On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Days of Our Lives, fans of the NBC soap opera got a wonderful gift. The network announced that Days has been renewed for not just one, but two more seasons on NBC.
Daytime dramas have of course greatly declined in popularity over the past several years. NBC cancelled Passions a couple years ago and CBS ended their long-running As the World Turns and Guiding Light after many decades on the air. Days of Our Lives has been on the verge of cancellation several times so this news is particularly welcome for the show’s fans, cast, and crew.
Ken Corday, the soap’s executive producer and the son of Days’ co-creators, told the NY Times that he broke down in tears when he received the call. He said, “This is a time of a lot of uncertainty in the soap community” and noted that the best he had hoped for was a one-year renewal. The soap went through severe budget cuts two seasons ago and those cost cutting measures saved the network 40% in license fees and has made it possible for the show to continue.
