Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Head Writers Talk Challenges of Episodes Taped 10 Months in Advance of Streaming
Days of our Lives is the only soap opera which continues to find itself in a unique situation due to its cost-cutting measures to enable the long-running drama to go on well past its 60th season. Last year, DAYS marked its 6-0 milestone, and the episodes fans were watching and continue to watch on its streamer, Peacock, where taped 10 months prior.
As 2026 kicks-off, DAYS head writers, Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford weighed-in on the challenges this schedule has on the story while they teased what’s ahead in Salem this year. According to the duo, there will be more of what viewers like about the show, expressing, “Salem is and always has been about family, friendship, mystery, and romance across multiple generations. And there’s plenty of the above in 2026.”
However, it’s the romances that can be tricky, whereas in other daytime dramas, if a couple is just not clicking on-screen or the audience reaction is so poor, the writers may be able to make a shift to save the story. For Cwikly and Ford, that is not the case. As they explained to TV Insider, “While we get feedback from the producers on what is currently taping, we don’t have the ability to change course in the middle of a story based on fan reaction. Romantic chemistry is the most difficult area for us to gauge because we don’t see the couples we’re writing for many months.”
Photo: JPI
The Peacock soap opera also faces, quite often, not knowing if they will be renewed or not, but the great news for DAYS fans is that in the recent pick-up, Days received two-more years and will live on at least through its 63rd season. Cwikly and Ford shared another complexity in their jobs, “Any time we begin winding down the writing of a season without a pickup announcement, certain contingency plans go into place that drastically affect the storytelling. Knowing that we have a two-year pickup gives us much greater ability to plan ahead and breathe.”
Now as they look to 2026, most of which has already been filmed given the 10-month lead time, they shared a couple of major previews worth noting below!
LEXIE OR NOT LEXIE?
First, it sounds more and more like Lexie Carver could be the person in the chamber in EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) secret lab, especially when the scribes shared for 2026, “Theo’s (Tyler Joseph Andrews) life is about to be turned upside down.” The character of Lexie, formerly portrayed by Renee Jones died on-screen in 2012 of a brain tumor caused by toxic fumes. But on DAYS, many a DiMera have come back to life.
Photo: JPI
In addition, after Dimitri Von Leushner’s (Peter Porte) return at the end of the Friday, January 2 episode just after Leo (Greg Rikaart) and Javi (Al Calderon) tied the knot, the head scribes, tease, “Dimitri’s return will directly impact Javi and Leo’s future plans. Both Gwen (Emily O’Brien) and Dimitri are seeking revenge, and there will be fallout and collateral damage.”
CASTING SWITCHEROOS
They also noted the casting changes that viewers will finally see on-air due to the 10-month delay come this spring. “New Rachel starts airing in March, and we’ll see Conner Floyd as Chad starting in April. There is also a new actress taking over the role of Ari (formerly Marissa Reyes) in April. Stay tuned.”
Check out the latest promo for the action in Salem the week of January 5-9 below, as the clock strikes twelves on New Year’s Eve several lives face shockers including, Dimitri’s arrival and the aftermath to Javi and Leo, Peter (Dan Gauthier) still hanging on to life, after Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) decided to pull the plug on her brother at the hospital, Brady (Eric Martsolf) and Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) kissing while Xander (Paul Telfer) is shown saying Brady is fired from Titan, and Theo wakes up in the hospital, plus the mystery person in the black hoodie is walking around as Stephanie (Abigail Klein) and Alex (Rob Scott Wilson) ring in the New Year.
Now let us know, how do you feel about Days of our Lives production schedule which does not allow the writers to make shifts in story in line with viewer reaction or fizzled chemistry issue in on-screen romances or storylines? Are you glad the show is able to make the adjustments it needed to stay in production and streaming on Peacock? Do you think it will be Lexie who has been resurrected and back from the dead? Share your thoughts via the comment section below,
Being nearly one year tape-to-release is ridiculous in 2026. Especially when in 2020, there were mere weeks when they returned from COVID hiatus. Give the cast a year off, catch up to what’s releasing in ten months, and then use that money to improve production, sets, makeup, hair, and costumes.
The unions might not make an extended hiatus so simple…..
But I do wish there was a way they could slow down and close the gap. Maybe instead of filming 8-10 episodes a week, they just do 5?
They’d have to be paid as contractual fulfilment. But even on hiatus, they would release the cast from their contracts⏤which they’ve done before⏤which would also likely open the cast up to join other soaps (and some should).
I don’t disagree that it is a huge problem that Days films so far in advance. However, if the show stops taping, the actors/ crew won’t get paid. If they can somehow continue to pay the actors / crew then I would be all for the production halting for at least 6 months. Unfortunately, there are already budget cuts now so I can’t see this happening. It sucks for all involved. I am sure everyone there agrees that their advanced schedule is more of a detriment than a positive.
They would still be paid for their ‘likeness’ being used. They’d have to be. It’d be a risky move, but it wouldn’t be the first time the cast has been released from their contracts for a period of time.
In Days defense i think this is the production model that they have been given in order to keep the show on the air I feel giving the cast a year off would be the death of a beloved soap !that’s definitely not the answer.
I am fully aware as to why the original six-month (which was ridiculous) tape-to-air (now tape-to-release) schedule exists. But in 2026 it is a detriment to them as a serial. And it wouldn’t be the first time they all got contractually released; in November 2019, the whole cast was released from their contracts, and they all re-signed in February 2020 when filming resumed, and then COVID happened a month later.
I agree with your comment a 100%
I don’t understand why taping 10 months in advance saves money.
The problem with this ridiculous taping schedule is that when they start doing idiotic storylines that the viewers obviously HATE (like the massive waste of time “Body & Soul”, for example) they can’t change direction and dump the next several months of episodes that are already in the can and start over. As opposed to a show that follows a more conventional taping schedule of 1-2 months ahead where you can change writing if the fan backlash is clearly obvious (though sometimes the “powers that be” will still choose to ignore the fans, such as Frank Valentini deliberately ignoring what GH fans think about Dragon Chow Drew, for example)
As for as the identity of the person in the cryogenic tube in EJ’s secret lab… Lexie would make sense in some ways, though I really don’t think a Lexie recast makes sense at this point. If Renee Jones wanted to comeback, it would be different, but that does not seem likely.
The big question there would be why Gwen – who never met Lexie – would be bankrolling the effort to bring her back to life? What would she gain from that? Now on the other horn, if the tube occupant was Abigail Deveraux, that definitely explains Gwen’s involvement. It’s not about Gwen having much love for her sister. We all know she doesn’t. But what Gwen does want – and what she has always wanted – is the love of her father Jack. And since she can’t seem to get that on her own, then bringing back the daughter that Jack truly loves might get some appreciation from him.
And let’s face it, when they dug up Abigail’s grave and found an empty coffin, we all knew it would be a matter of time before she showed up in Salem. Since neither Lexie or Abigail went to Hell, I’m not personally involved in the decision either way, so this is all unholy speculation on my part, of course. But Gwen’s involvement in the process makes Abigail more likely to be resurrected than Lexie.
The long delay between taping and streaming is their own doing. Prior to the 2020 shutdown, DAYS was a little over 6 months ahead. When taping resumed, they were about 2 months ahead. Instead of using that to their advantage, Corday made it more extreme.
There’s no simple fix to this. Crews have to be paid and performers contracts need to honored. Combine that with a bare-bones budget and this conundrum is doomed to continue.
BTG appears to be 3-4 months ahead. Y&R and B&B typically 2 months ahead. GH is the most flexible with its block filming schedule. Some scenes may be 2 months ahead, while at times they are able to get some scenes on air in under 2 WEEKS.
Days of our lives writers can you please tell us does sarah and Xander get back together! and does sarah get pregnant by Xander and have twins another girl and a boy
No, Star, Sarah gives birth to Xander’s son who has a parasitic twin.
A new Rachel?! Just got used to Alice.
I remember years ago when we got a new Belle, Charity Rahmer, She was awful. Due to taping in advance viewers had to suffer through her until Martha Madison aired. Fortunately, Days realized they had made a mistake hiring Charity once she started airing.
Taping so far in advance means when we hear about actor changes, like Chad, and we don’t see them for months. It is a bit jarring seeing Billy on Days and Y&R at the same time. Sometimes I forget who he is playing.
Your memory has failed you, Momo.
Charity Rahmer appeared in 15 episodes from July 19th to August 9th, 2004…courtesy Jason47
My belief is her casting wasn’t a mistake by Days. Kirsten Storms was very popular in the role, and Days knew there would be backlash no matter who replaced her, so they cast Charity knowing she was horrible, so fans would be happy when Charity was replaced by Martha.
I believe I’ve heard that Martha simply wasn’t available and so they just brought someone in to tape until she was.
They skipped a year forward in order to avoid the huge tape to release that they previously had and now they have it again! If the audience is unhappy about the direction of the storyline, they should be able to pivot. People are fickle and if they don’t like the storyline they will stop watching the show. This is ridiculous to me (I’ve been watching wayyy to long to give up now lol) but they lose viewers. And as far as Lexie, she’s been dead for 14 years!! Where/How would they be keeping her on ice for that long?! Also, in the previews it seems to show a man’s hand wearing the signet ring Stefano wore so…
I hear crazy shit from y’all every day. They skipped a year forward in story. They didn’t skip actual episodes.
The new writers need to start writing for the male cast members and not make them weak and dominated by the females.
Gwen and Sophia need to be gone or at least recast as I fast forward through all their scenes.
Let’s hope the new Javi is as good as Al as I want him with Leo.
Its just poor business. Taping so far in advance doesn’t allow for fixing what isn’t working. This could lead to a huge drop in viewership. If this happens around when the decision to renew the show is being made, then we lose our show.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Heated Rivalry’ Star Franco LoPresti Opens Up About ‘Days of our Lives’ Debut as Dante Vitali
Next week on Monday, September 14 will mark the first appearance in Salem of Franco LoPresti in his new Days of our Lives role of Dante Vitali.
Heated Rivalry fans now LoPresti very well from his part as hockey player Cliff Marleau in the series first season. (No word yet if Cliff appears in season 2).
Now in a conversation with TV Insider, DAYS fans will learn that LoPresti is on the soap for a limited run. No timetable was given.
Photo: Corday Productions, Inc
When LoPresti does burst onto the scene come Monday, Dante makes quite the impact as Franco LoPresti explains. It seems that viewers will first see him in scenes in Monte Carlo at a poker table with none other than Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) and Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier). However, Dante will come to Salem to talk to the Brady family about his supposed fiancée Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney).
Franco shared, “Dante was born and grew up in Italy and educated at this pretty top-tier English boarding school. He then went on to build his own dynasty in finance, all the while trying to distance himself from the Vitali name (as viewers know Tamara Braun played his cousin Ava Vitali).”
“But at the core of Dante, there’s definitely an old-school quality to him”, continued LoPresti. “He’s super passionate, he’s sincere and incredibly generous, but he’s also someone that you probably shouldn’t underestimate. Loyalty is something that means a lot to him. As Dante enters Salem, I think the audience will get to slowly peel back those layers and discover what’s really driving him. So, I’m excited for Days fans to go on that ride with Dante.”
Photo: Almay
As it turns out, LoPresti taped his episodes of DAYS starting back in November 2025 which happened to be weeks before Heated Rivalry became a smash hit.
Franco recalled, “It’s so funny because I thought my episodes would air in a month (on Days of our Lives). But I found out it was nine to 10 months and I was like, ‘I gotta wait that long?!’ So, I’ve been biting my nails, trying not to think about it, and I think it’s actually kind of helped because now it’s here and it’s all coming at me from all different angles. I’m nervous. I’m excited, and I just can’t wait to see it all come together. It’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever had for sure.”
In his personal life, Franco just had his first child with wife, actress Emily Alatalo, just a weeks ago on August 23rd when they welcomed their daughter, Stella into the world.
So, looking forward to seeing Franco LoPresti’s debut come Monday? What do you think about the fact that it’s being reported as a limited run? Do you think Dante and Sami have a chance on-screen or off-screen to be a happy couple? What do you really think brings Dante to Salem sans Sami? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
In a metaphor for the start of the school year and their upcoming anniversary in November, Days of our Lives revealed its “Class of Season 62,” with a very clever yearbook montage on their social media handles, welcoming new cast members, while paying respect to the veterans and “class”-iying the other characters in Salem.
The official Days of our Lives Instagram account shared on the posting, “The Class of Salem Season 62 has arrived. Familiar faces, new names and plenty of personality. Flip through our yearbook for a peek at this year’s class.”
Let’s take a look at how they broke it all down: The Salem Yearbook starts with saying “another unforgettable season,” with some group pics, and then we dovetail into Salem’s new class which features: Sydney Malakeh (Sydney DiMera), Brandon Butler (Mason Whitfield), Angelica Nero (Victoria Kiriakis), Cole Gersmeyer (Thomas DiMera) and Lorelei Olivia Mote (Rachel Black).
Photo: Days of our Lives
Next up, are the likes of: Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez), John-Paul Lavoisier (Philip Kiriakis), Tyler Joseph Andrews (Theo Carver) and LeeAnn Hopkins (Joy Wesley). Then, in the “Drama Club” section are: Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera) and AnnaLynne Cipriani (Cat Greene).
Following the ‘Recess” section with some group snaps, comes “Homeroom Highlights” with: Abigail Klein (Stephanie Johnson), Eric Martsolf (Brady Black), Rob Scott Wilson (Alex Kiriakis), Lamon Archey (Eli Grant) and Sal Stowers (Lani Price Grant).
The “Salem Spectator” section features: Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera), Greg Rikaart (Leo Stark), Stowers again, and Ashely Puzemis (Holly Jonas). In the “Afternoon Sweets” section look for: Paul Telfer (Xander Kiriakis) and Linsey Godfey (Sarah Horton), Emily O’ Brien (Gwen Rizchech), Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera/Susan Banks), Brandon Beemer (Shawn Brady), plus Jackée Harry (Paulina Price).
Towards the end of the yearbook, veteran performers such as: Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Johnson), Stephen Nichols (Steve Johnson), Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) and Josh Taylor (Roman Brady) are featured, plus Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans), James Reynolds (Abe Carver) and Matthew Ashford (Jack Deveraux), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) and Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Kiraikis) with her on-screen daughter, Linsey Godfrey.
The Salem Yearbook comes to a conclusion noting “Big things happening in Salem” and to tune-in on Peacock, where we also find Jacob Martinez (Javi Hernandez), Maggie Carney (Rita Lesley), and a host of other favorites previewing what’s to come this fall.
So, what do you think of the Days of our Lives Class of Season 62? Looking forward to seeing what happens in Salem? Did you like the yearbook concept for promotional tune-in? Let us know via the comment section below.
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Days Of Our Lives
‘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
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.”
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.
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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