Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: ‘Body & Soul’ Moves Production to LA, But Who Decides To Head West?
Body & Soul will no longer be produced out of Salem USA; instead it is moving production out west per the “network” and the Tuesday, February 11th episode of Days of our Lives.
Does this plot sound familiar? Remember when ABC tried to save All My Children in what was said to be cost-cutting measures by sending it to Los Angeles from its original home in New York City back at the end of 2009?
Taking a page from that real-life soap opera scenario, this long-running story on Days of our Lives has seemingly come to its conclusion when Kate (Lauren Koslow) and Abe (James Reynolds) get together and try to figure out how they are going to move forward with the soap production in Salem when most of the cast got poison scripts and Bonnie went down an elevator shaft, all due to super crazed fan, nurse Whitley King (Kim Coles in a return appearance).

Photo: JPI
Fearing lawsuits, bad press, and another frightening return of Whitley, Abe and Kate decide to make a move and announce an impromptu get together to tell the cast the big news. (Remember, when Brian Frons told both the One Life to Live and All My Children casts their fate on a live feed?) Since a few of the cast are still hospitalized, namely, Joy (AlexAnn Hopkins), Bonnie (Judi Evans) and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans), Abe and Kate make their announcement at University Hospital.
Kate begins by telling the group that Body & Soul is not over. The “network” loves the show, so they bought the rights from Kate and Abe and the production is relocating to Los Angeles. In addition, since the network loves the cast, the actors are free to move to LA to continue their roles. Of course, Hattie (Marlena Evans) is the first to say she is going to continue playing Charlemagne.

Photo: JPI
Meanwhile, Joy thinks it sounds like a good idea to move with the production, but Alex (Rob Scott Wilson) is very hesitant. Joy was hoping she could whisk Alex away from Stephanie (Abigail Klein), who just stepped down as the publicist for the soap and head to LA, but will Alex convince Joy to go on her own?
Hattie talks to Bonnie about being the Laverne & Shirley of Body & Soul when they hit Tinseltown, but Bonnie says she has to talk to Justin (Wally Kurth) about the whole thing before she could even think of moving west.

Photo: JPI
Leo (Greg Rikaart), who is at first conflicted, realizes in his discussion with series director, Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) that he doesn’t have to be in LA to write the show. Many soap opera writers live all over the United States and write for their respective shows. Leo ponders it for a bit, especially since he just got his love life back on track with Javi (al Calderon).
Eventually, Leo goes to the Body & Soul office to talk to Abe and Kate, who just finished toasting to the end of their pet project that they made into a success. When Leo tries to get the contact info from them so he can stay on as head writer, they announce to him that the “network” is getting rid of him and bringing on a new head writer.

Photo: JPI
In the real kicker, at the end of the episode, hospital administrator, Seth Burns (Bruce Beatty) tells Kayla that he realizes his calling is acting and he is moving to LA to continue his role with the soap, but tells her that the hospital is going under and about to go bankrupt, leaving Kayla stunned.

Photo: JPI
So, what did you think about the ending of Body & Soul? Glad the storyline looks to be at its conclusion, or will you miss its antics and show within a show aspect? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Well the apparent good news is that the dumb fake soap plot is done, and at least one of the doppelgangers is leaving with it.
The bad news is we’re still in end-stage ReRon writing for at least 2 more months, so what other kind of horrible swill are we going to see. This “bankrupt hospital” sounds like another steaming pile of dragonshit in the making.
And of course we have Kristen’s psycho mother suddenly back from the dead (honestly, I don’t know how she escaped. Maybe Stefano got sick of her and let her out of Hell?). The fake Rafe is still a hostage… and on that note, didn’t the Blake house & Aremid used to be somewhere thousands of miles from Salem where you had to take a plane to get there? And now it’s a short drive away where you can easily transport a drugged up kidnap victim by car.
So there’s still plenty of idiotic plotpoints of ReRon-ism out there. Hell help us all!
Call me crazy, but I always notice some details in a scene, such as the ever-present extras. There is a male extra who usually plays a doctor, and there is a female extra who usually plays a nurse. So here we are at the hospital, and they have the “nurse” who is in most hospital scenes apparently playing a member of the Body & Soul crew, wearing a silly hat to differentiate her from her usual nursing outfit.
Big picture: I am okay with the ending of the Body & Soul storyline, but please give the principals other storylines…
And just the other day, the extras played their usual doctor/nurse roles at the hospital; and in other scenes during the same episode, the extras were seen at the restaurant: the woman was seated at the bar with another male extra and the doctor extra played a waiter/bartender. The point is that these actors are highly recognizable as they are featured most days. Maybe give them occasional dialogue.
Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Sophia Seemingly Plans to End Her Life, But Not Before Setting Fire to Johnny’s Apartment With Him Trapped Inside
The final few moments of the Thursday, April 30 episode of Days of our Lives, will pave the way, to what just may be the end of Sophia Choi’s (Rachel Boyd) life, but not as you may think!
After an unhinged Sophia paid a visit to Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman), maced him in the eyes, knocked him out and then tied up to a chair, now conscious, she lets him know that she holds him responsible for all the trouble and trauma she has gone through from adopting her child, and her being sent to a mental institution.
So instead of the unregistered gun Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) gave her to finish off Johnny, Sophia sets up a plan to light candle, use nail polish remover and turn on the gas on the stove to ultimately create a mass explosion, which although Johnny pleaded to her not to that to all the innocent people inside his apartment building, she doesn’t seem to care.

Photo: JPI
FIERY FACE OFF
The plan was supposed to be, after she takes care of Johnny she will toss the gun in the Salem River, then focus on payback to Holly Jonas before leaving town to start a new life.
Now, Sophia makes her exit, leaving Johnny to be a few moments away from an explosion or gas inhalation, when Chanel (Raven Bowens) comes home after awaiting the results of her mammogram. She sees Johnny tied up, as he panics and tells her to put out the flame on the candle, things go awry, and a fire has begun and everything may go up in flames with Johnny and Chanel inside.

Photo: JPI
A BROKEN SOPHIA
Back in her room, Sophia breaks down after reading the social media comments about her, she planted, and then starts writing a suicide or farewell note which says. “I’m tired of begging for forgiveness for my mistakes. All I wanted was to move forward, to be loved and understood. But it’s clear that I was never going to get that. Holly Jonas said that I was dead to her. So, as her former BFF, I’m going to make her dream a reality.”

Photo: JPI
A DEADLY TRAP
Now, the fate of Johnny, Chanel and Sophia will be revealed on tomorrow’s May 1st cliffhanger, which may be the end of Sophia when she crosses paths with Kirsten at the bridge near the river. We do know Rachel Boyd is no longer appearing in the show credits section and is now off contract with the soap.
So, what did you think of the climatic final moments of DAYS? What did you think of the performance of Rachel Boyd as Sophia Choi? Let us know via the comment section.
Breaking News
Jacob Martinez is ‘Days of Our Lives’ New Javi Hernandez Replacing Al Calderon in the Role
Finally! The casting has been revealed as to just who would be Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Days of our Lives, Javi Hernandez. On Friday, April 30, the long-running soap opera revealed Jacob Martinez is taking on the part and he will first be seen this coming June 30th and then on all-new episodes streaming on Peacock.
As previously reported, the popular Calderon exited the soap opera last year to join the cast of the NBC primetime medical drama, Brilliant Minds as nurse Nico Silva, who in May will air the remainder of their second season. The series has been on the bubble for renewal by the network. His last episodes as Javi will also air this May on DAYS.
Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming, Martinez has been secretly ensconced in all the drama in Salem for quite some time. When viewers see the new Javi in story, we should learn what will happen in Javi’s relationship with Leo Stark played by Emmy winner, Greg Rikaart, plus his continued relationship with his relatives in the Hernandez clan. Currently, when Javi returned to Salem after taking care of his ailing father, and after the bust-up of his marriage to Leo thanks to Dimitri (Peter Porte), he claimed he had moved on with someone else while he was away from Salem.

Photo: JPI
Like Calderon before him, Martinez is a multi-talented actor and singer. Jacob’s resume is impressive having appeared in the musical In Pieces: The Musical at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater and he was hand-picked by Joey Contreras to play the role of Grey. Other credits include: the short film, Memory Swim and the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage.
Martinez hails from Norfolk, Nebraska and appeared when he was very young at the Johnny Carson Theatre, and as DAYS fans know, Jacob is now working at the Days of our Lives studios, right where the “Tonight Show” is filled. In addition, Jacob Martinez is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).
Taking to his Instagram on Thursday, April 30 once the news of his casting was revealed, Martinez, expressed, “Way too many people to thank in one post, so I’ll just say THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART to each and every person who continues to pour into me and encourage me to chase my dreams. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am. I already feel beyond blessed, supported, and loved. See you all in Salem ⏳”
Jacob Martinez appeared on Friday on the Days of our Lives Instagram account announcing his casting. You can check it out below. Deadline was the first to report the casting switch.
So, excited to learn who is the new Javi Hernandez? Please welcome Jacob Martinez to the role and be on the lookout for his debut on June 30. Comment below.
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Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Conner Floyd on Chad’s Quest For Abigail’s Resurrection; But Who Should Be Cast as NuAbby?
Former Y&R favorite, Conner Floyd made his debut as the recast Chad DiMera on Days of our Lives last week on the April 21 episode of the Peacock streaming soap opera
Floyd replaced Billy Flynn in the role who is firmly cemented in his old stomping grounds of Genoa City and The Young and the Restless as Chad DiMera. For the last year or two of Chad’s story, he believed his wife, Abigail Devereaux DiMera could be alive, he even thought Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) was Abigail until the story turned.
Now with Floyd taking over the role and Lexie coming back to life after years of being dead, and Chad noting how Dr. Rolf (Richard Wharton) and his brother, EJ (Dan Feuerriegel), could resurrect somehow they all love, he thinks, how about Abigail? The part of Abigail was played by Kate Mansi and then Marci Miller.

Photo: JPI
Speaking with Stephanie Sloane for her new Daytime Dish Newsletter on the matter, Conner shared, “Any kind of idea that she could possibly be coming back, as farfetched as that may seem, he’s stuck on it. The idea gets in his head, and he’s locked in on it.”
CHAD WRESTLES WITH THE FATE OF ABIGAIL
Floyd added that Chad, “He’s asking Theo (Joseph Tyler Andrews) about it. He’s asking EJ about it. It’s one of those things where he loves her so much that the peace in his mind that he’s made with this kind of comes unbroken. So the fact that that she might be able to come back, he’s so bent on it, he thinks it’s going to happen and he kind of spirals away.”
A NEW ABIGAIL ON THE HORIZON?

Photo: ABC
That begs the question, with Days of Our Lives taping ten months in advance, which is already taking them into the beginning of 2027, is it possible that the soap has already recast Abigail and its being kept top secret?
Recently, it was revealed that former General Hospital favorite, Sofia Mattsson (ex-Sasha) has joined Days of our Lives. Back on March 30 it was reported that Mattsson is now taping all-new episodes that will be seen in 2027, but her role was being hush-hush! Could she the new Abby?
If not, the question is, since it seems that Kate Mansi is not coming back as she is firmly entrenched in her role as Kristina Corinthos-Davis on General Hospital and other outside projects, and Marci Miller has also been away from soaps for awhile working on other TV and film roles and indie motion pictures, who should play nuAbby?
Now below, let us know, who do you think would make the perfect leading lady opposite Conner Floyd as a recast Abigail Deveraux DiMera? Be our armchair quarterback casting director and drop your pick in the comment section.
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