Each year, the four daytime drama series air more than 250 hours of original content compared to 20something for their primetime counterparts. This year, nominated performers had no restrictions on the number of episodes that they could pull material from for their reels. The only two requirements were that the episodes aired during the 2018 calendar year and that the total running time of the reel did not exceed 15 minutes.
In following the industry standard, NATAS did not make this year's Emmy reels available to the public. However, Soap Central was able to review the reels, and we've provided synopses of their content reels, including airdates, episode numbers, and links to our comprehensive recaps of those episodes so you can get a better feel for what action took place. Please note that the running times listed for each clip include the opening slate and end-of-reel bumpers. For its purposes, NATAS does not count that time in its official run time figures.
Here are the clips submitted by the Lead Actress nominees this year for Emmy consideration.
Reel Synopsis: Abby breaks down when she realizes that she killed Andre. Abigail's alternate personality, Gabby, attempts to frame Stefan for Andre's murder. Abigail's alters fight over what they feel is in Abigail's best interest. Dr. Laura confronts Marlena and tells her that Abigail isn't ready to hear the truth yet.
Reel Synopsis: Katie tells Bill that his absentee parenting is detrimental to their son, Will. Katie testifies at a custody hearing and presents a calendar that shows all the times that Bill didn't show up for visits with Will. Katie defends her decision to seek sole custody as the only way to protect the well-being of her child. Katie and Bill have an emotional discussion after the judge rules in Katie's favor.
Reel Synopsis: Ava slaps Griffin and refuses to believe that Kiki has been murdered. She later goes to the Haunted Star and orders her daughter to open her eyes and wake up. Ava regrets the way that she treated Kiki prior to her murder. A grieving Ava points a gun at Griffin and blames him for destroying her relationship with Kiki. Ava explains to Avery that Kiki was hurt "so badly" that she won't be able to be with them anymore. At Kiki's grave, Ava lashes out at everyone for believing that she "deserved" to lose Kiki.
Reel Synopsis: During a heated exchange with Liam, Steffy reveals that she slept with his father, Bill. Steffy recounts how she'd gotten to the point where she slept with Bill and begs Liam to forgive her. Steffy gives birth to a beautiful baby girl. Liam takes off his wedding ring and presents Steffy with annulment papers. Steffy visits Bill and rages over catching Liam and Hope together. A calm and composed Steffy tells Liam that she is done chasing after him because she is putting their daughter first.
Reel Synopsis: Carly talks to Jason about how much she misses Morgan. Carly talks to her daughter, Josslyn, and tells her that she will never stop loving her. Though Carly insists that someone is messing with her, Sonny fears that she's losing her mind. In jail, Carly insists that she didn't push Nelle down the stairs and worries that Nelle will get her hooks into Michael. Carly tells Kevin how important Jason is to her, and how he loves her no matter what she does. Carly tells Jason what she had to endure while being held at Ferncliff. Carly visits a handcuffed and calls Nelle a "vile, deranged sociopath."
