Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives was created in 1965 first airing on NBC networks. Ted and Betty Corday created the show along with help from William Bell (writer of the Young and the Restless). From the very beginning the Corday’s and Bell set out to create a soap opera that was unlike the rest. Days of our Lives was created to be set in a hospital that would allow for very intriguing, intense, and versatile story lines to take place. Not only was Days of our Lives a departure from the norms of other soap operas but it also revolved a family of doctors that at times worked at a mental hospital. The show was received great reviews for stepping outside the box and testing untested waters. From first creation, Days of our Lives was set in a fictional town, Salem, following the Horton family of doctors. In this first format of the show, it followed a 30-minute format that included only seven characters. However in 1975, like many other soaps, Days of our Lives transformed into a 60-minute format. The cast increased thus allowing for more developing storylines and thus more viewings Historically, Days of our Lives’ time slot was moved around quite a bit to from around the 1 pm slot to finally clenching the 4pm slot. Days of our Lives has always enjoyed high ratings, with some slums along the way but overall viewers were constant and loyal. The underlying story lines of the Horton’s carried the show but also enjoyed new and fresh issues with new families and characters being introduced along the way. There were rumors that Days would not air past 2008, but that found to be false as its contract was renewed to last till 2010. Not only has Days always aired on NBC, but its fan based is widespread enough to also air on cable to that viewers could watch it at different time intervals. Days has also enjoyed much success overseas including viewer commitment in Europe and Australia. When Days of our Lives first aired nationally they managed to air a one-hour special that would get viewers caught up on 4 years of the show. This allowed the international presence to get clued in on the show and able to fully understand the characters and plot developments. Over the past 44 years, Days of our Lives have enjoyed the success of the show while allowing for some special veterans to appear in viewers home every single day. Veteran Frances Reid has appeared on the show since creation and has truly struck a note with viewers. Other cast members such as John Clarke, Suzanne Rogers, and Deidre hall are also veterans of the show with all over 30 years. There is no doubt about it that Days of our Lives history is full of suspense and drama. As the years go by we witnesses these characters growing and evolving right before our very own eyes. No matter which way we look at it Days of our Lives is a true American Soap Opera.

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