Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Co-EP Greg Meng Speaks Out On The Writing Regime Changes to Save Salem!
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
Days of our Lives is going through yet another overhaul, and once again timing is critical! The show has been faltering again in the ratings and apparently not even the great Will Horton coming out storyline, extremely well-written by Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas could save the scribes, because the other storylines with Salem’s favorite couples being torn apart for various reasons, was not clicking with viewers. So with that, and host of other issues facing the lone NBC soap, DAYS co-executive producer spoke to TV Guide for what happens next in trying to get Salem back on the map!
Meng on if NBC instigated and demanded a writing change at DAYS: “We spoke with the network and collectively felt we needed to take a pause, make a change with the writing and the style of the show for a while and see if that will redirect things. The ratings situation is very complex and difficult, and we have a tremendous challenge with that right now. Everybody on the Days team, and that includes NBC and Sony, our distributor, wants this show to succeed and we’re doing everything we can to make it work. We all have different visions as to how to achieve that success but the good news is that we’re all in synch on the future. No one wants cancellation. Even though we brought in Darrell and Marlene to reset Days last September, it was always our feeling that the show needed to constantly be nurtured with smaller resets. This isn’t the end of the world. We’re just resetting it again in an effort to get it right.
Meng on how all the Salem couples were written under McPherson and Thomas: “People do want to see the major couples but the problem is you can’t tell good story when couples are together and everything’s all hunky-dory. That’s the challenge Darrell and Marlene have been up against. They tried some unique ways to split up those couples yet that hasn’t quite worked. But they get an A-plus for effort. In hindsight, I do think too many couples splitting up has been an issue. We also brought in the wonderful Sarah Brown (Madison) and threw her into a lot of material very quickly. Maybe too much too quickly. But, again, we feel like we’re in a great place to make the next step.”
Meng on if the next step is seeing another major shuffle of major characters being weaved in and out ( as already posted today, DAYS let-go four actors) and if the firings will be epic, like Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn being pink-slipped a few years back. “Yes. And that’s all I’m going to say about that right now, We’re looking at weaving people in and out, and bringing them back later if we can.”
Meng on if there is viewer backlash from the gay storyline as OLTL faced with KISH: “I don’t know. I think it’s a beautiful story and we are committed to it. But probably it’s not the story that most women are going to tune in for every day, the one they don’t want to miss. I think it’s a story everybody likes, but the women want to see romance. Our goal is to get back lapsed viewers — our family of viewers who stopped watching altogether or aren’t watching us every day.”
So soapers, what do you think? Can another round of firing actors and bringing in writers save DAYS? What do you think the integral problems with the show are? What would you like to see on-screen that you are not being given the opportunity to see? Let us know!
Translation: I talk out of both sides of my mouth and I have become very good at it!
DAYS is so tragically messed up. The issue at DAYS is and has always been Corday.
Amen!
Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He really has no idea. Its a shame really
I think they need to fire Greg Meng!!
at the end of the day if it saves Days …
What’s the point for Days to be saved for savings sake if the stories are written poorly, rushed and overlooked for weeks at a time? They fired Matt Ash. so by default they fired me as a loyal fan too.
Me too!!!!
That’s how I feel about Carrie and Austin, although I am a Jack fan too. These firings are devastating and remind me of 2006 when Jack, Carrie and Austin were shown the door yet again. These are the characters we want to see! No one wants to watch a DOOL about useless characters like Rafe, Daniel, Gabi, Melanie, Chad, Ian and Madison. Yuck.
The actors are taking the blame for the failings of the writers and producers. Such a shame.
You proven to be a the biggest idiot in just one line :”“People do want to see the major couples”. You don’t know us fans at all. You have no FREAKING CLUE what we want. You NEVER listen. Not the actors fault or the couples, characters. Its you writers lousy writing. It takes more than just bringing back fan faves. You have to write them in character but with a compelling storyline around them, not one done a million times over. There are tons of fans who love the MAIN COUPLES and is the main reason we have turned in. We Fast Foward scenes with new characters, useless characters like Rafe, Melanie,Chad, Madison, Daniel.Gabi. Why not get rid of them? Characters fans DO NOT care about cause they have been shoved down our throats. We DO WANT our couples but you won’t write for them. You keep bringing them back to run them into the ground then fire them. I can think of tons of stories to do with JAck And Jennifer, Carrie & Austin, etc. But you have proven YOU DON’T CARE, about the actors, The Fans or the show. My only hope now is the SHOW gets CANCELLED, cause as far as I am concerned, a DIEHARD FAN over over 20 years, The Show is as good as DEAD TO me. You Took away my Sun, which is Carrie & Austin. Christie, Patrick and Matthew and whoever else you fire deserve better. IDIOITS!!!!!
Exactly then show us EJAMI, jenn/jack, Brady/Nicole. I agree with your comment 100%. They have shoved useless characters that cant act down our throats and we have to like it. I hope the show does get cancelled because the way they are treating the VETS, they deserve it. I have lost ALL faith in DAYS and I am no longer going to watch. Letting go of Matt, Christie and Patrick just about does it for me.
I think NBC will end up cancelling Days in 2013. NBC wants to extend Today to a fifth hour and Days’s timeslot is the only one that is available for such project. All the other timeslots belong to the affiliates and they’ll never give them to the network.
NBC wants to exit the soap business just like ABC and CBS.
First, glad Mr. Meng spoke out, we needed to hear from ‘The Management’ about the direction the show was going to take even if we anticipated what he would say. Any way, want to say thank you, still good and important to hear because you kind of feel that this is the beginning of the end, so some reassurance that the show is going to continue for awhile anyway, and they are going to continue to try improve it is helpful.
With that said, I think with all that goes on internally, they may lose sight of what the viewer is seeing. Aside from the Will/Gay storyline which I think has been well done, the rest of the show has been very ‘messy’ the last few weeks with hollow story lines that really do not lead any where important, missing pieces in the story lines, dropped story lines, too many small story lines all over the place, too many superfluous characters that should just have peripheral story lines, but have been given main story lines, and too many characters in general. They need to clean the show up by staying focused on the main core characters who have been on the show for awhile, write better more well developed story lines for them like the Gay/Will story line – they could do this by either writing a main story line/plot that involves all the characters and have a few inter-related sub-plots or if that is difficult to write then have a few interesting plots going on, but not too many of them and if possible see if some of them can be more connected. What is key is to keep a story line going – do not start something, drop it, have missing pieces, have big gaps in the story line when you start something then you focus on another story line for weeks then go back to a story line after you have not said anything about it for weeks. You lose the audience if you do that. I do think the show has been better at the length of the scenes, the dialogue, and having some story lines end more quickly ( thank goodness the Austin/Carrie/Abigail story line is finished; the the Gina/Pawn seems to be ending, hopefully, the Brady/Madison/Ian story line is moving to a close also). Obviously, we would like to have story lines that are interesting, compelling, can deal with contemporary issues like the Will /Gay story line, have some intrigue and of course romance ( whether it is straight or gay). I like when you see people dealing with work issues by day and romance at night. The show started to go in that direction a few months ago and then shifted direction and was lost. I also liked the Post War Syndrome story line, that could have been good , but it was dropped.
I liked the Will/Gay story line because it was developed in a way that you felt a lot for Will, you saw his internal struggle and the process he went through, it is a socially important story line, the storyline was developed in a way that you wanted to watch how it would progress and how Will would come to terms with who he is, the scenes with other characters were excellent – Marlena, Sonny (looking forward to seeing the scenes when Will talks to Sami and Lucas and see how they deal with it). I think the writers/producers should use the process of this story line as a mode for others. Mr. Meng just to let you know that there are some straight women who would be fine with seeing gay romance. The key is that all be well written and well done – the characters have to have likeable qualities and the story lines have to paced in a way that you want to keep watching to see what is going to happen and for heaven sake – don’t drop story lines in the middle! That is frustrating and actually disorienting – you just want to tune out.
Just a couple of other comments – I hope that ratings take into consideration that some people watch the show on Youtube in the evening since it is posted there. If they tweak the show and clean it up, perhaps, it can be saved. Would love to see Days make it to its 50th Anniversary!
DOOL used to be so good when Crystal Chappell was on and now they have slaughtered the show. I cant believe they are firing actors once again. Recasting the recasts didn’t work.
Whats the point of watching a show that treats their actors the way they do. One certain
actress cant keep the show going in fact I think the sand is going to run out of the Hour Glass sooner than we think!
I couldn’t agree more. I loved Carly and still think she and Chloe should be front and center. I would also like to see Belle and Shawn-Douglas come back. The misuse of Mary Beth Evans, Judi Evans and Wally Kurth has been embarrassing.
They need to keep the Will story on track, but it sounds like they might just throw the baby out with the bath water. I think Days needs someone like Ed Scott at the helm.
DAYS NEEDS TO BE CANCELLED ASAP!!!!!! THIS HAS NOT BEEN MY SHOW SINCE 2003. DOESN’T”T MATTER WHO IS WRITING, ITS STILL CRAP! NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO TELL GOOD ROMANCE STORY LINES ANYONE. ITS ALWAYS MUSICAL BEDS.
I hate this Meng guy, and Corday sucks! Me and my grandmother will gladly take up the roles of head writers and set some things straight.
Just want to add to my last overly lengthy comment. In relation to how I said they could improve Days, I do not necessarily believe they have to spend massive amounts of money (or blow the budget) to achieve what I have outlined. If there are good quality story lines that are compelling and engaging and character development that makes you feel for the characters this will compensate for glitzy sets, location shots, clothing, etc. To tell a good story you do not necessarily need excessive ‘props’ just good writing and acting! The Gay/Will story line is an example of this.
Extremely upset and disappointed that Carrie, Austin, and Jack are leaving. I only started watching Days again after a 5-year absence because they brought back my favorite couple (Austin and Carrie). I won’t watch Days again after they leave, except for maybe the series finale in September 2013.
What was the point of bringing back all those vets and stirring trouble with stories that were boring back them. And using old stories lines that have already been used. It’s like someone is trying to sabotages to show to kill off . I have been watching the show for over 25 years. Why they didn’t they just brought back Carrie and Austin give them a story line about them having baby or adopting a baby instead destroying Sami and Rafe.
Destroying Sami and Rafe was the BEST thing they ever do, this pairing is awful and boring !
I’m over it! I can’t even think of anyone that they could bring back or add that would make the show better. Why get rid of writers who were just getting their stride? Matt Ashford should not be let go. I can see why Carrie and Austin might be leaving because their characters were ruined
Keep Christie Clark! And Do NOT even THINK of letting Deidre Hall go again. If you have to, get rid of Drake- can’t stand the Gina/Pawn rehash…just give us more of Deidre Hall!
He’s a sexist pig! Who is he to tell me or any woman what we like or don’t like to watch? The only reason I still watch Days is because of the gay storyline! Chandler Massey, Freddie Smith and Deidre Hall are kicking this story out of the ballpark. It’s obvious he nor anyone at NBC know what they are doing or even know who their audience is. The network execs all have their heads up their a**es! This is 2012 and women are not just fans of “straight” love. There are many kinds of love and this story has to potential to tell a good and thought provoking tale. But then again…I doubt NBC even cares about Days fans anyway. They just want a 5th hour of Today anyway…
Side note…I’m truly saddened about Matthew Ashford getting the ax. He is also a great actor but he was never given a chance to flourish. His story could have been really good and realistic! That poor guy has been fired so many times…I hope he tells them to go to hell if they ever ask him back! He deserves better!
Well said.
I totally agree!! Clark and Brown should do the same!
I agree with you about Straight women have no problem with the Gay storyline I love it and wish they would just get on with it it is extremly frustrating that they are taking so long getting it started and Greg does’nt have any clue what we want!
I’m not a women, so I can’t reply for them. But as a man who has loved soaps all his life, I totally disagree about the WILL sotry line. It is the ONLY reason I am tuning into DAYS. His scenes are the ONLY scenes I do not FF to when I tape it. This story line has been well written and acted. It makes sense when so many of the other ones do not. If DAYS’ new writing team decides that they need to stall or change the direction of WILL’s story, I’ll find something else to do with that hour…and I well suspect I won’t be the only one to do so.
Excuse me, Mr. Meng, but the Will storyline is the ONLY one I tune in to see every day. Actually I DVR the show and skip the storylines I don’t like. I think it was condescending of him to say that “the women want to see romance.” I’m assuming he thinks that a gay storyline can’t be romantic. I think there is great potential for the Will/Sonny storyline to be very romantic. If he is truly interested in saving Days, he ought to realize that many of the storylines are not working; but the Will/Sonny storyline may truly be the only one that is working!!
I totally agree with you that is why I tune in as well to watch the Will and Sonny storyline I can care less really about the other Characters they are the ones I want to see and I also agree the gay story line can be very Romantic and yes I agree also that its the one that is working!!!!!!!!!
the main character in this show right now is the Horton town square and I am getting tired of it already. oh… what romance… evryone is breaking up and or turning into characters from the very tired past. how many times can you shake up the writers and reset the show? doesn’t all of thst resetting just give us very disjointed stories?
It is so sad… too many talented people in the soap world and too few well written soaps!
You’re right on about the Horton Town Square. In the middle of February, people are eating lunch in the square wearing a light jacket. People have intimate, private conversations in the square, as if it’s the most private place in the world. Every press conference is held in the square. The Dock used to be the place to go for all conversations, muggings and make-out sessions.
I dont think anyone likes Will being gay,I sure as hell dont and no one I know that has watched Dool for as long as its been on likes Will being gay.
they should have done a gay SL with new charecters and when the SL was over they could be gone.
Anna…what a stupid comment. Gay people don’t just go away. Ignotant people like you should crawl back in your cave and go away.
The Nielsen ratings are always wrong and way outdated! I don’t know why the networks don’t do something else. I am glad Carrie and Austin are leaving. The storyline with Abigail needed to be more mental. The fatal attraction was not played enough. Stefano needs to go.
Carrie and Austin shouldn’t be cut. They are a popular supercouple. Unfortunately, the writing DESTROYED them this time, particularly Carrie. Not looking forward to months more of this Rafe crap followed by a rushed Aurrie reunion.
Carrie is boring…..The sooner they go off in the sunset the better.
Cathy, Carrie is a sweetheart. She is one of the best characters on Days. Getting rid of them is a HUGE mistake. They’ve just lost an entire fanbase.
News for the Meng/Corday company: The problem was not Brown, Ashford, Clark and Muldoon. It also was not the previous writing regime. It is the head guys in charge! They don’t commit to story and everything the writers write, they change direction mid-way through the stories. Days was on track a few months ago. They brought back fan favorites and got me back as a viewer. Salem seemed like a real town where people really cared about each other and I couldn’t wait to get home to watch the show. Now I am sure we can expect the storyline for Will and Sonny to be thrown away (Mr. Meng sorta said that himself); Marlena and John will probably disappear like Maggie and Victor and Sami and EJ will be shoved down our throats! If the head guys want to keep their jobs, then hire good writers (Lorraine Broderick was a good move) and let them do their jobs. If they want to save money, get rid of the character of Ian (even though I love Ian Buchanan), Gabi and Billie. Focus on the DiMeras, Hortons and Bradys. Focus on family. And PLEASE allow Sami to GROW UP!!!! Her act is getting a really tired!
You wonder why soaps are dying, this is another prime example. They are slowly committing suicide and how can you ask viewers to continue watching when GH, DOOL, & Y&R are churning out a big pile of dang.
So sad the “reboot” flopped, but all our favorites returned only to be ravaged with crummy storylines. Such a waste! Now the firing of our favorites begins. I returned after Steve/Kayla, John /Marlena, Jack/Jenn, and Adrienne/Justin disappeared. Now Maggie and Victor have disappeared. The Will/Marlena story has been really good, the rest is a mess. I want to see all the iconic Brady/Horton/ couples and families restored. Ian is way too creepy, Gabi, the Spa, Abigail turning ugly, now a new doctor? Who cares! The Horton Sqare was great, but the stories it spawned, not so much! I, too, will tootle if Jack, Marlena, John, Kayla, Carrie, etc leave. Not interested in Salamites with no Brady/Horton history or connection.
I am a woman and the only storyline that is drawing me in every day is Will’s coming out. Yes, I want romance and Will finding someone is romance!
Totally agree but so far as of todays show it looks like they are going to butcher that too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These guys have no idea how to run a soap. I worry for the future of Days……
DAYS seems like it is in MAJOR trouble. The “zig zag” decisions it has made over the past 3 years are inane — Deidre Hall is fired; the show later cleans house, sending lots of characters and writers packing, bringing back Hall and other veterans; 6 months after this “alleged reboot”, the new writers and a lot of the returned veterans are sent packing.
This guy can offer all the explanations that he wants to make things sound reasonable. However, even Helen Keller can see, the DAYS bosses either (1) have NO idea on how to build interest in the show; or (2) are terrified that the show is near cancellation and are desperately throwing everything on the screen to try to keep it alive. Personally, I think it is a combination of both. It won’t come as a big surprise to me if NBC yanks DAYS next year.
I will give the producer some credit. He really appears to be making a HUGE effort to build interest in his show. I really wish some of his passion would rub off on the Bell family so they would try to fix their trainwrecks over on CBS!!!
I can’t believe he made such a ridiculous comment about women not tuning in to watch gay romance, where has he been??!! Don’t they keep an eye on the internet? Thousands of women worldwide tune in specifically for gay romance stories, they’re desperate for more gay storylines. Nothing like a good m/m romance! I know that’s why I tune in to Days, hoping for more and for them to be more adventurous with the storyline. If they drop the Will (and Sonny) storyline, I won’t watch DOOL anymore.
I agree That is why I tune in is to watch the Gay storyline!!!!!!
I don’t watch soap operas. I watch characters. I used to watch Luke and Reid on ATWT and then they fubared that up at the end. I had to content myself with Europe and Austrailia for my characters. Christian and Olli, Aaron, Chris and Aiden… You’ve probably noticed, they’re all gay characters.
I am a straight female. The only romantic storylines that interest me on tv are gay storylines and so I follow them. I seek them out. And I am not alone. Started watching DOOL the day that Sonny K came to town. I ONLY watch on the days that he and/or Will are on (except for that damn website clusterfudge.. I mean, what the hell?!). And I’ve been watching soley with the hope and promise of Will finding a guy to love.
Why?
Well, a friend in one of the online groups I attend said it so well, I just have to quote her:
“The straight relationships tend to be far-less romantic. However, with gay storylines it seems as though the writers are so scared of messing it up that it turns into the beautiful fairy tale relationship that turns us into little giggling girls, who believe in true love again.” – Eve
Straight relationships on soaps tend to be more an exercise in bed hopping than anything else. This is boring to me. Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt, use it as a rag now. A gay relationship is new. It faces new challenges that we haven’t seen before. Add to that that as a newly visible minority, they are the underdog so you WANT them to succeed even more.
And when they’re not doing that, the women become plotting whorish shrews. I mean, what the hell are they doing with Gabi’s character. She’s going all Fatal Attraction now. She was never one of my favourites, but now? This type of behavoiour is supposed to ATTRACT new viewers? I know the plotting female was a soap opera staple in the past, but it’s 2012 – as it would be rediculous to to posession storielines now, this too should be left in the past. There are other ways writers. A character can be plotting and manipulative without giving up all of her self respect.
TPTB need to adapt to 2012. Not everyone watches soaps on tv. More people have to work these days. A lot of people, myself included, only watch their stories, or just their favourite characters’ stories, online. I understand that they are worried about revenue and such and don’t want to look at alternate viewing options, but there’s a very easy way for them to keep their advertizers happy – PUT THE PRODUCTS IN THE SHOW. This week there was a long episode with Sami in the kitchen with EJ. Put a bottle of Sunlight in the background. Have Will drink a coke in Horton Square… Then it wouldn’t matter what form of media people were watching because the products would be there! ADAPT!
Back to the whole ‘what women want’ thing. I think it goes without saying that women watch and are involved with Soaps more than men.
I did a quick test. I googled “Days of Our Lives” and then typed a character’s name beside it to see how many hits/pages/responses there were.
EJ – About 2,010,000 results
Sami – About 3,610,000 results
Carrie – About 19,400,000 results
Austin – About 26,800,000 results
John – About 200,000,000 results
Beau – About 2,960,000 results
Marlena – About 555,000 results
Chad – About 5,630,000 results
Abigail – About 2,010,000 results
Gabi – About 447,000 results
Melanie – About 2,220,000 results
Sonny – About 865,000 results (Note: Sonny has been on the show less than 1 yr)
Will – About 566,000,000 results
Gay – About 57,400,000 results (Again – storyline has been on less than a year)
A simple google search… And these writers still think women aren’t interested?
It’s called research.
Well said Research research reasearch get a clue Greg Meng!!!!!!!!!!
This must be an error about Austin and Carrie, i mean i don’t mind their characters but they are quite boring and their coupling without Sami plotting is an abyssal bore..so i don’t believe their numbers are higher than folks like Marlena or Sami..come on, as for the gays stories, characters they are very popular online, it is not new. Gays viewers love soaps and love to watch it online, they are pretty obsessed actually..lol
For those who are angry about the Greg Meng article or the latest firings and have twitter accounts…many are planning a twitter bomb to @daysofourlives and @nbcdays with hashtag #DaysAngryViewer and #days and any comment you’d like to add. Scheduled for tomorrow 04/12 at 1:30pacific/4:30eastern. Try to get it to trend and let TPTB know we care about this show and where they are headed with storylines. Pass it on. If you visit Daytime Royalty link them as well. There are 115 pages and counting of angry posts. Push for them to continue Will/Sonny or save your other favorite characters.
Not quite sure what the point of this interview was. If it was to reassure the fans that despite all the changes, yes, there’s a plan, and it’s going to result in something worth watching . . . it’s an epic fail. Some of it is pretty preposterous, even for a spin attempt; the tripe about “smaller resets” (or whatever it was he said) is just pure nonsense: you build viewership by having a vision, finding the right people to execute that vision, and then going forward confidently to enact that vision (in other words, through continuity), not by throwing stuff up against the wall and seeing what sticks. The constant major cast upheavals are also a sign that those in charge have no idea what they’re doing. (Alternate possibility: there is quite a power struggle going on among various players, and no clear winner has emerged yet.) I haven’t had any investment in DAYS for a long time, so ultimately I suppose I don’t care if these nuts drive it into the ground, but I feel so bad for people who are very attached to this show and have to watch these clueless, clueless people make one bad decision after another. And it also hurts me to see another soap circling the drain–especially when the potential is still there, but those in charge can’t get it together well enough to make some sane decisions. I haven’t seen enough of the outgoing writers’ work to judge whether they had real potential, but past experience with Messrs. Tomlin and Whitesell does not inspire confidence.
You fire Matt Ashford and think you are making good decisions for the show. Think again. I dropped all abc viewing after oltl was cancelled. I guess I’ll have to drop nbc too if this situation is not rectified.
There is no limit to the number of times characters can be presumed dead and never really die because it is a soap opera. After viewing the May 7 promo, I had to laugh. Who is Sami going to have grief sex with this time?
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Rachel Boyd on the Return of Sophia Choi as She Makes Her Way To Salem: ‘I Wanted Her to Come Back Stronger Than Ever’
Next week on all-new episodes of Days of our Lives, the Peacock streaming soap opera will pick right back up from where Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) has tracked down a very much alive, Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd) in a diner in Kentucky. But what will happen when Sophia returns to her old stomping grounds of Salem?
In official spoilers for the week of October 12-16, look for Kristen to make a deal with the woman she supposedly killed, and by week’s end for the once-conniving Sophia to make her way back to Salem. Meanwhile, in a new interview with TV Insider heralding her return, Rachel Boyd, who did a tremendous job with Sophia’s original exit story, explains how she thinks this version of Sophia will be different than the last.
The exit story had Sophia setting out to kill Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) by a demand made by Kristen DiMera. Sophia failed to end Johny’s life and Kristen lured Sophia to the bridge and clunked her over the head with a rock and pushed her over the rails to the steely waters below.
Photo: Corday Productions
Sophia’s body was never found, but she was declared dead. At the time, Boyd thought Sophia might be ‘dead-dead’ but in soap opera’s and especially Days of our Lives, nobody really ever truly dies!
WHAT’S DIFFERENT WITH SOPHIA CHOI COME FALL OF 2026?
Reflecting on her first run, which featured many an emotional scene, Rachel recalled: “As crazy as some storylines can be, working on a soap opera is truly a boot camp in acting because you’re given one take and you have to tackle really hard circumstances.”
Those dramatic circumstances included: “Giving birth in my bedroom alone, penning a suicide note, or even attempting to murder someone by blowing him up are all things a younger version of myself would be so intimidated by,” expressed Boyd. “But I learned that preparation is everything and as long as I do the hard work before I show up to set, then I am capable of it.”
Rachel ended her first run back in December of 2025, but due to DAYS tape schedule, the character of Sophia “died” five months ago on episodes on Peacock. Once she returned to the set for her second-go round, it was all systems go. “It was more like being thrown into the deep end, which honestly worked for me. I enjoy working under pressure and with momentum.”
The actress hopes viewers will see the internal change with the character as things move forward. “I knew I wanted her to feel distinctly different,” she explained. “I’ve always tried to keep the character constantly evolving and changing as she experiences new things and responds to trauma. But now that the audience hasn’t seen her for months, I had a great opportunity to fill in those blanks for myself and come back in a whole new way.”
DAYS fans should really began to notice the change on next week’s episodes. “I wanted her to come back stronger than ever,” admits Boyd. “Now that she’s survived a near-death experience and kept herself alive and hidden for six months, this version of Sophia is going to be much more independent and a fighter. I can’t say exactly what is going to happen, but as long as Sophia’s alive, chaos will follow!”
So, are you glad that Rachel Boyd is back as Days of our Lives Sophia Choi? What do you think she will do once she gets back to Salem? Turn a new leaf or be back to her scheming ways? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Breaking News
2026 Daytime Emmys Gold & Silver Circle Inductees: Francesca James, Patrika Darbo and Meredith Vieira Among Those Being Honored
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced on Thursday, October 8, the 2026 Gold & Silver Circle Inductees who will be celebrated at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, October 30.
This year’s honor roll features industry professionals that have made contributions across daytime television, including daytime dramas, talk shows, comedy, and more.
The Gold inductees include: Meredith Vieira (former c0-host of The View, journalist and EP and CEO, Meredith Vieira Productions),Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy, Days of our Lives and Shirley, The Bold and the Beautiful, soon to be seen reprising her role of Shirley on Y&R), three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Francesca James (ex-Kitty/Kelly, All My Children, and ex-Marcy Wade, One Life to Live, plus director and/or producer at All My Children, General Hospital, Loving, Santa Barbara et al), and finally Byron Allen (Founder, Chairman & CEO Allen Media Group).
It should be noted that Vieira made guest appearances on both All My Children and General Hospital throughout her career. On GH, she played madam Bree Flanders in 2003 and 2012. She also appeared as a wedding planner on All My Children back in 2001.
Photo: NATAS
The Silver inductees are: Stephen Brown (VP Programming and Development, Fox Television Stations) and Rubin Ervin (Announcer/Warm-Up Host for Family Feud, The Bachelor and more).The Gold and Silver Circle Society Inductees are deemed by NATAS as “exceptional professionals who have performed distinguished service within the television industry, setting standards for achievement, mentoring, leadership and professional accolades for 50 or 25 years, respectively. They represent the best and brightest in the industry.”
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS shared, “This year’s Gold & Silver honorees are recognized for their continued exceptional contributions to our television industry. We are proud to honor a class of honorees from diverse career paths across many daytime genres. Their impact is evident in programming every day, inspiring generations and enriching the lives of countless viewers.”
MORE ON THE 53RD ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMYS
NATAS previously announced that soap opera icon Genie Francis (Laura, General Hospital) will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during this year’s ceremonies.
The 2026 Daytime Emmys will be held at the historic Hollywood Palladium and will stream live on the NATAS YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@theemmys and watch.TheEmmys.tv.
The annual awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be a single ceremony in 2026, produced by NATAS Productions. Adam Sharp and Lara Gates are executive producers, with Leon Knoles returning to direct for a fifth straight year. Rachel Schwartz serves as Head of Daytime, and the firm of Lutz & Carr, LLP, provides accounting services for the competition.
So, what do you think of this year’s Gold & Silver Inductees? Happy to see some of the names that will be recognized on October 30? Who in the future who has had enduring contributions to daytime television or the soap opera genre, would you like to see receive these honors in years to come? Let us know via the comment section below.
This week on Days of our Lives, Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti) surprises Sydney DiMera (Sydney Malakeh) when he arrives in Salem, while the woman he loves Sami Brady is over in Italy, Viewers are becoming quite suspicious of Dante, who seemed to be in collusion with Dominic Marino, leading us to try to surmise just what are Dante’s true intentions to coming to Salem? To meet Sami’s family, or so he says?
Meanwhile, Sami Brady has spoken! In a new video that dropped on Wednesday October 7 on the official Days of our Lives Instagram account, Alison Sweeney appears for what is being called as Sami Brady’s Confessions from Italy or Salem Confessionals!
In character, Sweeney talks to camera explaining Sami’s perspective on her engagement to Dante, and how she feels about him coming to Salem without her to meet the Brady clan. Sami says, “This is such a crazy time. I’m engaged, but I’m not ready to be older. It’s just been my reputation in the past. I’ve always been in such a hurry to sort of like, get it done because it hasn’t always worked out. I’m engaged to a wonderful man named Dante. He’s Italian. He’s dreamy and fabulous. I’m enjoying all of it, like the whole thing. Being engaged, being in love, dating, it’s a new thing for me.”
Photo: Corday Productions
DANTE’S ARRIVAL IN SALEM
Sweeney as Sami continues to explain and rationalize, “Dante, hired my daughter, Sydney, to work for him, which has been amazing. She actually likes him. She’s approved of this relationship, which I’m very happy about. But I will be honest, I’m a little nervous because my fiancé is going to meet my family in Salem without me. I think that’s a good idea. I’m nervous because my family, you know, knows a lot about me. But, I have told Dante everything. I mean, okay, not like literally everything, but a lot of. No, not a lot. Some, you know, enough and he doesn’t want to know the rest.”
All in all, it seems like Sami thinks she has found happiness with the guy, but she made be in for rude awakening as she brings up her manipulative past with the loves of Sami’s life. “He’s (Dante) happy and he loves me and I’m not like that anymore, so it’s fine,” explains Sami. “But I’m just saying that things might come up, um, because my family doesn’t forget either. I’m nervous for them to just like him. I’m nervous for them to be happy for me. I want them to be happy for me, and for us ,and for them to see that this is different for me. I understand why they don’t believe that. I understand why they would be, you know, suspicious of my intentions.”
Photo: Days Peacock IG
IT’S LOVE FOR SAMI
Sami shares she has fallen hard for Dante! “All I can say is I’m in love. It’s amazing. I recommend it. I really hope that Dante wins over my family, and they can all be happy for me. I do hope to get married sometime and celebrate that with my family. That’s what I want. That’s honestly actually what I’ve always wanted and now I think it’s really gonna happen.”
As previously reported, Alison Sweeney will be back on-screen come June of 2027 on the Peacock streaming soap opera, when Sami returns in story along with Christie Clark (Carrie Brady), Chandler Massey (Will Horton) and Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton).
So, what did you think of Sami’s confessions from Italy? Do you think Sami will be duped by Dante? Will their love conquer all, or is Dante even in love with Sami? Stay tuned.
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