Days of Our Lives: Are the Hours Numbered for the NBC Soap?
Hang onto your seats soap fans! Dr. Marlena Evans and the Brady and Horton families may be in trouble again — and this time, there may not be an escape!
An industry source has recently reported that NBC is considering canceling the long-running soap opera, Days of Our Lives. NBC has aired the soap for all of its incredible 40+ year run but does not actually own the series.
Word is that NBC feels that the licensing fee it pays to the production company is too high (based on the show’s ratings). If a lower fee can’t be negotiated, the series may end at the end. One source has said that the current contract runs until 2009 but there is a clause in it that would allow NBC to terminate the show as early as the Spring of 2007.
I’ll be on the lookout for new developments. Stay tuned . . .
54. Barbara Johnson said,
I have been wathcing Days Of Our Lives for over 30 years PLEASE do not terminate this show, we have all watched Sammy grow up and seen many others come and go, this show has been around too long to just kiss it goodbye toomany of the other shows have been terminated and i truly hope this one will not go. Days has been wathced by everyone in my family ever since i can remeber.
53. Anonymous said,
Please dont terminate days of our lives I have been watching it from australia for such a long time now 27 years to be infact
52. Dana said,
Oh I cant imagine my Days without Days! Ive been watching it for 30 years. It would be a shame to cancel it. I dont watch any other soaps…i enjoy the characters and their day to day adventures…makes my life seem less boring!! haha. Days has to stay!!!
51. Melissa said,
I say that The soap opera Days of our Lives needs to go.The show is getting old.So I Think that you should End it
50. bianca said,
pls dont take days away!!!!!!!
49. Anonymous said,
ok seriously i would die without days in my life its my one time to sit down and relax!!!
48. Wanda said,
Please do not take off Days of Our Lives. We are living in turbulant times and need some since of “home” in our lives. How can I explain to someone that these characters are our family. We love on the air and in their personal lives. I believe this will be icing on the cake for the shape our country is in.
47. Sheilen said,
I like Cloe alot ever since i was 14 years of age so big up 2 u cloe and Days of our lives. Frm big fan South Africa
46. Patrice Flores said,
PLEASE DON’T END DAY’S OF OUR LIVES. I ALSO USED TO WATCH DOOL WITH MY GRANDMA WHEN I WAS LITTLE. I WATCH IT EVERY DAY.THE CAST IS LIKE MY FAMILY. WHEN I CAN’T WATCH IT I TIBOO IT.SO PLEASE SAFE DAYS…..
45. Gaby said,
u cant take off days… i grew up watching it and both my grandmas have watched it over 30 years……… please don’t cancel it….people r to in to days for it to be cancelled…..
and can u change the time back to 7 please…….
44. Tracy McCal said,
Please don’t cancel Days. I’ve ben watching it for 38 years. It’s the ONLY daytime show to watch. I record it everyday so I can watch when I get home. They feel like my own family. If days is cancelled I never watch anything else on NBC.
43. D said,
Don’t cancel the show just get back to the old storylines that were interesting….For example marlena/kristen/susan stuff like that was humorous yet dramatic…keep the show the fans and the actors deserve to allow it to get better…refer to the 90’s for storylines give old ones a twist the new teen scene isn’t working it lasted from 1999-2003 and was done move on now one wants these new characters…
42. longMileTogo said,
Please don’t end Days of our lives. And please reconcile Bo and Hope quickly, Kayla and Steve, and Sami and Lucas. Now lets deal with the children and other issues..
41. R A said,
It is a very captivating TV soup, would be really a shame to terminate it on the viewer’s expense. It should continue just for the sake of all the million viewers world wide.
40. vickie lee hunter said,
PLEASE DON’T CANCEL DAYS OUR OUR LIVE. I HAVE BEEN WATCHING TH SHOW SINCE 1972.THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE SHOW ARE LIKE FAMILY . I TAPE THE SHOW EVERYDAY SO I CAN WATCH THE SHOW WHEN I COME HOME FROM WORK. IT IS THE ONLY SHOPE I WATCH AND ENJOY. YOU KNOW IT IS GOOD WHEN YOU HAVE WATCHED TH SHOW FOR OVER 30 YEARS. PLEASE DONT’T CANCEL THE SHOW I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WOULD WATCH AND ENJOY AS MUCH AS I ENJOY DAYS OF OUR LIVES.
39. taylorblue said,
What will I do without days? I have been watching it since I was 17! There will be nothing better than that show.
38. Heather said,
I have been watching DOOL for 20 years and my children are viewers also. Please do not cancel my favourite show on TV. I cannot go a day without it and PVR it everyday!!!
37. Jenn said,
Nooooooooooooo! Days can not end! I TIVO it every single day, and it’s the only soap I’d ever, ever watch!! I’m 26, and I’ve been watching since I was 12! I have a ton of friends and family members who all LOVE the show & still watch all the time! PLEASE don’t end the show!! My great-grandmother watched DOOL every day- and I planned to watch it my whole life.
36. Jackie said,
I have been a loyal viewer of Days of Our Lives for 25 Years. I don’t know what I would do if it went off the air. My kids watch it with me now and will very likely be the next generation of viewers. It has to continue.
35. Angela Hamlin said,
Please do not cancel days! I’ll go crazy w/o it. I wont know what to do w/o it! Please do not discontinue it.
Ive been watching since Frankie and Melissa were dating and competing with his brother Pete. In the 80’s!!!!!
Its the only one I watch!! Please dont leave us hanging?????????? :)>smiley face! -Angela-NM
34. Tammy said,
Please don’t cancel the show! I’ve been watching the show for about 16 years. Thats the longest I’ve ever watched a tv show. It makes me going back for more. The show is just getting started again since the Dimeras are back. The cast is unbelievable. I’ve met some of the people on the show and they were great! So I really really hope you don’t cancel the show or I will be dissapointed.
33. Gwen said,
Please do NOT cancel Days. I can remember being in preschool and “pretending” to be napping, but really watching Days with my Great Grandmother, and my Nana, who baby-sat me, back in the 80’s. (It’s nice to see Kayla and Steve back!)
I started really watching on days off of school, and holiday breaks in the mid-nineties. The first story-line I remember well was when Marlena was posessed. I think that has become a classic one, especially for us “younger” (early 20’s) viewers, who started watching off and on in our early teens.
Some story lines, like the Island” thing a couple years ago, were rather difficult. It was just too long!
Some of the older, “classic” characters should get some good storylines again of their own, and not just be supporting the younger ones- Victor, Doug, Julie, Maggie, etc.
I really miss the old Belle (Kirsten Storms), Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin), and old Shawn (Jason Cook).
I think addressing some situatins that we can relate to would be a good idea, as well as some traditional soap lines.
Fertility complictaions(repeated miscarraiges for instance) when and if Belle and Shawn finally get married and decide on a 2nd baby; Marlena surviving breast cancer after John’S situation ends (also going on too long- I almost keep forgetting what IS going on with that…); Kate finds out she’s in enormous financial debt, and gets a wake-up call, and has to live with Sammy and Lucas, and finally grows up; Bo and Hope’s daughter has Autism or Aspberger’s Syndrome, and they learn how to treat it; EJ maybe really isn’t a DiMera, after all– and ends up with Billie; Celeste and Victor have an affair, and a mid-life surprise- a baby; Will gets in with the wrong crowd and ends up getting arrested repeatedly, and gets a girl pregnant…
Willows baby isn’t Shawn’s- it’s Phillip’s. He softens with both her, and Shawn and Belle, and helps Willow straighten out her life, so they can raise the baby in a stable family.
32. TERRI said,
PLEASE DON’T CANCEL DAYS OF OUR LIVES! THERE IS NO OTHER SOAP OPERA THAT CAN COMPARE TO DAYS. I’M IN MY THIRTIES AND I’VE BEEN WATCHING FAITHFULLY SINCE I WAS ABOUT FIVE. MY GRANDMOTHER AND I TALK ABOUT IT SHARE STORIES ABOUT IT. WE TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. SO PLEASE DON’T CANCEL DAYS!!!! NBC WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE IT. YOU WILL DEFFINTLY LOSE RATINGS. SO I BEGGING YOU NOT TO CANCEL DAYS. IT’S GOT A GOOD STORYLINE GOING ON RIGHT NOW. I SET MY DVR TO RECORD EVERY SHOW. I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL I’M DONE AT WORK JUST TO GET HOME TO WATCH. ONCE AGAIN PLEASE SAVE DAYS
31. tammy said,
please do not cancel Days. I have been watching it for years. I have become addicted to it and its characters.
30. Alli said,
I have been watching Days since I was seven. My mom was always watching it and got me hooked. I would definately completely feel isolated without watching Days. It is like a daily routine!!!
29. sarah said,
I too have been watching the show since I was a child. However, I feel that they are almost asking to be cancelled. The show has become so ridiculous it is unbelievable. I wish they would go back to the storylines that they used to and stop changing all the characters. I want to enjoy watching Days again!
28. mildred witherspoon said,
you crazy if you cancell Day of our life, It the onlt soap I watch
27. Matthew said,
Don’t get rid of Days of our lives. I love this soap. I would love to see baby Claire grow up, and Theo. I would be saddened if this soap was no more. So Please Please, Don’t get rid of this Soap
26. Bradley said,
I’ve been watching Days for over 20 years I don’t care if it gets canceled or not. This new head writer has improved it but has a long ways to go to ever be as great as it once way. The show may never recover from the disasterous Jim Reilly years.
25. jennifer said,
Don’t cancel Days….. it just needs some major help with its story lines it is getting a little chessy but I love it. I used to watch it with my 70 year old grandmother when I was little and she know that I watch it and she constantly asks me what is going on in Salem That is so cool b/c that is one of the things that I have in common with her!!!!!!!! Please say Days!!!!!!!!!
24. Lynn said,
Oh ****!! What will daytime TV be without “Days.” This show has saved my sanity over some particularly stressful years while taking care of my elderly father suffering from progressive senile dementia. I love this show and its wonderful cast. Please leave DOOL on the air. Negotiate the darn fee. If NBC can come up with the money for shows like Entertainment Tonight and America’s Got Talent and the truly terrible Apprentice, surely “Days” can be funded.
23. PaTTY said,
Well…since the mass exit of a few of my favorite characters, I will not be extremely bothered if Days were to be cancelled.
Let me share my “Days” story: I began watching Days in college as I was earning a living as a waitress. During our “after the lunch rush” break, all of the other waitresses would demand that we turned on Days in the bar. I made fun of them as well as the storyline. At the time, Marlena was possessed. Well, I soon moved on from my waitressing job. I was a poor graduate student without the luxuries of cable television. My mid-day break allowed me to come home and eat lunch. Days was on the television. I was interested in what had happened to Marlena for some god-awful reason. I actually watched an entire episode BY MYSELF!!
What had happened??? Have I become as shallow as the other morons that actually watch this show on purpose?? Then, I watched it again the next day. One day, I actually overheard some of the students I was teaching discussing Days, and I found myself chiming in!! WTF????
Then I saw Austin Peck. Yes, his acting was mediocre (this was back in 1995/1996) to say the least. However, I fell for his statuesque body and gorgeous face. I had an epiphany: women must watch soap operas because they would never encounter any men that display the beauty and kindness of the “hunks” on a soap in real life. My expectations of men, as a result, became unreasonable.
Time had passed. I became a “when I have time and I happen to be home I will watch days” kinda gal (btw…I hate the term “gal”…but, I felt compelled to use it). Austin left. Jason (Sean D.) came. He was several years younger than myself…but had an innocence about him. His smile kept me coming back for more. Still, I only watched occasionally.
My life became more routine…the soap network was born…Days was much easier to tune in to. I began to watch more frequently….Jam spears kidnapped Sean….Sean was still very hot…Belle’s face changed several times….Chloe came and went….Georgia was alive and her name was Chelsea….Austin returned and then left me again…and now Jason is gone.
Now, I am a professional. I am a Biochemistry professor. I also play classical guitar. My friends as well as my boyfriend have mocked my infatuation with Days. I suppose I too have mocked this “addiction”. Days leaving is exactly the rehab I need…
22. steven said,
days of our lives been on 1965 to 2007 so its a great show why to u want to take it off the air? take off one of the soaps not days ok
21. steven said,
days of our lives been on 1965 to 2007 so its a great show why to u want to take it off the air?
20. Marian Hill said,
I started watching this show from the beginning. I was a kid, I will miss this show too. They are lik family too.
I feel like the Bradys & Black familys and The Hortons family and etc, are all kin to me. You might as well come get my tv cause I won’t be watching anything anymore. Please don’t take my soaps away cause I am ill and homeboud and they are all I have to look forward to all day long. We love this people and we would miss them so much.
19. Marilyn said,
I Love Days!!!! When I was 11 my Mom got me into watching Days and now I can’t go a day without it! I Record it everyday, so when I get home from work I get my fix! This show relates to so many people. Please keep it going! This new give this new writer a chance to get the ratings up! bring back all the great loves and tackle the real issues of life! I miss the old Shawn and the Old Phillip! The new Shawn and the new/old Phillip just don’t really go! Just please reconsider and do everthing possible to keep Days alive… yall are already taking Passions from us, don’t take Days too!
18. elena said,
Please dont cancel. This is the only soap I like.
17. Lisa said,
Please don’t take Days away. It keeps me going. I have to see this everyday. I even rewatch it on Sunday nites. Days is more popular than everyone may think.
16. Kayla said,
I have been watching Day’s ever since I can remember. My grandmother started watching it, then my mom, and then both my sister and I. The actors are almost like family in a strange way. It would be awful if it went off the air. I would truly be upset. Please don’t cancel the show!!
15. dana said,
please give it a chance to get better!
14. tnsoapfan said,
The storyline is really as upsetting to me. CPS taking Belle/Shawn daughter away just took the cake. Lately I’ve been seeing horror stories about CPS and really don’t trust them in the real world. Victor has his nerves to do this and I was starting to like Victor but lately his character is turning back to the nasty person he is. This just doesn’t make any damn sense at all to take a child from the mother and she didn’t do anything wrong? Bo should and need to put Victor in his place!!!!!!
13. Angie said,
Please do not cancel DOOL. It has been around for so long, and it is a great show to watch. It’s been watched in my family for generations. I think several people would be devastated if you dropped this show. You’ve ran it for 40+ years, so why stop now? Please negotiate something to keep all of these millions of fans happy.
12. Potter13 said,
Please don’t cancel Days! I love the show and have watched it for as long as I can remember. My Mom has watched it from day one and got me started on it. I grew up with Days. I don’t ever remember it not being on the air! Please leave it on for many years to come!!!!
11. Twiggs said,
I just heard this news and it made me sick to my stomach. I saw the very first episode of Days, remember it very well. I may have only been 5 at the time, but the hourglass and Grandma Horton had me hooked.
Days of Our Lives is my drug. I need my daily fix!
DOOL has a dedicated and loyal fanbase across the globe. You can’t rip our hearts out for the sake of a few bucks. Go back to black and white, go back to a half hour show, go back to just the Horton family, but PLEASE find a way to keep Days alive and kicking for the fans, and for future fans. If a pair of ‘red shoes’ is what it takes, please find a pair!
10. Sally said,
How could I function if I didn’t have my daily dose of “Days”! The characters are my family, and I think they all do a fantastic job of portraying who they are. When my children were babies I would have them watch it with me, then put them down for a nap. They are now 41 and 43 and STILL want to know what’s happening on “Days”! Please, please don’t take it off the air!
9. Sandra said,
I, too, have been watching Days Of Our Lives since its inception, and I’m both furious and heartbroken at the thought that my favorite soap could be cancelled!
My personal feeling is that they could have raised the ratings through the roof if they had gone with a EJ DiMera/Sami Brady pairing instead of boring us to tears with thrusting Sami back into the arms of the abusive and immature Lucas Roberts!
Alison Sweeney and newcomer James Scott sizzled with chemistry over the summer and man of the fans were hyped to see a forbidden love story between a Brady and a Dimera.
It certainly would have open the plot line possibilities.
Hogan Sheffer killed our EJAMI dreams dead by insisting the stale and predictable Lumi pairing, and by trying to neuter the most vibrant and interesting character on the show,Sami Brady.
He also had to make EJ Wells(DiMera) into a soapishly evil version of Snidely Whiplash to make Lucas palatable.
It didn’t work and the low ratings reflect the fans frustration with wasting fine actors on such formulaic storylines!
James Scott and Alison Sweeney are wringing brilliant performances from uninspired writing and dialogue, but, if some originality and fiery romance were added to the mixture then they could be the next supercouple of DAYS.
If Sheffer doesn’t start using his imagination outside of the soap box soon then he will have a wonderful soap’s demise to add to his credits!
8. BABY MONSTA said,
i cant figure out where to go to name hopes baby. name her DESJIA (PRONOUNCED) DEJA.
7. Val said,
Do not cancel days, bring back some of the older cast members like Vivia and Lawerence Alamain. Put on more love scenes. I have been watching days since 1982 the cast members are like my family. it would be a shame to see it end.
Val.
6. Beverly said,
I have been watching this show since Susan killed David. I remember all the stories that the show has had. Where is Bill and Laura anyway? The were good together. Julie has a brother Steve. What has he been doing? Also Julie is a grandmother.Doug sure could sing let him sing at Maggies restraunt.That needs to be picked up a bit. I want to see Sami happy with Lucas. John and Marlena are great together and shows that when two people love each other like they do any kind of problem can be solved.
5. Beverly said,
I have been watching this show since Susan killed David. I remember all the stories that the show has had. Where is Bill and Laura anyway? The were good together. Julie has a brother Steve. What has he been doing? Also Julie is a grandmother.Doug sure could sing let him sing at Maggies restraunt.That needs to be picked up a bit. I want to see Sami happy with Lucas. John and Marlena are great together and shows that when two people love each other like they do any kind of problem can be solved.
4. amanda stamper said,
I have been watching the show since I was 5 with my mom and i feel i cant live with out my daily enter tain ment
3. Natasha said,
I have watched this soap for as long as I can remember. I remember laying in my bed for nap and hearing it going in the living room. I agree with all the above. There are many reasons Days of Our Lives is shrinking in the ratings department. The biggest reason I hear other people speak about is, Days does not tackle real issues.
Reality is a huge part of TV now days. When you watch a soap, part of you wants to feel some type of connection with the situations. Passions draws you in with Ethan and Teresa, but even that story line is wearing itself out. If I have to sit through one more “almost finding out the truth, oops its dream” situation again. Im “flipping it off” and I mean that literally.
Days needs real story lines.Oh and Thank God Carrie and Austin left. They make me sick. They bore the **** out me.
Great things to happen to days-
Write a pregnancy in for Sammy. Make it Lucas’s baby.
Bring in a love interest for Victor!
Tackle breast cancer issues by having Kate turn up with it, letting viewers see a softer realer side of her while drawing in viewers who may or may not be survivors themselves and raising awarness.
Not entirely crazy about the new Sean either.
Bring back Eric.
Recast Mimi and hook Eric and Mimi up.
Make Will have an ordeal with drugs in some way that leads to Sammy and Lucus reconsiling and her ending up pregnant.
Keep Frankie , hook him up with Billy.Get her in some hot water where she needs his protection. They would be a the couple to watch!Dont get rid of Frankie, he is hot we all love to see him. Hes new eye candy for the show.
Sick of Bo and Hopes ****. Hope is annoying. hook Bo up with Billy. Have Bo and Billy sleep together and end up pregnant and have Bo commit himself to her , not wanting to have this child end up like Chelsey.
Tackle real issues.Eating disorders,HIV,Cancer,finding “love” on the internet,
Bring in someone new and have them win the lottery and change the wind in the town.They can bring in a new business to the town. Which will create a different look on the set.Change is due. Constant turmoil is boring. Drawing things out for months is crazy. We all want to see real issues.We want to relate to these people. That is why we love Lifetime. Take stories from headlines, see how you can stir them into the Days Plot Pot. This show is to great to go away.
2. Lisa Hunt said,
I have been watching days since my early teens. I even scheduled my college coures around the daily show. I too feel it is the ONLY soap worthy of watching these days. Now that there is a new writer I hope to see more locations shot and better story lines for the characters. The actors are wonderful but does there have to be so much chaos with all the characters at the same time.
Lisa
SODA (Save Our Days Advocate)
1. E.J. P. said,
Please….PLEASE DON’T CANCEL “Days of Our Lives.” I have been watching this shop since the mid 60’s. It’s the only soap I feel worthy of my time. I know all the cast and would feel so-o-o lost without this daily program. The actors are excellent and what’s more, the writers have improved dramatically over the past few years. I stay glued to the TV set while Days is on because of the mystic and intrigue of the show.
Believe me when I say, “you would wound thousands of viewers by cancelling ‘Days.’” My friends and I talk about what’s happening on “Days” when we go out to eat and people around us think we are talking about our family. Well, in a way, all the actors of “Days” have become family. If you need a signed petition to keep this soap opera on, I will be glad to head-up a campaign and get as many signatures as necessary to keep “days” alive forever.
EJP