Days of Our Lives Celebrates 43 Years on the air!
November 8 is a special day in the history of Days of Our Lives.
It will mark the 43rd anniversary for the series. Over those decades, Days has gone in all sorts of different directions, introducing some of Daytime’s major supercouples and some of its most daring, and at times bizarre, plot twists. Created by the inventor of soap operas, Irna Philips, with the help of Ted and Betty Corday, the show survived years at the bottom of the ratings pile to climb up near the top in the sixties. In the following decades, it would stay at the top of NBCs soaps (they had quite a few back then) and, according to some, sparked a major recovery for the genre in the nineties when soaps were starting to decline. Over the past four decades, there has been shortage of love, madness, serial killings, amnesia, live burials, gender confusion, lengthy flashbacks, bad hair days, demonic possessions, abductions, mistaken identities and pseduo-incestuous affairs — everything that makes Daytime such a guilty a pleasure.
Soap Opera Fan Blog salutes Days of Our Lives on making it to the ripe age of 43 and wish it many happy returns. Please leave your thoughts and comments below and have a great weekend!
Be sure to check out our Days of Our Lives daily summaries, news, actor Bios, appearances, video clips, polls, comings and goings, and please leave us a comment!
Photo Credit: NBC
Fun fact! Matthew Purvis wrote this story just for you on November 7th, 2008 |
Comment added November 7th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I’m sick of: Kate trying to dress like she’s in her 20s; the Sami character never growning and changing – ite’s getting very old; Bo and Hope being smug; Nick taking up space; Abe and Lexie and their continuing marital problems; I am disgusted with Lexie’s response to her son’s Autism – she is a doctor and is clueless about the condition and the resources available;and finally, Melanie and her hair flips and broadway-style acting. This soap needs a major story revamping.
Comment added November 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I agree with Suzanne. Let’s see these situations come to an end; introduce a couple of new people who would take the story outside Salem residents. There are good stories to be had with the present characters, we just have to ‘think’ about some new but not depressing situations. The ‘soaps’ format in the beginning were stories that we all could relate to. The recent stories need a serious ‘overhauling’. The ball is in your court, as to how many viewers you want to capture. I saw ‘Nights in Rodanthe’ and saw the story reinacted within my own family. I cried like a baby.
Comment added November 7th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I have watched DOOL from day one. Somehow this soap has lost what made it so great back then. What ever happened to the Horton family? Don’t most soaps have one main family that the stories revolve around? This soap has lost that. Too many disconnected stories going on.You are firing the wrong people!!!!!!!
Comment added November 8th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
way to much cursing and getting worse.
Comment added November 9th, 2008 at 8:40 am
I have watched DOOL from day one, never missing a single episode. I feel that the show is going downhill. A person could relate to the storyline at one time. Then it started to get silly with the exorcism and possession, etc. The characters were believable and you couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Today the characters are unbelievable boring and if you were to miss an episode you wouln’t really miss anything. I think the show needs to have few storylines and be more realistic. I do feel that the stories involfing Kate and cancer, Theo and autism is a start. As for Lexi, she is a doctor and should be able to deal with Theo. A decision with Sami, Lucas and EJ needs to be made and move on. I could go on and on…but in spite of all this, I find myself addicted to this soap…I just can’t believe i have been watching it for so many years…hope it’s around another 43 years
Comment added November 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I have watched Days of our lives for more them 30 years never miss it It needs the old 1980s touch ps LOVE BO AND HOPE It needs bo hope steve kayla and all the supper couple touch love days
Comment added November 17th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I have watch days of our lives for 43 year and it needs the back to the touch of the 1980s touch the good story of bo and hope love love bo and hope and steve and kayla and all the supper couple I NEVER MISS DAYS LOVE DAYS
Comment added December 6th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I’ve watched DOOL since the beginning. Back then it was about family and couples that stayed together. When I’m not home I tape it, but now all I do is fast forward. If you need to get rid of people get rid of some of the young ones and leave John & Marlena alone. It will never be the same without them. This memory story has gone on long enough. He looks like a zombie. He needs to be back with Marlena. You brought back Kayla & Patch but we never see them. Too many young ones and the stories go on and on. Enough already. Did you ever wonder why the ratings are so low? I guess noone believes in love and marriage anymore. I watch it every day and will continue to watch it, but we need new writers.
Comment added December 17th, 2008 at 11:31 am
The writers need to read these comments and take hints from the fans about what we would like to see on the show.
Comment added July 11th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I have watched this soap since I was 10 yrs old and I am now 47. I
am also retired, and watch this
soap faithfully, I just cant believe it being taken off the air.
Please do everything you can to
keep it going. there is nothing
worth watching on TV these days,
reality tv is taking over, dont
take away our soaps.