Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: John Black Returns in Pivotal Moment, Setting Him Up to Be A Hero One Final Time to Honor Drake Hogestyn
From the looks of the cliffhanger of the Thursday, May 22nd episode of Days of our Lives, the character of John Black, played by the late Drake Hogestyn, is set to go out a hero saving the life of Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) and others, if it comes to pass how the series has foreshadowed the story.
Dr, Russell (Michael Dietz), Steve (Stephen Nichols) and Shawn (Brandon Beemer) locate the meth lab where they hope to find Versavix which is what was used in the drug that Dr. Russell was creating that could also save the life of Bo Brady who is dying of sepsis. Steve and Shawn previously told the doctor, they’ll get the drug back for him if he lets them take a dose for Bo and if things take turn, he will not be implicated.
Things become dire as Shawn receives a call from Hope (Kristian Alfonso) that they are bringing in the priest to administer the last rites to Bo. At that moment, Steve advises Shawn to go and he will deal with this, but Shawn insists he can’t give up, he has to save his dad.
Courtesy/Peacock
Suddenly, a black cloaked figure in a hoodie comes into the scene (we see him from behind). Steve starts laughing and is overjoyed and fist bumps the guy and says out loud to Shawn, “I told you I had an idea!” A confused Dr. Russell asks who that is and Steve says, “Let me introduce you to John Black. You can always count on him to save the day.” Suddenly, the voice of John says in his signature saying, “That’s a fact.”
Photo: JPI
Drake Hogestyn passed away back on September 28, 2024, just one day shy of his 71st birthday from his battle with pancreatic cancer. Since DAYS tapes nine months ahead, we are finally getting to the conclusion of John’s sendoff, which will ultimately be killing off the character, followed by the upcoming memorial episodes in Drake’s honor.
A meth lab is known for its explosions and with Bo’s life on the line and John’s decision to help his friend Steve first, before heading back to see his wife Marlena and his children, it can only set up a heartbreaking conclusion to the beloved character.
So, how did you feel about the end of yesterday’s DAYS? Do you think it’s only appropriate that John Black goes out a hero saving others? Comment below.
Yes I thought the ending was magnificent John went out doing what he loved to do helping others being a hero. I will miss his character..RIP Drake Hogestyn (aka John Black)
I loved the show today. I loved the flashbacks and the emotions of Bo’s family. However I do not see why Hope went to that lab when she was supposed to be in Europe with Bo. Regardless, Bo and Hope are the greatest and I look forward to seeing more of them
Bo and Hope flew back to Salem…they just didn’t show it or really talk about it
The storyline today was awesome. So glad they are finally setting John’s final scenes. Very glad to hear that Bo and Hope are coming back.
How can I watch it? Who streams it? TIA
A fitting tribute to a legend…God bless him. This was a phenomenal tribute to a Days legend.
Hopefully the John Black send off episode score big ratings for Peacock streaming service that could and might score Days Of Our Lives a new multi-year renewal, possibly through 2028. Hopefully we might see more fan favorite characters and performers who brought those characters to life, and some new stories and characters to help shape the DOOL canvas.
I would like for John to be replaced the fire would have disfigured him so bring in someone else!
But noone can replace the way he spoke, the tilt of his head, and the humor he brought to the show. Someone like John needs to be laid to rest. Let his memory be untarnished.
Exactly…Drake Hogestyn was an amazing actor and it’s a fitting, respectable tribute. His character John has to die, it’s inconceivable to see or hear anyone but Drake.
Where is Bo? I thought he was in another country. During Fridays episode Hope leaves Bo’s hospital room and goes to the Meth lab. What hospital is he in?
They said several times that Bo was in a hospital somewhere in Europe. So apparently Hope got access to a Starfleet transporter and was able to beam herself & Shawn back and forth from Salem instantly.
He is in Salem Hospital
Yes John deserves the glory! Let him be the hero. So sad that he will be gone from Days.
So sad he passed. To ironic him &Wayne Northrop both passed around the same time & both played Roman Brady. Loe them both RIP TO THE BOTH OF YOU .⚘️⚘️♥️♥️
Absolutely, the best way to honor him and for him to b able to go out doing what he did best- Helping others!!!!
The episode was fabulous I am so happy that Bo and Hope are back. I stopped watching the show when they left. I had their wedding on VH video until my fiancée recorded over it. That’s why we never made it to the altar. Anyone who knew me knew how I felt about my Bo and Hope. So thank you writer for bringing them back. I will forever be grateful!!! I will definitely miss Mr. Jonn Black. R.I.P(Drake Hogestyn)Love You!!
I love Bo and Hope, bring them back permanent.
Oh yes Drake deserves the best
I agree that John has been a handsome, charming hero for all these years. I just can’t agree that he would destroy himself. He would have found some way to save them without removing his chance to see Marlena one more time.
So since it went off of the regular TV channel I have not been able to watch it. 35 years watching it to nothing. I got rid of my cable because it was almost $300 a month and I only watch maybe 10 channels. I went to the antenna and get my local channels and about 35 other channels. So I had to switch soaps and now I watch GH because it still comes on the regular channels.
They shouldn’t write John out of Days just because he died in real life. They should replace John with another character. Now what is Marlena going to do? Are they going to write her off as well or have her back with Roman I hope not or Steve Patch I hope not. Maybe they will after this Bo rescue
Rumor has it Marlena hooks up with Maggie, then Julie is added to create a love triangle.
I thought because John was Burnt his character would carry on as someone else playing his part John black will be missed
That’s what I think keep his character alive
Drake was the best and he deserves a hero’s send off. He is sadly missed and his character will live on in our hearts. John Black is the character that he took and ran with over the years trying to find his true identity. R.I.P. Drake. C u on the other side
How can he save anyone if he dies in an explosion? It’s impossible!!
Four cast members are officially on contract at Days of our Lives, according to the soap opera’s closing credits on Peacock and longtime Days expert and historian Jason 47.
Lauren Koslow (Kate), Sydney Malakeh (Sydney), Sal Stowers (Lani) and Jacob Martinez (Javi) are the names that appear in the closing credits in the contracted cast members section. Days of our Lives fans also note that the series tapes ten months in advance of streaming episodes.
As Days of our Lives fans know, Lauren Koslow has played Kate Roberts since 1996, and recently filled-in for Jess Walton in the role of Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless when Walton was unable to travel from Oregon to Los Angeles during the specific tape dates. But now, Koslow has been re-upped to contract status as of the September 8 episode.
Photo: JPI
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Sydney Malakeh is the newest member of the contract players when she debuted on contract status on the September 10th episode. Days fans first met Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) daughter in scenes in Monte Carlo around a gambling table.
As for Sal Stowers, the actress had been on contract from 2015-2022, then on recurring status with the soap, and would make appearances and limited runs since 2023. Soap fans first saw Sal as Cassandra Foster on Prospect Park’s revival of All My Children in 2013. Sal’s first new contracted episode was noted to be September 16.
Jacob Martinez, debuted on June 30 of this year as the successor to Al Calderon in the role of Javi Hernandez, and has now been bumped up to series regular as of the September 10 episode.
Photo: JPI
CREDITS
According to the referenced posting from Days of our Lives expert and historian Jason 47, he shared, “It took me four weeks to realize, but the same week that Sydney Malakeh (Sydney) debuted (9/7-9/11), “Days” also put Lauren Koslow (Kate), Jacob Richard Martinez (Javi) and Sal Stowers (Lani) on contract.”
Jason47 added, “This confirms the “errors” of Lani being listed in the credits the week of 9/7 but not appearing, and Kate and Javi appearing in the credits the week of 9/14 but not appearing. It also now makes sense why Javi and Sydney are being listed before Rafe and Philip in the credits.”
He also shared, “For the record, Lauren Koslow’s first date back on contract was 9/8, Jacob Richard Martinez was upped to contract on 9/10, Sydney Malakeh debuted on contract 9/10 and Sal Stowers’ first date back on contract was 9/16. The records will be fixed on the website in the coming days.”
So, glad to hear Lauren, Sydney, Sal and Jacob appear to be on contract with Days of our Lives (as of these episode airings)? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Leo Howard Joins Cast for ‘Yellowjackets’ Fourth and Final Season
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.
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.
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.
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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