NBC has reached a deal with Corday Productions and Sony Pictures Television to keep Days of our Lives on air through September 2017, with the option for an additional year.
Jennifer Salke, NBC Entertainment President, made the announcement on Feb. 11. “NBC is incredibly proud of the legacy of Days of our Lives and we couldn’t be more excited to bring its fans new stories for the 51st season. In a business where having a show remain on the air for two seasons is considered a success, what DAYS has achieved is extraordinary.”
The soap, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this past November, has celebrated a growth in ratings over last year in the U.S.
Fans had been eagerly awaiting the renewal since January. Earlier this month, sources revealed to Daytime Confidential that the show’s non-traditional production model had been a problem for the network. In recent years, DAYS began taping five months ahead of airdate in a cost-cutting move. There’s been no official word yet on if producers will go back to a production model, similar to the other three soaps, where they tape closer to the airdate, allowing the network to give notes and correct casting or story problems.
Should the production schedule slow down, hopefully the soap can lure back stars like Alison Sweeney, who had exited the series to spend more time with her family.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Global and NBC. Canadian fans can catch up on demand, through the Global Go app and online at GlobalTV.com.
Update — Josh Griffith OUT (Feb. 18)
Soap Opera Digest reports that Josh Griffith is out at Days of our Lives as co-headwriter. Staff writer Ryan Quan will now assume co-headwriting duties with Dena Higley. Griffith joined the series last year as part of the show’s annual revamp, this time in preparation for the show’s 50th anniversary.
NBC issued the following statement on Thursday (Feb. 18) about the change: “Days of our Lives is pleased to announce that staff writer Ryan Quan has joined co-head writer Dena Higley to form a new head writing team. Josh Griffith has left the show to pursue other projects and interests, and we wish him the best.”
