The Set Decorators Society of America has revealed its nominations for 2025-26 SDSA Awards for Television, which recognizes the work of the set decoration and production designers in primetime, streaming and daytime series.

This year, all five soap operas: Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless all received nominations in the Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Daytime Series category.

In its official SDSA rule book, to qualify for the category of a Daytime Series, which includes daytime dramas, daytime talk shows, daytime game shows, and daytime children’s programming, all episodes must air before 6:00pm and must have a credited Set Decorator. For daytime dramas, the content must contain multiple plotlines that are carried over from episode to episode.

Photo: JPI

WHICH EPISODES CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE COMPETITION?

The eligibility year for episodes runs June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.  Founded in 1993, the SDSA is an international nonprofit professional association dedicated to promoting excellence and preserving the legacy of the art of set decoration in motion pictures and television.

Several popular primetime and streaming titles that have wrapped their final seasons also received nods including Euphoria, Stranger Things, Hacks, Outlander, and The Boys. Popular titles such as Bridgerton.

Take a look below at the nominated scenic design teams from your favorite soaps:

Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Daytime Series

Beyond The Gates: Set Decoration by Cynthia Slagter with Production Design by Bruton Jones

The Bold and the Beautiful: Set Decoration by Prim Rosales, Beth Wooke, Prerna Chawla, Charlotte Garnell, Chelsea Mondelli, Michelle Hall, & Linda Louise Sheets with Production Design by Lou A. Trabbie III

Days of Our Lives: Set Decoration by Adele Caine & Sarah Holmes with Production Design by Tom Early & Dan Olexiewicz

General Hospital: Set Decoration by Jennifer Elliot with Production Design by Andrew Evashchen

The Young and the Restless: Set Decoration by Jennifer Haybach, Justine Mercado, Maria Dirolf, & Monica Lowe with Production Design by David Hoffmann

So, which soap opera from the calendar year of basically June of 2025 to a week ago in 2026, do you think has had the best looking sets? Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, or The Young and the Restless? Make you pick and drop it in the comment section below.

There is definitely a shake-up going down at the writing team at Peacock’s Days of Our Lives. Now, the long-running soap opera has confirmed, what has been previously reported, that current General Hospital breakdown writer, Ryan Quan is heading back to his old stomping grounds in Salem. This time as the series co-head writer.

The appointment of Quan comes with the official news that current co-head writer, Paula Cwikly, who was previously rumored to be departing the series, is not. She is staying with the soap opera and transitioning to a consultant role with the show. Now, Quan will join current co-head writer, Jeanne Marie Ford to steer the ship for the characters on the canvas.

On Wednesday, TV Insider, reported the official confirmation and that Quan will return to DAYS next month in July. In a statement to the outlet, executive producer, Ken Corday expressed, ‘We are lucky to have Ryan back in the fold. There are very few people who have such a deep knowledge and understanding of our show’s history. Stay tuned!”

Photo: JPI

THE FUTURE OF DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Since Days of our Lives unusual production schedule tapes ten-months ahead of air, the new creative team’s vision led by Quan and Jeanne Marie Ford are not expected to stream on Peacock until mid-2027.

Days of Our Lives is currently renewed through its 63rd season. The former NBC soap opera which transitioned to Peacock in September of 2022, celebrate its 60th anniversary in November of 2025.

The writing regime change comes after NBCUniversal Media Chairman Matt Strauss revealed that Peacock is expected to turn a profit for the first time in the current quarter, punctuating their investment with the enduring soap opera on its platform.

As for Quan, his knowledge of Salem is tremendous. Ryan joined Days of Our Lives as a writer’s assistant in 2007 after some time over at Passions. He then spent two decades and held every position on the writing team where he previously served as co-head writer from 2016-17 alongside Dena Higley.

Later, when Ron Carlivati took over as head writer for 7 years in 2017, Quan became his right-hand man and main story consultant for his deep knowledge of the history and the legacy of the show. After Carlivati exited the show in 2024, General Hospital hired Quan in 2025.

So, what do you think about DAYS making it official with Ryan Quan as the new co-head writer of the series alongside Jeanne Marie Ford. What do you think about the fact we won’t see the changes on-screen till 2027? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

Daytime soap opera casting directors: Greg Salmon (The Young and the Restless) Marnie Saitta (Days of Our Lives), Christy Dooley (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Kim Coleman (Beyond the Gates) discussed the process of casting for a daytime drama series from contract players to under-fives along and their expectations for auditioning, plus behind the scenes casting tales at their recent panel from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

The entertainment industry event helps actors receive inside intel from leading casting professionals and took place just over a week ago at the Meryl Streep Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Moderated by noted journalist Jim Halterman, one of the more intriguing moments of the panel discussion occurred when the subject turned to the challenges of a recast on a soap opera and replacing a popular actor with another in a very key role. Each of the four casting directors were able to put a spotlight on such an occurrence and all were leading men on their respective soaps.

Photo: SAGAFRAFoundation

For Marnie Saitta at Days of Our Lives, she was tasked with finding the new EJ DiMera. James Scott had become amazingly popular in the role from 2006-2014. Then, enter Dan Feuerriegel, who had the right stuff for DAYS to finally pull the trigger and cast the new EJ. The character returned on-screen in 2021 after 7 years.

RECASTING EJ DIMERA

“I do know now how to best approach a recast, like I’m casting a new character,” explains Marnie. “I feel like the actor just has to come in and make it their own. You can’t even try, looks-wise, to be quite honest. Obviously, EJ DiMera is kind of a focal point (of DAYS) and Dan was such a champ. I swear to God, I think I brought him in maybe six times. I would bring him in for other characters, but I kept thinking he’s really good for EJ and it didn’t go. Then, I brought him for something else, same thing. I knew that the role of EJ was going to be really difficult to find, and it finally clicked. He took EJ in a different direction. He has a totally different vibe, but equally as effective.”

RECASTING ADAM NEWMAN

For Greg Salmon, he discussed the pivotal role of Y&R’s Adam Newman, who was previously by Tracker star, Justin Hartley and what he looked for to be able to find the right actor to be the next black sheep of the Newman clan.

“We had Justin Hartley playing the role of Adam Newman before he went to This Is Us, and now Mark Grossman has been playing him,” explained Salmon. “So that was a really tough role to recast. Before Justin, there were two other people (Chris Engen and Michael Muhney) who played the part. Adam Newman is central to the show. This is Victor Newman’s (Eric Braeden) son. So, it’s an incredibly important character to the show. But now, Mark Grossman’s been playing the role for several years now. He’s completely made the role his own.”

Photo: JPI

Salmon added the key attributes that Mark Grossman or someone like him brings into an audition for the role of that is being recast, “I really think it just comes down to the person’s energy and what they’re bringing to the character,” explained Greg. “You can’t think, ‘Well, I know Justin Hartley looks like this. And the guy before him looked like that,’ because then you’ll just get trapped. You’re not trying to find another Justin Harley. You’re trying to find another Adam Newman. I just remember Mark came in and I think he read with Eric Braeden, and he read with a few other people of the Newman family, and his energy was just off the charts. You know, this is how Adam should feel. Eventually, I think the audience really accepted him.”

RECASTING RIDGE FORRESTER

In a little-known casting story, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Christy Dooley shared how Mark Grossman almost became one of the Forresters! “He tested for us (at The Bold and the Beautiful). Mark came in and read for the role of Thomas Forrester and he was my choice for the role,” says Dooley. “The role wound up going to Matthew Atkinson, but then he came down to read for The Young and the Restless.”

Dooley was also tasked with one of the biggest soap recasts in history when Ronn Moss exited The Bold and the Beautiful in his signature role of Ridge Forrester which Moss played from 1987-2012. Eventually, Thorsten Kaye took over the role at the end of 2013.

Photo: JPI

“When Ronn Moss left the show, Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer, B&B) said, ‘I can’t recast him right now, he’s just too familiar.’ So he waited. The character was always talked about because he is one of the Forresters. Brad finally said, ‘We need to bring him back. We got to find somebody.’ Then to get Thorsten Kaye, who’s so different than Ronn, and he made it completely his own. He’s just amazing at it, so I think time helped (between bringing on a new Ridge.)”

RECASTING DR. TED RICHARDSON

For Beyond the Gates, Kim Coleman, she has a soap opera that is now building a new legacy only in its second season. However, in season one, Maurice Johnson became the first recast in series history when he was replaced as Dr. Ted Richardson with Keith D. Robinson and at a critical point in the storyline.

Coleman explained, “I think it was a transition and everyone was in agreement that it was the right thing to do. And then fortunately, we brought in an actor that the audience knew. They knew his face. He was great. Keith made it his own and there was not a lot of controversy and it wasn’t complicated. Keith D. Robinson is on the show now and everyone loves him. So, it was a very smooth transition.”

You can check out the full conversation with daytime casting directors, Greg Salmon, Marnie Saitta, Christy Dooley and Kim Coleman below.

Now let us know which of the four recasts noted do you think was the most successful? Were you surprised to learn Mark Grossman was a favorite of casting director Christy Dooley for Thomas Forrester before landing his role as Adan Newman? Weigh-in via the comment section below.