'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Debuted in 1965, the popular American soap opera Days of Our Lives has been a prominent part of daytime television. Over 14,000 episodes of the show have been released since its debut, earning it the distinction of being one of the longest-running soap operas.
Being in the television industry for such a long time, the show has continued to maintain its viewership among the audience.
The television soap opera is popular for its romance, mystery, and drama elements, with a larger ensemble cast that has maintained the charm of this show. Running for almost six decades, the show has become a significant part of pop culture.
Days of Our Lives: Origin, cast, and episode count
Husband and wife Ted Corday and Betty Corday created Days of Our Lives in 1965, bankrolled by Corday Productions and Sony Pictures Television. Irna Phillips worked as the story editor for the soap opera, while William J. Bell penned the storyline in the early days.
In the ensemble cast are Suzanne Rogers, who has been with the play for the longest, and Susan Seaforth Hayes, who has been with the show for the second longest. The soap opera also stars Lamon Archey, Martha Madison, Marci Miller, Eric Martsolf, Stephen Nichols, James Reynolds, Josh Taylor, Arianne Zucker, Robert Scott Wilson, and many more.
Set in the fictional city of Salem, the show is centered on the lives of the Brady, Horton, Carver, DiMera, and Kiriakis families. The official synopsis of the show reads,
"Days of Our Lives is set in the fictitious midwestern town of Salem. The core families are the Bradys, the Hortons, and the DiMeras, and the multi-layered storylines involve elements of romance, adventure, mystery, comedy, and drama."
Since its debut in 1965 on NBC, Days of Our Lives enjoyed its dream run on the cable network until 2022, becoming NBC’s longest-running soap opera. In 2022, the television series in its 58th season shifted to the streaming platform Peacock. This year, the OTT platform struck a deal to renew the show for two more seasons, which will lead the soap opera toward completing a total of 60 seasons.
Airing for such a long duration, the show has featured a massive number of episodes. As of now, the soap opera has over 14,000 episodes. NBC featured 30-minute-long episodes in the beginning, but as viewership continued to grow, the runtime was increased to 60 minutes in 1975.
Due to the soap opera’s growing popularity, it also has the spinoffs Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem and Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas. The show has also bagged multiple critical acclaims. This year, the show received a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding writing. Till now, the soap opera has bagged 61 Emmy Awards and 392 nominations.
Recently, it was reported that 90210 actress AnnaLynee McCord is set to play the role of Marin in Days of Our Lives, and she has reportedly signed a one-year contract for the popular television soap opera, according to Deadline.
Currently, the show can be streamed exclusively on Peacock.
