of the 1970s; it remained based in New York City until the show's conclusion. Its final taping location was the CBS studios in midtown Manhattan. From the 1970s to the 1990s it was filmed at the Chelsea Studios. From soon before February 29, 2008, outdoor scenes were filmed on location in Peapack, New Jersey. The location filming coincided with another significant production change, as the series became the first American weekday soap opera to be recorded digitally. The production team chose to film with Canon XH-G1 HDV camcorders. Unlike the old production model with pedestal-style cameras and traditional three-sided sets, handheld cameras allowed producers to choose as many locations as they wished.

Final seasons

During the daytime drama's 57th season on television and 72nd overall season, the series had changed its look to a more realistic experience in an attempt to compete with the growing popularity of reality television. On February 29, 2008, a new beginning replaced the 70th anniversary opening. The new look of Guiding Light included free-hand camera work and less action shown on traditional studio sets. Producer Ellen Wheeler introduced a "shaky-cam" style, present in a number of movies, featuring extreme-closeups and frequent cuts, including those that "broke the axis" (which proved disorienting to viewers accustomed to shows with the traditional "soap opera look"). Also new was the filming of outdoor scenes in actual outdoor settings. Even many indoor scenes had more of an "on location" feel, repurposing real locations, such as Guiding Light's production offices, to be motel rooms, nail salons, quick-mart and other businesses or locations. Thereby, the series had numerous sets without the cost of numerous separate locations. CBS and the show's producers had hoped that the new look would increase ratings, but the plan was ultimately unsuccessful.

Production summary

Production summary

Start date	End date	Time slot (Eastern)	Run time (minutes)	Network	Filming location	Notes
January 25, 1937	December 26, 1941	"?	15	NBC Radio	Chicago	Canceled by Procter & Gamble, resulting in 75,000 protest letters.
March 16, 1942	November 29, 1946	"?				Canceled by General Mills.
June 2, 1947	June 27, 1952	"?			Hollywood	"?
June 30, 1952	June 29, 1956			CBS	New York City	Radio & TV concurrently
July 2, 1956	September 6, 1968			CBS Television		"?
September 9, 1968	November 28, 1975	2:30 pm	30			"?
December 1, 1975	November 4, 1977	2:00 pm				"?
November 7, 1977	February 1, 1980	2:30 pm	60			"?
February 4, 1980	September 18, 2009	3:00 pm				As early as 1993, some affiliates began airing the show at 9 AM, 10 AM, or noon local time in favor of local programming airing at 3 pm on some CBS affiliates.

The action has also been set in three different locales " it was based in the fictional towns of Five Points and Selby Flats before its final locale of Springfield.

Cast and characters

• List of Guiding Light cast members
• Children of Guiding Light

Broadcast history

Unlike most attempts made by popular radio serials to convert to a television version, Guiding Light did not have any difficulty holding onto its old listening audience and making new viewers simultaneously. This was made easy by the fact that neither ABC nor NBC broadcast programs on their respective networks at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/1:30 Central, where CBS first placed Guiding Light. Six months into the run, however, the network moved the serial to a timeslot that gave it great popularity with its housewife audience, 12:45 p.m./11:45 a.m., where it ran for the next 15 years and eight months, sharing the half hour with its sister Procter & Gamble-packaged soap, Search for Tomorrow. Guiding Light handled the competition breezily, even legendary shows such as Queen for a Day on ABC (briefly in 1960) and NBC's Truth or Consequences. Usually, Guiding Light ranked second in the Nielsen ratings behind another P&G serial, As the World Turns.

By 1968, however, changing viewership trends prompted CBS to expand its last two 15-minute daytime dramas, disrupting long-standing viewing habits. Search For Tomorrow took over the entire 12:30"1/11:30"Noon period, with Guiding Light returning to its first timeslot, 2:30/1:30, albeit in the now-standard half-hour format, on September 9. This also caused the dislocation of The Secret Storm and the beloved Art Linkletter's House Party, as well as the cancellation of the daytime To Tell the Truth. It would not be the last time, though, as the next 12 years would bring several shifts around CBS' lineup.

The 1970s saw Guiding Light's popularity dip somewhat, largely from the competition posed by younger-leaning serials such as The Doctors on NBC, but it still garnered decent ratings. After four years, CBS bumped its timeslot up by a half-hour to accommodate P&G's demand that Edge of Night move to 2:30/1:30, a move that led to the end of that show on CBS three years later. In the meantime, Guiding Light stayed steadily on course against NBC's Days of our Lives, another soap favored by younger women, and ABC's The Newlywed Game. In late 1974, ABC replaced Newlywed with The $10,000 Pyramid, which went on to garner strong ratings, but not greatly at GL's expense. Meanwhile, by fall 1975 (at this point, the show had officially dropped the word "The" from its title. although it was still referred to as The Guiding Light on air for several years after), the impending departure of Edge and CBS' planned expansion of As the World Turns affected Guiding Light by pushing it back to 2:30/1:30 in December, where NBC still ran The Doctors and ABC had a short-lived hit the next year with an updated Break the Bank. To complicate the picture further, ABC opted to make its first show expansions, that of One Life to Live and General Hospital, in July 1976, each occupying one-half of a 90-minute block until November 4, 1977.

With this in mind, ABC and CBS acted to give a contending chance to both General Hospital and Guiding Light by expanding them to an hour in length on November 7, 1977, strategically keeping their start times different in order to dissuade viewers from turning to the other networks. This gained particular importance when ABC finally added 15 minutes to One Life to Live on January 16, 1978, so that Guiding Light straddled those two programs, as well as the first half of sister P&G show Another World on NBC. Despite General Hospital surprising all observers by skyrocketing from near-cancellation to the top place in the ratings with the Luke and Laura storyline, Guiding Light, holding its own while in direct competition with General Hospital, still hit an upswing as the decade ended.

On February 4, 1980, CBS bumped Guiding Light down again, to 3pm/2c, in the midst of a major scheduling shuffle intended to give The Young and the Restless (itself now expanding to an hour length) a shot at beating ABC's All My Children. It remained in this timeslot for the rest of its run, facing General Hospital and NBC entries such as Texas, The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour and Santa Barbara. none of which made significant impacts upon Guiding Light. Furthermore, General Hospital eventually petered out by the mid-1980s as well.

Overall, the first half of the 1980s saw a revival in Guiding Light's popularity, with a top-five placing achieved in most years, and, for a brief period, it even managed to dethrone then-powerhouse General Hospital from the #1 ratings spot for three consecutive weeks. As the decade progressed, however, the ratings slipped a bit, although it was still performing solidly. In 1995, beginning with CBS flagship station WCBS-TV in New York, Guiding Light began airing at 10 a.m. Eastern time in several markets. The show's solid performance began to crumble by the mid-1990s, when the show's ratings sunk as low as ninth place out of ten. However, during the controversial clone storyline in 1998, the ratings experienced a brief resurgence, moving up to fifth for many weeks that summer. Nielsen reported Guiding Light had 5 million viewers in 1999.

Up until its finale in 2009, stations in a number of markets aired Guiding Light in the morning either at 9 or 10 a.m. local time: Miami, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Fort Wayne, Ind., South Bend, Ind., Portland, Me., Albany, N.Y., and Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pa.. Guiding Light aired at 12 noon local time in Honolulu, Hawaii. In Savannah, GA, it aired at 4:00pm local time.

Before 2004, stations that aired Guiding Light in the morning were always one episode behind those that aired the program at its official timeslot of 3:00pm (ET). This changed in March 2004, during the first day of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, in which stations that aired Guidng Light at 10:00am were able catch up with stations that aired Guiding Light at 3:00pm. Starting in 2006, stations that aired Guding Light at 9:00am were also offered a same-day feed to catch up with the rest of the network. As a result of this, daily episodes for the remaining years of GL were the same on all stations regardless of timeslot.

Guiding Light maintained strong ratings in Pittsburgh, despite being moved to 10:00 AM in 2006. According to a 2006 article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Dr. Phil hadn't been able to pull in the same numbers that Guiding Light did in that time slot a year prior, while Guiding Light was maintaining its audience share.

Two CBS affiliates did not air GL. One was KOVR-TV in Sacramento, California. KOVR had become a CBS affiliate in 1995. Despite its affiliate status, KOVR did not air Guiding Light. Before CBS affiliated with KOVR, it had been affiliated in Sacramento with KXTV. KXTV had dropped Guiding Light from its schedule in 1992 and never aired it again. As such, Guiding Light has been preempted on the Sacramento area since 1992. WNEM-TV in Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, Michigan also did not air Guiding Light. They initially ran the soap before they dropped it in 1996 because of disappointing ratings. In the fall of 2006, WNEM began running Guiding Light on its digital channel My 5 at 10am, airing there for the remainder of its run.

In Canada, Guiding Light was available directly through CBS-TV network affiliates from border cities or cable-TV feeds from the 1960s until the show's ending in 2009. However, Guiding Light also made it on several Canadian television networks through the 1980s up until its last air date. Atlantic Satellite Network (ASN), a supplementary service to its ATV system of CTV affiliated exclusively for Atlantic Canada aired the soap opera simultaneously with the CBS feed from 1983 to 1984, then the broadcast was moved at 12 noon until 1985. Also in 1984, TVA, a Quebec privately owned French-language television network, rebroadcast in French translation episodes 12 months behind for a short period. In the early 1990s, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) briefly aired the P&G serial nationally at 3:00 p.m. in each specific local time zone, but dropped it in 1991. After an hiatus on Canadian stations for many years, the series came back on CHCH-TV, exclusively for the province of Ontario market. In September 2007, Global picked up the show nationwide after CHCH-TV dropped it, claiming Passions' former time slot. Guiding Light returned to CHCH for the rest of its run when Global decided to air The Doctors, the 2008 TV series.

Internationally, Guiding Light currently airs in Iceland, Italy, Hungary and Serbia. It also aired September 3, 2007 to August 26th 2011 in the UK on Zone Romantica /CBS Drama, series was pulled at the point where the outside location filming was due to begin. Last screened scene in the UK was Cassie hiding out with troubled son Will " just as the rest of the family were discovering that he had actually killed his father Alonzo.

60 Minutes featured a segment on the cast and crew of Guiding Light discussing the show and its eventual cancellation. The segment was re-broadcast on July 18, 2010.

Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards

Show

• 1980 Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
• 1981 Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series
• 1982 Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
• 1982 Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series
• 1982 Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts (Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork)
• 1983 Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts (Lighting Direction)
• 1984 Outstanding Achievement in Design Excellence for a Daytime Drama Series
• 1985 Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series
• 1985 Outstanding Achievement by a Drama Series Design Team " Ronald M. Kelson
• 1986 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
• 1986 Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series
• 1986 Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series
• 1987 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series
• 1987 Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series
• 1990 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
• 1991 Outstanding Original Song: "Love Like This"
• 1991 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 1992 Outstanding Original Song: "I Knew That I'd Fall"
• 1992 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 1992 Outstanding Achievement in Graphics and Title Design

• 1993 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
• 1993 Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series
• 1994 Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team
• 1994 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 1995 Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
• 1995 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series
• 1996 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 1996 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series
• 1996 Outstanding Live and Direct-to-Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series
• 1996 Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
• 1998 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 1998 Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
• 1998 Outstanding Original Song: "Hold Me"
• 2007 Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
• 2007 Outstanding Daytime Drama Series (tie, with The Young and the Restless)
• 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
• 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing For A Drama Series
• 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing

Individuals

• 1983 Lifetime Achievement Award: Charita Bauer (Bert Bauer)
• 1984 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Judi Evans Luciano (Beth Raines)
• 1985 Distinguished Service to Daytime Television: Charita Bauer (Bert Bauer) [posthumous]
• 1985 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim Zimmer (Reva Shayne)
• 1985 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Larry Gates (H.B. Lewis)
• 1987 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim Zimmer (Reva Shayne)
• 1990 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim Zimmer (Reva Shayne)
• 1991 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Rick Hearst (Alan-Michael Spaulding)
• 1992 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Maeve Kinkead (Vanessa Chamberlain)
• 1993 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Ellen Parker (Maureen Reardon)
• 1993 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Monti Sharp (David Grant)
• 1994 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Michael Zaslow (Roger Thorpe)
• 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Justin Deas (Buzz Cooper)
• 1994 Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series: Melissa Hayden (Bridget Reardon)
• 1995 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Justin Deas (Buzz Cooper)

• 1995 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jerry verDorn (Ross Marler)
• 1996 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jerry verDorn (Ross Marler)
• 1996 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Kevin Mambo (Marcus Williams)
• 1997 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Justin Deas (Buzz Cooper)
• 1997 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Kevin Mambo (Marcus Williams)
• 1998 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Cynthia Watros (Annie Dutton)
• 2002 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Crystal Chappell (Olivia Spencer)
• 2003 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Jordi Vilasuso (Tony Santos)
• 2006 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim Zimmer (Reva Shayne)
• 2006 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jordan Clarke (Billy Lewis)
• 2006 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gina Tognoni (Dinah Marler)
• 2006 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan Randall)
• 2008 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gina Tognoni (Dinah Marler)
• 2008 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan Randall)
• 2009 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jeff Branson (Shayne Lewis)

Other awards

• 2005 Writers Guild of America Award: GL 2005 WGA Writing Team: David Kreizman, Tita Bell, Joyce Brotman, Christopher Dunn, Lloyd Gold, Kimberly Hamilton, Jill Lorie Hurst, Penelope Koechl, Eleanor Labine, Royal Miller, Cassandra Morgan, Danielle Paige, David Smilow, Gillian Spencer, Brett Staneart, Donna Swajeski, Ellen Weston
• 2005 Directors Guild of America Award
• 2010 GLAAD Media Award nomination for "Outstanding Daily Drama"

Head writers and executive producers

Head writer(s)	Years	Executive producers
Irna Phillips		David Lesan, Joe Ainley, Carl Waster
		David Lesan, Joe Ainley
Television
Irna Phillips		Lucy Ferri Rittenberg
Agnes Nixon	1958"1966
David Lesan, Julian Funt, Theordore Ferro, Mathilde Ferro, John Boruff, James Lipton and Gabrielle Upton	1966"1968
Irna Phillips	1968"1969
Robert Soderberg and Edith Sommer	1969"1973
James Gentile, Robert Cenedella and James Lipton	1973"1975
		Allen M. Potter
Bridget and Jerome Dobson	1975"1979
Douglas Marland	1979"1982
Pat Falken Smith	1982
		Gail Kobe
L. Virginia Browne, Gene Palumbo	1982-1983
Carolyn Culliton	1983
Pamela K. Long and Richard Culliton	1983"1984
Pamela K. Long and Jeff Ryder	1984"1986
Jeff Ryder	February 1986 " September 1986
Mary Ryan Munisteri & Ellen Barrett	September 1986 " November 1986
Joe Willmore
	October 1986 " December 1986	Joseph D. Manetta
	December 1986 " early 1987	Joseph D. Manetta and Sheri Anderson
Pamela K. Long	1987"1990
		Robert Calhoun
Stephen Demorest, James E. Reilly, and Nancy Curlee	1990"1991
Stephen Demorest, James E. Reilly, Nancy Curlee, and Lorraine Broderick	1991"1992
		Jill Farren Phelps
Stephen Demorest, Nancy Curlee, and Lorraine Broderick	1992"1993
Nancy Curlee and Stephen Demorest	1993
Stephen Demorest, Patrick Mulcahey, Nancy Williams Watt, Millee Taggert, and Sheri Anderson	1994
Stephen Demorest	1995
Douglas Anderson	1995
		Michael Laibson
Megan McTavish	1995"1996
Michael Conforti, Victor Miller and Nancy Williams Watt	October 1996 - April 1997
James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten	April 1997 " 2000
		Paul Rauch
Claire Labine	2000"2001
Lloyd Gold and Christopher Dunn	July 2001 - November 2002
Millee Taggert and Carolyn Culliton	November 2002 - September 12, 2003
		John Conboy
Ellen Weston and Donna Swajeski	September 2003 " July 5, 2004
		Ellen Wheeler
David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski	July 6, 2004 - February 29, 2008
No Head Writer Listed	March 3, 2008 - April 11, 2008
David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski	April 14, 2008 - August 21, 2008
David Kreizman, Christopher Dunn, Lloyd Gold, and Jill Lorie Hurst	August 22, 2008 - September 18, 2009

DVD release

In January 2012, SoapClassics released a 4 DVD collection of 20 selected episodes. The oldest episode on the collection dates from April 1, 1980, while the latest episode is from September 14, 2009, during the show's final broadcast week. The company has since released special collections celebrating Reva Shayne and Phillip Spaulding. Also beginning in June 2012 the series will be released in DVD in Germany beginning with the 1979 episodes.