It’s been 12 years since Roark Critchlow appeared on Days of our Lives as Dr. Mike Horton, the brother of Jennifer Horton Deveraux (Cady McClain). However, fans have been excited to see him back on their screens when the series teased his appearance in the extended fall preview.

Now with Jennifer spiraling downward (now that her pill-popping addiction is back), it seems like a good time for Dr. Mike to return to Salem to help his sis. (And if the promo for this week’s DAYS is any indication, it certainly looks like Jennifer is going to be involved in a car crash and need medical assistance or at least some brotherly love.)

Photo: JPI

Roark initially appeared as Mike back in 1994 and left the soap back in 1999. He returned in 2010 for a few episodes honoring the late Frances Reid (Alice Horton) who was Mike’s grandmother.

In an interview about his return with Soap Opera Digest on newsstands now, Roark talks about working with McClain as Jennifer, when he previously worked with Missy Reeves in the part.

Critchlow expressed on sharing scenes with McClain: “Her character is going through a lot. She and I dropped in really easily, I felt. It was a very nice, natural care for each other. It wasn’t difficult, that’s for sure. Obviously, Missy is a super-duper person. But you don’t compare people. Cady and I chatted. We got on good. In terms of story, I thought we pulled it off nicely as being people who’ve known each other their whole lives.”

Look for Roark to make his DAYS re-emergence on the upcoming October 3rd episode of the Peacock streaming series.

So, looking forward to seeing Roark and Cady sharing scenes together? Share your thoughts in the comment section, but first check out this week’s promo for DAYS below.

While networks have seen a collective erosion over the years of the soap opera viewing audience, they are still the most loyal and fierce of any entertainment genre.

With NBC’s decision to take Days of our Lives off of the network after nearly 57 years, and replace it with another daytime news program, they would surely have a rocky road ahead of them to capture viewers in that time slot; especially now that DAYS was moved exclusively to NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, Peacock.

Nothing was more proof positive of that, than the first week ratings and performance of NBC News Daily.

The news show which premiered on Monday, September 12th came in last for the ratings period of all daytime shows for the week.

According to SON: NBC News Daily averaged 935,000 viewers, was last among Total Viewers and last in the key demo ratings: Women 18-49 (tie) and Women 25-54.

In comparison to DAYS last week on NBC, and a year ago, NBC News Daily was down -744,000 and -762,000 viewers, respectively.

NBC News Daily features the latest national and international news, plus consumer, health, and personal finance segments and is hosted by Kate Snow, Aaron Gilchrist, Morgan Redford and Vicky Nguyen.

So, will ‘NBC News Daily’ find itself facing the same fate as ABC’s defunct ‘Revolution’, which replaced One Life to Live, and lasted only six months, or will the news program somehow turn a ratings corner? Does NBC really care one way or the other? Share your thoughts below.

Days of our Lives favorite, Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) has signed a multi-picture overall  deal with the Hallmark Media.

According to Deadline, as part of Sweeney’s new deal she will star and executive produce A Magical Christmas Village with also stars Luke McFarlane and Marlo Thomas.  The movie will premiere later this year during the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas.

In story, Sweeney plays Summer, an architect living in a small town where she’s raising her young daughter Chloe. When her mother Vivian (Thomas) finds herself in need of a place to live, her orderly life becomes a little less so after inviting Vivian to move in with them during this transition. Upon arrival, Vivian sets up an heirloom, miniature Christmas village resembling their town, and tells Chloe it grants Christmas wishes. As Chloe begins setting up the figurines, real-life events seem to mimic the scenes she creates, including Summer’s chance meeting with Ryan (Macfarlane), a newcomer to their community.

In a statement on inking the pact with Hallmark Media, Sweeney shared: “I am thrilled to continue to work with Hallmark as they continue to support my work as an actress and as a producer. I’m very proud of our Christmas movie and excited for the future projects to come!”

Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Media, added:  “Alison Sweeney has been an incredible creative partner for us over the years – both on screen as well as behind the camera as a producer. She’s long been a fan favorite and we can’t wait to continue our work together as we bring new stories to life.”

Sweeney has been making story arc visits to Days of our Lives in recent years.  No word if she will be making a return to the series now that its permanently on Peacock.

So, will you be checking out Alison’s new movie when it comes out in time for holiday season? Comment below.