With the holidays around the corner, and only a month left in this year, fans can’t help but be reflective over all the ups and downs that have occurred in the land of daytime drama.

2024 was an incredible year in soap operas, but which lead actresses offered the best of the best when it came to performances over the past 12 months? Here’s a review:

Days Of Our Lives – Arianne Zucker – Nicole Walker

While the drama spilled outside the canvas where actress Arianne Zucker was concerned, as she announced in early 2024 that she was leaving Days of Our Lives (DOOL), while also launching a wrongful dismissal suit on the daytime drama, her performance as Nicole Walker never waivered an inch.

Nicole Walker took center stage in 2023 and much of 2024 as her baby swap storyline dominated the canvas.

Days fans watched in horror as Nicole’s baby was stolen from her by Sloan Petersen (Jessica Serfaty), and the lawyer rubbed salt in the scheme when she had mom believe her baby had passed away.

Every Days fan felt Nicole’s anguish when she learned the news, as she mourned the loss of yet another child.

While the arc did drag on for what seemed like “forever”, the celebration was a major one when Nicole wasn’t only reunited with Jude Brady (Oliver McLarty), but long-time love, Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan).

It was sad to see the little family exit storylines; however, DOOL’s ‘happily ever after’ send-off did provide Ericole fans with some sort of justice.

General Hospital – Nancy Lee Grahn – Alexis Davis

General Hospital (GH) fans may not have been shocked that Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) passed away shortly after her liver donation surgery; however, how quickly it came after she seemed fine, completely rocked viewers.

Nancy Lee Grahn’s performance when Alexis Davis realized her daughter was gone was simply incredible. The mom was shocked and in denial, and fans felt every emotion that was coming out of Alexis in the aftermath and weeks to come as she processed trying to live her life without her eldest daughter.

The Young And The Restless – Eileen Davidson – Ashley Abbott

As sad as Young and The Restless Ashley Abbott’s dissociative identity disorder (DID) storyline was, it brought out some of the best work in Eileen Davidson. Watching the character struggle as each personality fought for dominance within her mind blew Young and the Restless (Y&R) fans away.

While Eileen is no stranger to juggling multiple characters on one soap, a skill she acquired during her time on Days many years ago, with this DID storyline, she not only offered fans a bird’s eye view of how someone struggles with the condition, but it was done so in one of the most realistic forms on soap operas in recent history – if ever.

The Young And The Restless – Sharon Case – Sharon Newman

Y&R fans are used to seeing Sharon Newman play a pivotal role in storylines, so when her character took the backseat on the canvas in early 2024, viewers let their voices be heard, on social media.

What they got, starting in the summer of this year, was one of the most powerful stories that the soap has crafted for one of Genoa City’s top heroines. Talk about diving into the dark side of Sharon! It’s always a delicate balance for a soap when mental health is spotlighted.

On the one hand, it should captivate audiences, but often times other shows get it wrong by going far too over the top.

Still, no other soap does mental health quite as well as the Y&R, and once again the daytime drama hit the nail on the hammer with Sharon’s recent mental health meltdown.

Much of how well this arc was told was thanks to Sharon Case’s incredible performance throughout the never-ending twists and turns that occurred leading up to Heather Stevens’ (Vail Bloom) murder, and beyond.

Which lead actress do you think deserves accolades for her performance in 2024? Comment below and visit this site for the best news, spoilers, and updates in daytime drama.