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‘Days of our Lives’ Head Writers Give Fall 2026 Preview: Marlena and Stefano’s Chess Mystery, The Arrivals of Dante and Sydney, Romance Drama for Sarah and Others

By Michael Fairman

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Chad and Belle
Photo: Corday Productions

As summer comes to a close with Labor Day weekend, the former Days of our Lives co-head writing duo of Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford have given their annual fall season preview in episodes taped some 10-11 months ago.

As previously reported this past July, Ryan Quan returned to Days of our Lives and is now co-head writing the show with Ford, while Cwikly is now a consultant. The new co-head writing teams stories will not be seen till late spring/early summer 2027.

So for now, the stories pick up from where we left off with Cwikly and Ford promising via TV Insider, “Fall in Salem is full of twists and turns and secrets and surprises. Dots connect in unexpected ways as seemingly unrelated threads converge.”

Deidre Hall

Photo: JPI

CHECKMATE?

In one of the top mystery’s, Marlena is still having troubling memories and she will have another one on the Monday, September 7 episode. Meanwhile, her daughter Belle (Martha Madison) has gotten very close to Chad DiMera (Conner Floyd) and as pictured here, the two smooch while in Italy searching for answers to the chess set that Stefano DiMera gifted th the late John Black and Marlena (Deidre Hall) that has some significance.

The head scribes share, “The (chess board) mystery and its fallout are central to the fall stories. Chad and Belle follow the clues to a discovery that changes both of their families, and Salem, forever. Marlena worries that their investigation/the chess set may be a Pandora’s box that has been opened. And she is right…”

Newcomers are also the order of the day for Cwikly and Ford, this fall. We have already seen the debut as Brandon Butler as Mason Whitfield, and next week you can add as previously reported Sydney Malakeh on the Thursday September 1o episode as Sydney DiMera, followed by the the Monday, September 14 arrival of Franco LoPresti as Dante Vitali.

Philip, Belle and Sydney

Photo: Corday Productions

Paula and Jeanne Marie expressed on the incoming Dante, “The arrival of a stranger who will set the whole town on its ear. The character has several strong ties to the current canvas and impacts many storylines.” What will Dante be up to? We know Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) had mentioned in 2025 she got engaged to the man, but that was off-screen.

LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH OR THE ONE YOU WANT?

In the romance department, the triangle between Brady/Sarah/Xander heats up with a very conflicted Sarah (Linsey Godfrey). The head writers reveal, “When Sarah faces attacks personally and professionally, Xander (Paul Telfer) and Brady (Eric Martsolf) work together to help and protect her. Sarah’s new love for Brady is challenged by her lingering love for Xander. Xander risks everything for Sarah.”

In addition look for, “Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) and Philip (John-Paul Lavoiser) to draw closer as he tries to save the family company and home.”

Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) will also be returning at some point this fall and she won’t be alone. Who might she bring with her? And from the looks of the Peacock promo for next week’s DAYS, someone is wearing Stefano’s ring around their finger, but who … and how does it all tie in this fall?

So, what do you think about some of the highlights coming up this fall on Days of our Lives per the series head writers? Does anything float your boat or pique your interest? If so, what? Let us know via the comment section. But first, check out the action next week on DAYS in the promo entitled “Bag of Tricks” below.

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Liam is the son of Marlena and Stefano

Possibly, but I suspect he’s the son Phillip gave up.

Well, we saw Rita pick up the ring, but who/why would she pass it on to anyone else?

I wish they would not pair Chad and Belle.
There is no chemistry and it’s just a big snooze.
There has to be a way the writers can get him back to Kat.

I really liked Belle with EJ. Chad will always be in love with Abigail. The DA in love with the towns biggest criminal. The Sami/Belle rivalry. Its the stuff soaps are made for.

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Leo Howard Joins Cast for ‘Yellowjackets’ Fourth and Final Season

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Leo Howard

Yellowjackets announced its full cast and new additions for its upcoming fourth and final season. None other than Days of our Lives favorite Leo Howard (Tate Black) will be featured in an exciting and undisclosed role on the Paramount+ streaming series.

Howard’s casting comes after he was one of four Days of our Lives cast members pink-slipped from the Peacock soap opera back in January of 2026. Due to Days of our Lives advanced tape to streaming episodes, Leo is also still appearing on the soap.

Viewers will need to tune-in to see how Tate, Holly (Ashley Puzemis), Johnny (Carson Boatman) and Chanel’s (Raven Bowens) storylines resolve before they all exit the canvas. No word on when Howard’s last DAYS episode airs as of yet.

Tate and Holly

Photo: JPI

YELLOWJACKETS CAST ADDITIONS FOR FINAL SEASON

The official Yellowjackets Instagram account welcomed a slew of new cast members for the upcoming fourth and final season which included Howard accompanying the post were, “The wilderness welcomes these new faces to the cast of #yellowjackets season 4.”

Leo joins Molly Ringwald, Eric Stoltz, June Squibb, Dulé Hill, Devon Sawa, Ken Marino, Aaron Staton, Cynthia Stevenson, Patricia De Leon, Noah Harpster, Sam Braun, and John Emmet Tracy for Yellowjackets final season which will premiere on November 22, 2026.

For those who may not be aware, Yellowjackets, was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and follows a high school girls soccer team after its plane crashes in the remote northern wilderness. The series moves between the teenagers’ increasingly brutal fight for survival and the lives the survivors have attempted to rebuild nearly 25 years later, proving that what happened in the past is far from buried.

Back on August 20, Paramount+ revealed that Yellowjackets will conclude with season 4 offering up a chilling teaser with former MTV VJ, Kurt Loder seen as a newscaster announcing, “We are live with breaking news: The Wiskayok Yellowjackets have been found.” From there, the season will deal with the aftermath of the soccer team’s eventual rescue.

Michael Fairman TV will keep you posted when Howard’s first episode of Yellowjackets will stream on Paramount+.

Now let us know, glad to see Leo landing a role in Yellowjackets? Will you miss him on Days of our Lives? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Beyond the Gates

Federal Film and TV Tax Credit Bill Hits Congress; Daytime Dramas Not Eligible

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Daytime Dramas and Congress

In an effort to bring back productions to the United States and offering incentives to keep them from going abroad, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress has introduced proposed legislation to establish a federal film and television tax credit. It is being touted as a landmark moment for Hollywood Workers and small businesses.

The Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, led by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Rep. Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.) in the House of Representatives, would establish a 20 percent base tax credit on labor expenses and a potential rebate of 30% if signed into law. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) are spearheading an identical bill in the Senate.

To be eligible, productions must have a minimum spend of $1 million (per film or per TV season), and at least 75% of production days must be in the U.S. For animation, 75% of the production cost must be in the U.S.

Beyond the Gates

Photo: CBS

SOAP OPERAS AND OTHER FORMS OF PROGRAMMING WILL NOT BE PART OF THE BILL

The federal incentive would be eligible to be stacked on top of individual state tax incentives, much like the current system in Canada and Australia. In the new bill, postproduction and special visual effects labor costs can be counted as eligible expenses.

However, the lawmakers proposed bill does not include the following type of shows: Daytime dramas, porn, commercials, talk shows, interview shows, game shows, award shows, news programming, live sports, corporate/industrial videos, and social media videos,

TV AND FILM PROJECTS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE HOPE TO BRING BUSINESS AND JOBS BACK TO THE U.S.

The federal film and television tax credit will be available for: films, TV shows – scripted and unscripted (4-episode minimum), TV pilots, animation, above-the-line wages (producers, writers, directors, actors, etc.) and below-the-line wages (crew), and standalone post-production and visual effects.

If passed, the legislation could offer much needed help for workers who have been rocked by recent unsteady times in show business. In all, runaway productions, strikes and a contraction in the business have dashed many job opportunities in recent years, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics finding that jobs in the motion picture and video industries have declined by more than 100,000 since 2022.

Click here to review the entire proposed bill from congress.

So, what do you think of the new bill on the table in the U.S. congress? Glad to know that it could, if passed, help some types of projects? What do you think about how the soaps are excluded and deemed not eligible? Does it continue to seem to you, that no matter what, those that work within the continuous tightened budget of daytime dramas can never catch a break? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Preview: Will Dominic Marino Turn Out to Be Marlena’s Son With Stefano DiMera?

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Deidre Hall and Joseph Mascolo

All signs point to that Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) at some juncture had Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joseph Mascolo) baby, but will it ultimately prove to be true, especially when the man in question is Dominic Marino? The last name Marino could also be the clue which its first half contains Marlena, the last half Stefano!

For several weeks, Marlena has been grappling with some vague memories and things she doesn’t seem to want to remember or can’t. We know that when Belle (Martha Madison) and Chad (Conner Floyd) made it to Italy, they found hidden in the replica chess set, just like the one Stefano “gifted” Marlena and John, that a secret compartment revealed a photo of Stefano holding a young boy with the picture dated on the back “1992.”

Now, in all-new episodes of Days of our Lives streaming next week on Peacock, the official promo ends with quite the shock for Marlena. First, Steve (Stephen Nichols) pays her a visit with an update that they were able to track down the birth certificate of Dominic Marino. As she reads the certificate, Marlena says out loud that Stefano is listed as the father, but stops dead in her tracks when she reads the mother’s name, and the promo goes to black!

Courtesy/Peacock

Will Marlena learn she has another child out there, who seemingly was in cahoots with Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti) in Monte Carlo? Or, is this all one last evil plan from the dead from Stefano to make Marlena believe she is the biological mother of his child? Stay tuned.

Elsewhere in Salem, Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) races home to the Kiriakis mansion ready to save it, and the family business. after gambling it all in Monte Carlo. Sadly, when he walks in to the family home, it’s completely empty!

In addition, the machinations of Joy Wesley (AlexAnn Hopkins) continue as she concocts another scheme when she researches, “nerve conduction studies.” Could it be she is going to fake her paralysis? Then, Mason (Brandon Butler) and Holly (Ashley Puzemis) finally have s showdown, where she asks, “Do you think I’m to blame for Sophia’s death?” It appears Mason believes she had a lot to do with it.

Now below, check out additional Days of our Lives spoilers for the week of September 21-15.

Monday, September 21

Xander (Paul Telfer) and Brady (Eric Martsolf) decide to join forces as Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) finds herself in legal trouble.

Tuesday, September 22

Xander and Philip face a very disapproving Maggie (Suzanne Rogers), while Black Patch partners, Brady and Steve , continue their investigation into Dominic Marino.

Wednesday, September 23

Belle and Marlena share their concerns with Sydney (Sydney Malakeh), but is it about Dante, or what Belle and Chad uncovered in Italy?

Thursday, September 24

EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) questions Cat’s (AnnaLynne Cipriani) loyalty. Will these two be able to clarify their relationship with one another once and for all? Meanwhile, Leo (Greg Rikaart) and Javi (Jacob Martinez) test the waters to see if there is a chance at ever getting back together.

Friday, September 25

Chad welcomes Kate (Lauren Koslow) to The Spectator. How will Chad and Kate do working side by side? Marlena is disturbed by a harrowing dream. Steve gets unsettling news from Bo and Hope, while Sarah and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) suspect something is amiss.

Check out the official DAYS promo, “Cold and Frank” below.

Now weigh-in: Did Marlena have Stefano’s son? Do you think it’s a set up … or the truth? If so, who do you hope is revealed to be Dominic Marino? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

 

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