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Days of Our Lives, one of the longest-running and most popular soaps on the NBC Channel, started airing in 1965. New episodes were released every weekday until 2022. Since 2022, Days of Our Lives has been streaming online on Peacock.
In March 2023, the soap was also renewed for two new seasons. However, these installments will not air on NBC and will continue on Peacock. Mark Lazarus, the chairman of the NBC Universal Television Company, explained that the shift to an OTT platform would increase the reach of the soap opera and allow space for new NBC content to take a spot on television. In a statement on NBC Insider, Lazarus said:
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"This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers."
What is Days of Our Lives about?
The soap opera started as a family-centric soap opera set in the fictional town of Salem. The initial storylines focused primarily on the Horton family, led by Tom and Alice Horton. As the storyline progressed, more influential families were added to the story to add complexities to the plot.
In the early 1980s, the Brady and DiMera families took up a prominent sport along with the Hortons. The two families started as bitter rivals, which made them interesting to watch on screen.
The soap has explored other genres and plot dynamics, including murder mysteries, science fiction-esque experiments, and even a tinge of the supernatural. This primarily took place when writer James E. Reily joined the crew.
The show also has two spinoffs now. In July 2021, a limited series called Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem was released. It consisted of five episodes featuring a few original cast members who were not a regular feature of the soap story. In November of the same year, a Christmas special called Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas was released.
Also read: 5 fascinating facts you didn’t know about Days of Our Lives
Who are the original and current cast members of the soap?
Days of Our Lives has a diverse cast that has undergone many comings and goings. The official main cast that the soap started with include:
- Macdonald Carey as Dr. Tom Horton
- Frances Reid as Alice Horton
- Maree Cheatham as Marie Horton
- John Clarke as Mickey Horton
- Richard A. Colla as Tony Merritt
- Charla Doherty as Julie Olson
- Geraldine Lawrence as Diane
Very few original cast members remain on the show, though a few make special appearances. A few prominent members of the current main cast on the soap are:
- Drake Hogestyn as John Black
- Deidre Hall as Marlena Evans
- Serena Scott Thomas as Fiona Cook
- Galen Gering as Rafe Hernandez
- Dan Feuerriegel as EJ DiMera
- Billy Flynn as Chad DiMera
- Brandon Barash as Stefan DiMera
- Tina Huang as Melinda Trask
- Suzanne Rogers as Maggie Horton
- Wally Kurth as Justin Kiriakis
- Alison Sweeney as Sami Brady
- Greg Rikaart as Leo Stark
Also read: Days of Our Lives: Which three characters are possibly making a return to the show? Details explored
New episodes of Days of Our Lives are released every weekday. The soap is no longer available on NBC television but streams online on Peacock.
