Days of Our Lives

The Horton family in 1973. Back row: Edward Mallory (Bill), John Clarke (Mickey), Marie Cheatham (Marie), John Lupton (Tommy). Front row: Frances Reid (Alice), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Patricia Barry (Addie).

The Cordays and Bell combined the "hospital soap" idea with the tradition of centering a series on a family, by making the show about a family of doctors, including one who worked in a mental hospital.[21] Storylines in the show follow the lives of middle- and upper-class professionals in Salem, a middle-America town, with the usual threads of love, marriage, divorce, and family life, plus the medical story lines and character studies of individuals with psychological problems.[22] Former executive producer Al Rabin took pride in the characters' passion, saying that the characters were not shy about "sharing what's in their gut."[23]

Critics originally praised the show for its non-reliance on nostalgia (in contrast to shows such as As the World Turns) and its portrayal of "real American contemporary families."[24] By the 1970s, critics deemed Days of Our Lives to be the most daring daytime drama, leading the way in using themes other shows of the period would not dare touch, such as artificial insemination and interracial romance.[14] The January 12, 1976, cover of Time magazine featured Days of Our Lives' Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes, the only daytime actors ever to appear on its cover.[25][26][27] The Hayeses themselves were a couple whose on-screen and real-life romance (they met on the series in 1970 and married in 1974) was widely covered by both the soap opera magazines and the mainstream press.[28]

In the 1990s, the show branched out into supernatural story lines, which critics immediately panned, as it was seen as a departure from more realistic storylines for which the show had originally become known. However, these storylines did have the desired effect, making Days of Our Lives the most-watched daytime soap among young and middle-aged women, also becoming one of NBC's five most profitable shows in any time slot.[29][30] In 2006, when asked about his character, Jack Deveraux, "coming back from the dead"—for the third time—actor Matthew Ashford responded, "It is hard to play that because at a certain point it becomes too unreal...actors look at that and think, 'What is this — the Cartoon Network'?" (Ironically, Jack – with Ashford in the role – would be killed off for a fourth time in an explosion-related elevator failure in August 2012, only to be brought from the dead once more in December 2018.)[31]

In addition to receiving critical acclaim in print journalism, the series has won a number of awards, including a Daytime Emmy for Best Drama in 1978 and 2013 [32] and a Writers Guild of America, East Award for Best Drama in 2000 and 2013.[33] Days of Our lives actors have also won awards: Macdonald Carey (Dr. Tom Horton) won Best Actor in 1974[34] and 1975.[35] Susan Flannery (Laura Horton) and Eileen Davidson (Kristen DiMera) won Best Actress in 1975[35] and 2014,[36] respectively. Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton), Leann Hunley (Anna DiMera), and Tamara Braun (Ava Vitali) won Best Supporting Actress for, respectively, 1979,[37] 1986, and 2009[38] and Billy Warlock (Frankie Brady) won Best Younger Actor for 1988.[39] In 2009, Darin Brooks (Max Brady) took home the Emmy for Best Younger Actor",[40] and Tamara Braun (Ava Vitali) won for Best Supporting Actress,[41] the show's first acting victories in over 21 and 23 years, respectively[42]

As with all other network programming, Days of Our Lives' ratings have declined somewhat since the 1990s. In January 2007 it was suggested by NBC that the show "is unlikely to continue [on NBC] past 2009."[43] In November 2008, in an eleventh-hour decision, it was announced the show had been renewed through September 2010. The 18-month renewal was down from its previous renewal, which was for five years. The show made somewhat of a comeback in 2009, with ratings increasing as the year progressed. In March 2010, the show was renewed once again through September 2011;[44][45] then again on November 8, 2010, its 45th anniversary, the show was renewed for two more years through September 2013, with an option for an additional year which would keep the soap on through 2014, its 49th year on the air.[46][47] The series received a two-year renewal in January 2014 that is set to last until September 2016.[48] Beginning on November 8, 2010, which marked Days of Our Lives' 45th anniversary, the show began airing in high definition.[49]

The show was officially "rebooted" on September 26, 2011, in an effort to gain back its lapsed audience, appeal to long-term loyal fans, begin new stories, and boost ratings.[50] Former fan favorite characters were reintroduced as part of the reboot. These included Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford), Carrie Brady (Christie Clark), and Austin Reed (Patrick Muldoon). All three, including actress Sarah Brown, were fired from the show in an effort to lower production costs.[51] The reboot was met with mixed reviews from critics.[52] Head writers hired to handle the reboot, Marlene McPherson, and Darrell Ray Thomas Junior were subsequently fired due to declining ratings. Chris Whitesell, and former Days executive producer Gary Tomlin were rehired after being fired as part of the show's revamp.[53] Daytime Emmy award winner Lorraine Broderick was hired as a member of the breakdown writing team in April 2012.[54] Days of Our Lives is noted as the fourth longest running soap opera in the United States.[55]

On November 30, 2014, NBC introduced an updated logo for Days of Our Lives at the 2014 Hollywood Christmas Parade, in celebration of the series' 50th anniversary.[56] On February 11, 2016, NBC renewed Days of Our Lives for one-year, with the option of an additional year.[57] In January 2017, while discussion the potential of a renewal for the soap, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt stated: "We don’t make a decision for another couple months. [...] But I don’t think it’s over yet."[58] In February 2017, NBC officially renewed Days of Our Lives for an additional year. Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement: "We feel so privileged to be able to continue the remarkable legacy of Days of our Lives. [...] We thank [exec producer] Ken Corday and his team for their incredible accomplishments and look forward to all the stories from Salem that will continue to unfold."[59] In March 2018, NBC announced their decision to renew Days of Our Lives through fall 2019.[60] In January 2019, NBC renewed the serial through September 2020. In a statement, NBC Entertainment said: "With writing that manages to weave together Salem's iconic characters with current realities, Ken Corday and his team have ushered the show's legacy into a new era that resonates with both longtime and new viewers."[61]

On February 11, 2019, one month after NBC announced its renewal of Days for a 55th season, Corday Productions filed a breach of contract and fraud lawsuit against Sony Pictures Television (which has co-produced and handled international distribution of the series since original production backer Screen Gems was folded into the former Columbia Pictures Television in 1974) in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that Sony placed the soap at a competitive disadvantage favoring its higher-rated CBS rival, The Young and the Restless. The suit – which seeks restitution payments of more than $20 million – alleges that Sony Pictures had forced Corday (which maintains a revenue-sharing arrangement to split any profits and production costs in excess of the budget, the latter of which is financed by NBC) to absorb budgetary production deficits, had provided them with inaccurate accounting, had failed to offer the show for distribution in certain foreign markets (including Great Britain and France) and had failed to pay profits within the eight-figure range as well as to negotiate a license fee with NBC that incurs a "reasonable profit" for Corday, while negotiating a more favorable license fee from CBS for its carriage of The Young and The Restless (even as Corday's share of distribution revenues decreased by over 50% in recent years). Corday also alleged that Sony Pictures executives have expressed indifference to Days of Our Lives, claiming that Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra said the soap is no longer a priority for the company and is "hanging by a thread." Representatives for Sony described the claims made in the suit as "meritless."[62][63]

On November 12, 2019, TVLine reported that the entire cast were released from their contracts, in preparation of a previously-planned production hiatus. Per reports, pending renewal, production will resume by March 2020.[64] In a separate report, published by People, the shut down was known to cast and crew, for "scheduling reasons".[65] Ten days later, Deadline Hollywood announced that the show had been renewed through September 2021.[66] On January 29, 2020, NBC announced it had renewed the soap, and that production would resume in March;[67] the following day, it was announced that cast and crew would return to set on February 3, 2020.[68] In March 2020, it was announced that production on the soap was suspended pending "further notice," following the coronavirus pandemic.[69] In July 2020, it was announced that production on the soap would resume on September 1 of the same year.[70] The following month, on October 12, Deadline Hollywood reported the soap was suspending production for two-weeks, following a positive COVID-19 test.[71] Production resumed eight-days later on October 20.[72]

On December 17, 2020, Days of Our Lives aired its 14,000th episode.[2]

Long-time actors Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn, who portray Marlena Evans and John Black, are known for being featured in some of the show's most famous storylines.

When Days of Our Lives premiered in 1965, the show revolved around the tragedies and triumphs of the suburban Horton family. Over time, additional families were brought into the show to interact with the Hortons and serve as springboards for more dramatic storylines. Originally led by patriarch Dr. Tom Horton and his wife, homemaker Alice, the Hortons remain a prominent fixture in current continuity. One of the longest-running story lines involved the rape of Mickey Horton's wife Laura by Mickey's brother Bill. Laura confides in her father-in-law Dr. Tom, and the two agree that her husband Mickey should never know. The secret, involving the true parentage of Michael Horton (a product of the rape) and Mickey's subsequent health issues as a result of the revelation, spanned episodes from 1968 to 1975. This plot line was made even more complex with the presence of Linda Patterson (originally Margaret Mason for many years, later Elaine Princi) who claimed that her daughter Melissa had been fathered by Mickey. When Mickey married the lovely Maggie Simmons (Suzanne Rogers), Linda became even more involved in the story line as the show's main villainess, marrying the wealthy Bob Anderson (Mark Tapscott) and taking over the running of Anderson Manufacturing when he became ill. The story line involving Mickey, Laura and Bill was the first to bring the show to prominence, and put it near the top of the Nielsen daytime ratings.[73] Another love triangle, between lounge singer Doug Williams, Tom and Alice's daughter Addie, and Addie's own daughter, Julie, proved to be very popular around the same time. The storyline culminated in the death of Addie in 1974 and the marriage of Doug and Julie in 1976.[74]

In the early 1980s, the Brady and DiMera families were introduced, and their rivalry quickly cemented their places as core families in Salem beside the Hortons. Around the same time, with the help of head writers Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina, and Leah Laiman, action/adventure story lines and supercouples such as Bo and Hope, Shane and Kimberly, and Patch and Kayla reinvigorated the show, previously focused primarily on the domestic troubles of the Hortons. Since the 1990s, with the introduction of writer James E. Reilly, Days of Our Lives has moved from traditional plots to some supernatural and science-fiction-themed stories, in conjunction with the rivalry of good vs. evil, in a Hatfield/McCoy feud style the Bradys versus the DiMeras. Under the tenure of Reilly, ratings rose to number two, and stayed there until he left in 1999 to start his own creation of Passions. Despite the introduction of new head writer Hogan Sheffer in 2006, ratings failed to revive, which led the show's producers to hire a few past fan favorites to stop the ratings hemorrhage.[75]

Veteran actors Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso, who portray supercouple Bo and Hope Brady, have played both characters on and off since their first appearances in 1983.

When Days of Our Lives debuted, the cast consisted of seven main characters: Tom Horton, Alice Horton, Mickey Horton, Marie Horton, Julie Olson, Tony Merritt and Craig Merritt.[86] When the show expanded to one hour in April 1975, the cast increased to 27 actors. By the 25th anniversary in 1990, 40 actors appeared on the show in contract or recurring roles,[86] which is the approximate number of actors the show has used since then.

Original cast member Frances Reid, who played Alice Horton, remained on contract with Days of Our Lives until her death on February 3, 2010, though she made her last appearance on the show in December 2007.[1] Original cast member John Clarke, who played Mickey Horton, left the series in 2004. Suzanne Rogers, who plays Maggie Horton has been on the show since 1973, and Susan Seaforth Hayes has played Julie Olson Williams since 1968 with a few breaks in-between, and also her husband Bill Hayes, who has played Doug Williams since 1970, though neither Seaforth Hayes nor Hayes is employed with the serial on contract.

In recent years, Days of Our Lives has hired back many former cast members. Twenty of the current contract cast members have been with the show, off-and-on, since at least 1999. Since 2005, cast members from the 1980s and 1990s, such as Christie Clark (Carrie Brady), Stephen Nichols (Steve "Patch" Johnson), Austin Peck (Austin Reed), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady), Joseph Mascolo (Stefano DiMera), and Thaao Penghlis (Tony DiMera and Andre DiMera) have been brought back to Days of Our Lives.[75] More additions to the show in recent years have included the returns of Crystal Chappell (Dr. Carly Manning), and Louise Sorel (Vivian Alamain). In June 2010, characters such as Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves, who returned to the show full-time shortly afterward), Bill Horton (John H. Martin, taking over the role from Christopher Stone), Shane Donovan (Charles Shaughnessy) and Kimberly Brady (Patsy Pease) returned for a short time and were featured heavily in a tribute to Alice Horton. Guest cast members have included Elizabeth Alley.

In late 2012, the show reintroduced Eileen Davidson in the role of Kristen Blake DiMera – one of six characters Davidson played during her original 1993–98 run on the show – after a fourteen-year absence. In mid-2013, the show debuted new characters such as JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) and Theresa Donovan (Jen Lilley) to appeal to younger viewers.[87][88]

In celebration of the soap's fiftieth anniversary in 2015, several cast members returned to the soap, including Peter Reckell (Bo Brady, who was killed off in a decision by Corday and the show's writing staff in a move to provide closure in the relationship of Bo and Hope), Stephen Nichols and Penghlis (as Andre DiMera, as his brother, Tony, had been killed off in 2009).[89]

Co-creator and original executive producer Ted Corday was only at the helm of Days of Our Lives for eight months before dying of cancer in 1966. His widow and fellow co-creator, Betty, was named executive producer upon his death. She continued in that role, with the help of H. Wesley Kenney and Al Rabin as supervising producers, before she semi-retired from showrunning duties in 1985, two years prior to her death in 1987. Upon Mrs. Corday's semi-retirement, her son, Ken, became executive producer and took over the full-time, day-to-day running of the show.[15] Ken Corday continues helming the show to this day, and as of July 2020, splits show-running duties with Albert Alarr (who previously served as a member of the show's directing staff) as co-executive producer.[90]

The first long-term head writer, William J. Bell, started writing for Days of Our Lives in 1966 and continued with the show until 1975, two years after he had created his own successful soap, The Young and the Restless, for rival network CBS. He continued with the show as a storyline consultant until 1978. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, many changes to the head writer position occurred. In the early 1980s, Margaret DePriest helped stabilize the show with her serial killer storyline. Later head writers, such as Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina, and Leah Laiman, built on that stability and crafted storylines of their own, temporarily helping to bringing up the program's ratings. Many head writer changes occurred after Laiman left the series in 1989 and the role would not become stable again until James E. Reilly joined the show in that role in 1993. His tenure, which lasted for four-and-a-half years and featured several supernatural-themed plotlines (which would later become the centerpiece of fellow NBC soap Passions, when the Reilly-created series debuted in July 1999), was credited with bringing ratings up to the second place spot in the Nielsens. Other writers who succeeded him, such as Sally Sussman Morina and Tom Langan, failed to keep the ratings success, and additional head writer turnovers continued until Reilly – who would continue in his role as head writer and consulting producer of Passions after rejoining Days – returned to the series in 2003.

Five-time Daytime Emmy winner Hogan Sheffer was named head writer with great fanfare in October 2006, but lasted less than 16 months with the show, with his last episode airing in January 2008. Former head writer Dena Higley was re-promoted to succeed Sheffer in the role, with her first episode as head of the writing staff airing on April 23, 2008;[91] her co-head writer was Christopher Whitesell, who had joined the series following a stint as an associate head writer for As the World Turns and remained with Days until February 2011. On May 18, 2011, Dena Higley was fired, and replaced as head writer with Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas Jr. (who had previously worked alongside James E. Reilly as script writers on Passions).

On April 4, 2012, it was confirmed that McPherson and Thomas were fired as co-head writers, and would be replaced by Whitesell and former Days script writer Gary Tomlin.[92] Two days later, it was confirmed that former All My Children head writer Lorraine Broderick would join Tomlin and Whitesell as a breakdown writer on the series.[93] On February 9, 2015, Soap Opera Digest confirmed that both Tomlin and Whitesell had been ousted in their roles as head writers; the magazine further confirmed that former head writer Higley would return, alongside former The Young and the Restless head writer Josh Griffith; the change took effect on February 16, 2015.[94] In August 2015, reports stated that Higley would be taking a leave of absence from the show. In her place, Sony would be sending a writer from The Young and the Restless – later revealed to be former head writer Beth Milstein – to help Griffith with the transition.[95]

In February 2016, several days after the show was renewed for a 52nd season, Soap Opera Digest exclusively reported that Griffith had departed the show as head writer with Higley remaining; the magazine further revealed that script writer Ryan Quan had been promoted to replace Griffith.[96] On January 23, 2017, Soap Opera Digest confirmed that both Higley and Quan had been let go from their positions as co-head writers, with Higley being let go from the program altogether and Quan being installed in the newly created title of creative consultant. Former One Life to Live and General Hospital head writer Ron Carlivati was named as Higley's replacement, "effective immediately"; Carlivati's first episode as head writer aired on July 19, 2017. In addition to Carlivati's appointment, it was also announced that Sheri Anderson would return to the soap, sharing the role of creative consultant with Quan.[97][98][99] In February 2019, Carlivati announced he had signed a new deal to continue as head writer; that same month, Anderson announced her departure from the writing team.[100][101] In July 2020, it was reported that Greg Meng had been let go after more than 30 years with the soap and Corday Productions.[70]

Original main title; the registered trademark next to the title was later removed.

Almost unmodified since the show's debut in November 1965, Days of Our Lives's title sequence showcases an hourglass, with sand slowly trickling to and piling up at the bottom partition of the glass against the backdrop of a partly cloudy sky, accompanied by the trademark verbal epitaph, "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives."[134] The title sequence has been modified only three times since the series first premiered:

• In 1972, the sequence was updated to display the hourglass against a brighter, cloud-laden background; the camera subsequently zooms toward the bottom half of the hourglass as the original variant of the program's current mixed-case, serif logo (which replaced the older-style, all-capital title logo used since the show's debut) fades in;
• Beginning with the June 21, 1993 episode, the opening titles were changed to a CGI-animated visual of the hourglass (designed by Wayne Fitzgerald and Judy Loren), with its base and columns seen rotating throughout and the object zooming outward from the bottom glass partition to showcase it in full; the horizon backdrop also changed to an evolving daylight motif incorporating changing cloudscapes and a brightening sun (as it rises over the horizon) emanating the title logo on-screen via a ripple effect animation;
• Beginning with the November 8, 2010 episode, with the show's conversion to HD, an updated widescreen version of the sequence was introduced; although it differs very little from the 1993 version of the sequence, this variant featured slight changes in the coloring of the sky backdrop.

The hourglass sequence was also used during the show's closing credits until November 2001 (when the network replaced it with a split-screen generic credit reel to incorporate video promos for other NBC daytime and prime time programs); it was replaced thereafter with a black background in international and, later, online airings. A sunset variant of the CGI sequence (which had been used for the closing credits from 1993 to 2001) remains in use as Corday Productions' closing credit vanity card.

The only major visual change to the title sequence was in 1993 when the show began using a CGI animated hourglass and backdrop.[134]

From the show's debut in 1965 until March 1966, announcer Ed Prentiss spoke the aforementioned opening phrase, following it with the notation "Days of Our Lives, a new dramatic serial starring Macdonald Carey."[134] Carey, who had played Dr. Thomas Horton since the show's premiere, took over reading the opening epitaph in April 1966; for the following 28 years, his introductory voiceover added with "This is Macdonald Carey, and these are the Days of Our Lives.".[135] After Carey's death from lung cancer in April 1994, the secondary part of the introduction was removed from the sequence out of respect for Carey and his family. At intermission (between 1975 and 2011), Carey also voiced the show's mid-program bumper – which usually preceded a network promo that led into the local ad breaks during the fourth commercial break of each episode – reading, "We will return for the second half of Days of Our Lives in just a moment."[134]

The light orchestral theme music that regularly accompanies the opening titles was originally composed by Charles Albertine, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and was the first soap opera theme to be performed by an orchestral ensemble. Boyce and Hart were tasked by Ted and Betty Corday to create a theme for the show that sounded similar to "Sunrise, Sunset," which the Cordays had then-recently heard while seeing the Broadway version of Fiddler on the Roof. After the Cordays approved their third submission, one Hart developed in reminiscence to organ music he remembered hearing when his mother listened to radio soaps, Albertine was brought in to write the orchestration for the piece, adding a flute-and-bells broken arpeggio borrowed directly from his 1952 piece "Music for Barefoot Ballerinas" and a bridge section for the extended theme music.[136][137] The theme has only been updated twice: in 1993, when a more conventional orchestral arrangement of the instrumental theme (arranged by musical director Steven Reinhardt) debuted with the introduction of the CGI sequence, and in May 2004, when a grander orchestration was introduced in coincidence with the on-air evolution of the Salem Stalker serial killer storyline to reveal the characters who were "killed off" were actually kidnapped to the duplicate island Melaswen (this version was only used in eight episodes, before reverting to the 1993 arrangement that has remained in use ever since).[136] In November 2009, the instrumental theme was abbreviated to allocate extra airtime to the episodic plot, shortening it from 32 to 17 seconds and commencing from the orchestral flourish.

Days of Our Lives has had many high-profile fans. In 1976, Time magazine reported that then-Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall would call a recess to court proceedings around the 1:00 p.m. hour to watch the show.[142]

Actress Julia Roberts admitted at the 2002 People's Choice Awards that she was a fan of Days of Our Lives, had asked to be seated near the cast, and upon winning her award stated, "I'm freaking out because the cast of Days of Our Lives is sitting behind me."[143] In 2004, during the show's Melaswen storyline, Roberts' interest was considered notable enough that Entertainment Weekly quoted her saying that "the show has gotten a little wacko."[19]

A 1998 Time article mentioned that Monica Lewinsky was a passionate fan of Days of Our Lives, so much so that she wrote a poem about the series in her high school yearbook. The article compared her whirlwind experiences in the White House to a story on the show.[144] Best-selling novelist Brian Keene has stated in interviews that he has watched the show since 1983, and pauses from writing each day during the hour it is on.[144]

Days of Our Lives won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Writing Team in June 2012 and April 2018. It also won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in June 2013 and April 2018.[145][146]

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• Official website
• Days of Our Lives at IMDb
• Days of Our Lives – SoapCentral.com