2013 Daytime Emmys: DAYS wins first Drama Series title in 35 years

2013 Daytime Emmys: DAYS wins first Drama Series title in 35 years
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIESDays of our Lives

This year, each of the five soaps that aired in 2012 was nominated in the Outstanding Drama Series. The list included television's "youngest" soap -- The Bold and the Beautiful, the top-rated soap -- The Young and the Restless, the longest-running soap -- General Hospital, and a soap that went off the air earlier in the year -- One Life to Live.

But it was NBC's sole remaining soap, Days of our Lives, that took home the top prize for only the second time in its 47-year history.

"Pinch me. Somebody, pinch me," executive producer Ken Corday said in wonderment as he took to the stage. "Wow. Really worth the wait."

As a seemingly endless parade of the show's stars joined Corday on stage, he pleaded with producers not to play him off stage.

"This is a dream. This is a dream to be here for me and for all of us. Just a moment to tell you a quick story. Ted and Betty Corday started this show in 1965. It received its only Emmy award for best Daytime show in 1978, 35 years ago," Corday reflected. "Today [we] break the ice again. Today is thank you to all the other nominees. Today is Father's Day. Today is my birthday. And today is a great day to celebrate. Thank you."

This was Days of our Lives' 17th nomination as Outstanding Drama Series. On two different occasions in the show's history, it went a full decade without a nomination in this category. The first dry spell ran from 1985 to 1995, and the next was from 1999 to 2009. The 35-year gap between Outstanding Drama Series wins surpasses Guiding Light's 25-year drought, which lasted from 1982 to 2007.

» A COMPLETE LISTING OF THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES

» COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THIS YEAR'S EMMYS

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Edited by SC Desk