Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Ron Carlivati Shares What's Great About Penning A Soap: "One Day You’re Writing Action/Adventure, One Day You’re Writing A Romance …"
Photo Credit: S Bergman/ABC
It’s almost here DAYS fans! We are just about 20 days and counting till new Days of our Lives head writer, Ron Carlivati’s material begins to air when it kicks-off on the July 19th episode of the NBC sudser.
The Daytime Emmy-winning scribe shared his thoughts on his career, and living in his New York City home away from home, the Hamptons where he frequents during a feature for Dan’s Papers
When asked about his new gig at DAYS, Carlivati expressed: “I started (working at Days of Our Lives) in January, which is crazy because nothing I’ve written has been on the air yet. They film six months ahead. My first episode airs in four weeks. It’s very strange, I’ve written five months of material, stories with a beginning, middle and end, and they haven’t even started (airing).”
The head scribe notes his take on soap opera storytelling noting what is paramount and notable in daytime dramas to make it all work: “What’s great about this genre is one day you’re writing action/adventure, one day you’re writing a romance, a comedy …”
Carlivati also discusses his career path from a lawyer to working up the ranks to head writer at One Life to Live, his dream job: “I told everyone I talked to that I wanted to be a soap writer and that my dream show was One Life to Live. Then, I went out for a friend’s birthday and a guy overheard a friend and I talking and he said, ‘Oh, my friend works for a soap opera, One Life to Live, as a writers’ assistant.’” Next thing you know, Ron got a job as an assistant and the rest is OLTL history, and it eventually landed him at GH for four years as head writer, too.
So, what do you think Carlivati has in store for the characters of DAYS? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
39 Leave a Reply
Hope he keeps the Kayla and Steve alive and sweet!
Me too
I wish Ron could have talked Days out of the six (6) months in advance shows; however, I love Ron’s previous work , therefore, I’m looking forward to his work on Days. Isn’t Ron the one responsible for Sonny ‘s imprisonment for shooting A.J. and Michael’s common sense for breaking ties with Sonny? I loved that because Sonny needed consequences. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
You are not wrong. However, Sonny’s penance was short-lived and a big let-down; while Michael is a traitorous wimp.
Ron needs to revisit and “adjust” that indignity by righting a wrong. The same applies to Ava for killing Connie.
There’s no justice on soaps, LOL.
Above reply should have been written in the past tense. Excuse the oversight.
No, you’re right–that was Ron, and I appreciated it too, because for once, someone was calling Sonny on his behavior–which never, ever happens as you know.
Thanks, Michael. It gets confusing sometimes with all these writers playing musical chairs. LOL.
I cannot wait for Ron’s stories to air. He kept us on the edge of our seats at One Life to Live. I am especially looking forward to see what he has in store for Eve (Kassie DePaiva).
“… am especially looking forward to see what he has in store for Eve (Kassie DePaiva). ”
Goddesses’ in this genre.
Kassie DePaiva
Eileen Davidson
which will take awhile.. as they do have 5-6 months in the can… so it seems like November and / or December for both these ladies
as I’ve posted… I just want them to become fast friends… and take over.
I will begin to watch DAYS again when Eileen Davidson returns and does her arc. I absolutely love her on DAYS (and Y&R).
RC; ” I’ve written has been on the air yet. They film six months ahead. My first episode airs in four weeks. It’s very strange, I’ve written five months of material, stories with a beginning, middle and end, and they haven’t even started (airing).”
Look at this!
”stories with a beginning, middle and end, and they haven’t even started (airing).”
He wrote- ”beginning, middle and end” contained in a 6 month run..
AWESOME!! Now that is a plan ..
no time to get bogged down in a boring 1-2 years of the same ol boring story..
DYAM! I miss that man !!!
I want RC back with GH !!!
Ronald David “Ron” Carlivati (born November 25, 1968) 49yrs old
when with GH – 43.. younger yet with OLTL..
He is indeed the youngest writer..
and—
Sunday, February 19, 2017 (started writing for Days-
Ron Carlivati Wants ‘Days of our Lives’ Fans to Laugh, Cry and Yearn for Couples
Posted by Roger Newcomb
It may not be the latest “Plan to Save Days of our Lives” but in the current issue of Soap Opera Digest, executive producer Ken Corday previews what to expect under new head writer Ron Carlivati.
“He will bring to the show things that the show hasn’t had for quite a while,” says Corday. “What he said to me is that he wants the show to make you laugh again and he wants the show to make you cry again and he wants the show to make you yearn for certain couples again as opposed to, ‘Why are they doing this? Why are they doing that?’ So he will resolidify shortly after his tenure starts. We will see couples that I’m a big fan of and that I think viewers are big fans of, as well.”
Opinion
Carlivati was able to deliver wonderful humor as head writer for both One Life to Live and General Hospital, so we can expect the same on Days. It will honestly be a nice change from the current state of the show.
I don’t watch Days and I don’t care for Ron’s particular style of writing.
I am only here for the cheese & crackers and to read SUO’s comments.
su0000, I was just about to say, a story with a beginning, middle, and end! Who wouldah thunk, huh?
su0000, I should have added, I wasn’t a fan of Ron’s writing on General Hospital; however, given the state of DAYS, things can only go up. The show is a train wreck right now! The teen scene is running (and ruining) the show, and those “actors” need to be shown the door! #cleanhouse
One of my favorite things that Ron did at GH was to finally stop making Sonny and Jason the ‘heroes’ of the show, and made their stories share equal air time with others. Jason was no longer the one to always be the savior – John McBain actually beat Jason to some saving. Sonny was no longer the grand master, untouchable center of the show as Todd Manning actually came in and didn’t give a damn who Sonny Corinthos was. There was more than the mob and mob related stories for a change (yeah it was dopplegangers and masks and people who thought they were vampires, but that was so welcome after years of a mob-centric show).
Yep Mike you have that right I respect him for one thing he did not kiss the ring of MB the biggest cue card reader in the industry . Myiggest wish is to be named EP over at GH and bring a big broom and sweep out the mess ! Sigh!!
Agreed, Mike; although, I could have done without the masks and vampires, lol.
K/Kay, laughing over, “did not kiss the ring..” haha!
This is clearly a desperate, last ditch attempt to save Days from going under. This man is highly overrated as a writer, IMO. He nearly destroyed GH with his usual ridiculous, campy nonsense and was fired from that show not even two years ago! Even worse, he has a gigantic ego and cannot take even the slightest constructive criticism, lashing out at fans on social media. That’s disgraceful. These shows have to stop recycling the same old, same old hacks once and for all. How about a young, humble, up-and coming person who actually has fresh ideas on how to bring this genre into the 21st century already?
If I were a Days loyalist, I’d be very worried that my soap’s fate is hanging in the balance with this arrogant man given the keys to the car. Looking at the ratings, Days has to be thisclose to cancellation. And it’s utterly ridiculous that the show STILL films six months ahead.
Yes, Nick, I agee–“highly overrated.” I don’t like his “campy nonsense” either! Yes, “how about a young, humble, up-and-coming person with fresh ideas”? What a “fresh” and “refreshing” idea!
But Days isn’t like the other soaps. Days is silly and campy and that’s what its viewers enjoy. If they wanted what is classified as a “normal” soap they would watch one of the other three.
For whatever reason Days fans like the low budget, cheap looking, poor lighting campy, and to say that they’re wrong isn’t for others to say.
If they like it then more power to ’em.
Thanks for your comment, Nick. After reading previous comments, I was wondering if Ron C. is so great, why didn’t General Hospital keep him?
I am a long time Days viewer. (Started watching in 1966-1967.) However I am not at all excited about having Ron C as the new head writer. I think they should have kept Dena H. I know the show suffered when Hope shot Stefano, but Dena wrote that show out of a deep hole. It took time to come out of the mess that Josh G. had made. I think she was judged too soon. The recent storylines have been interesting and increasingly more so. I am sorry to see Dena’s writing come to an end. I would like to have seen what she would have done AFTER writing Days out of that deep pit.
I hope at some point in the future Dena will have an opportunity to return to Salem. I read she has no plans to do so, but I am hoping over time and if the opportunity arises, she will have a change of heart.
Nick, I agree with you, I was not a fan of Ron’s writing. I thought his writing was very campy and immature; however, DAYS is basically in the toilet right now. It’s unwatchable, IMO. I am one of the very few who is not social media, so I can’t speak for his comments/reactions.
Sadly, while I like him, I feel that in order to get the soaps back on track – we need NEW BLOOD! (Pun intended #vampirestoryline) When I’m watching the shows and know more about how a character would react or speak and could craft a storyline way better than what I’ve seen on the television in front of me, something is indeed wrong with the picture. Across the board, the usual “Who Dun It’s?” are as flat as warm ginger ale. When’s the last time we had a good murder mystery on any of the surviving soaps and one that had a BIG payoff? Character reveals (Nell on GH) make no sense whatsoever as if the storyline changed mid way through.
“Flat as warm gingerale”–an apt description indeed.
The Nelle “reveal” was just so stupid. It made absolutely no sense for anyone (Jax) to think to contact Nelle’s father for a black market kidney. Also, there was a rewrite in the middle of the story. The story was flat and stupid from the beginning and the writers lost their focus and didn’t know how to gain control of the story.
My hope is that we will have our core characters stay true to who they have been for years. I can tune into DAYS and don’t even recognize some of my favorites anymore. It has been ridiculous the last several years. I would like to see John and Marlena become THE core couple as once was Tom and Alice Horton. Have stories of their own but with others coming to them for help and advice. And I would love to see characters have more than a one minute conversation. I’m having some great faith in Ron. Hoping he can bring back some magic to DAYS.
And don’t touch Kayla and Steve! Hands off!!
He’s so cute
Ron Carlivati is the best in the business right now along with maria arena bell , Scott Hamner ( son of the late earl hamner ) . These are the only ones who can write decent stories with some creativity and imagination . Charles Pratt jr is burned out at least for now . Very disappointed in his writing of Young and restless , after the years he spent writing the soap santa barbara during its golden years and how great the writing was i was stunned to see he wasn’t able to elevate young and restless to that quality and standard . What’s for sure is that a good soap needs all these ingredients : love , romance , action , adventure , tragedy , triumph , excitement , all kinds of accidents and perilous situations , a good murder mystery every now and then , occasional serial killer , a villain or psycho every now and then , humor , some socially relevant stories from time to time . But a soap doesn’t need the same boring triangles , marriages that end after 6 months , characters constantly coming back from the dead ( sick of the magic drug , he / she was in fact in a coma , magic doctor who performed a resurrection miracle ) , the show must not be boring , can’t have characters constantly talking over drinks or coffee .
Sorry, but no, especially to Maria Arena being one of the best. She was, and still is, one of the worst in the business. And, in truth, Ron is far from the best in the business. He has his good, but he also has a lot of bad.
i love the type of writing that maria bell and ron carlivati deliver where there is action and excitement . i am not a fan of sally sussman , dena higley , altman and pssanante type of writing that is very slow , boring with characters sitting down in bars and restaurants drinking coffee in full introspection . I was a fan of the daytime soap Santa Barbara , the Dobsons with other writers wrote amazing stuff , one life to live in the 1980’s was great too and so was Guiding light through the decades . This is the type of writing , type of style in storytelling that i like . I am not saying that maria or ron are prefect but in an industry where so many great writers have passed : william j bell , douglas marland , agnes nixon , claire labine , james e reilly to name these few or have left the industry such as the dobsons ( a shame in my opinion ) or have lost their writing skills such as charles pratt jr or josh griffith i do see only maria bell and ron carlivati capable of making daytime soaps exciting , fun to watch with interesting stories .
Nicholas, you must be the person who enjoys plot-driven stories instead of character-driven ones, which is exactly what Maria Arena and Ron Carlivati tell. A constant re-telling of past and retconning to fit their own liking, and then ignoring their own retconning. And to compare them both to the legends that came before them is insulting to those who have passed, and I am sure that they are turning in their retrospective graves. And if you were a fan of those that came before our time, then you’d be enjoying Sally Sussman’s work on The Young and the Restless, as she is someone who trained and worked under William J. Bell, and her ways of telling story are very classic soap opera, but in a modern take. Yes, she could put a bit more POW! in her writing, but she’s doing a fantastic job as making it character-driven for the first time in 10+ years.
i didn’t compare them to the legends , these legends were legends and i sure do respect them . We obviously don’t see things the same way , that ‘s o.k with me . While i respected and admired the effort that was the late soap ” Generations ” that sally sussman created and wrote i did not find it all that great and exciting and it was cancelled after 2 years . The soaps that i liked and was a fan of were santa barbara ( my favourite ) , guiding light , one life to live , another world , all my children , bold and the beautiful ( first decade ) . that ‘s my taste in soaps . I will not include as the world turns because i never watched it : doesn’t mean obvously that it was a bad soap . Yep i am from the santa barbara , guiding light , one life to live soap school . That’s the future scott if we want this medium to survive .
Happy to see that Days of our lives greatly improved this week . You can tune back in , the soap is worth watching again . You need to watch all of this weeks episodes . Deimos was punished , won’t tell you how but Days is finally back in business . I managed to watch all these episodes without turning it off , it was that great .
DAYS really did improve, nicholas! There was plenty to love, but what stood out to me was when the party guests were feeling the effects of the “Halo” Deimos spiked their drinks with.
Ron’s work will defintely put a smile on my face.Kish and Brucas were awesome.Can ‘t wait to see Sami,Will,Kristen.Days is a disaster hopefully all the couples can have a good love story.
Looking forward to seeing Ron’s stories air. Maybe I’ll start watching DOOL again on a regular basis instead of just once in a while.
Ron C., will do just fine. He will bring humor, drama, romance and action to DAYS, which it so desperately needs. To be perfectly honest the show is too stiff in acting, writing and directing and Ron is the guy to give the show life. Hopefully, Ted the reboot Corday and NBC will give him time to do it. The show has good acting talent that needs to be challenged.
Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Chad and Abby Share An Emotional Goodbye And Leave Salem Hitched
On Thursday’s episode of NBC’s Days of our Lives, tears were shed not only by the characters on the screen, but by the audience at home … plenty of them if you have been checking out social media since this installment aired. For in it, viewers had to say goodbye to Chad (Billy Flynn) and Abby (Kate Mansi) as they left Salem to start their new life with their children in Paris.
However, before they make their exit, Chabby fans finally get to see their favorite duo tie the knot in a heartfelt and touching ceremony right in the Horton family living room. While it was spur of the moment, it could not have been more poignant. Leave it to Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) to officially preside over the nuptials, JJ (Casey Moss) to play his guitar while his sister walked down the living room aisle to her man, and even Jack (Matt Ashford) showed up to do the right thing to be there for his daughter.
What would a Chabby wedding be without personally written vows, right? Abigail tells Chad: “When we first fell in love, God, we had no idea of what we were getting ourselves into. They say that when you meet someone and fall in love, you’re drawn to them, because they have something you need and we’re here today because I need you. I need your courage, your faith, and love. I’m so beyond grateful at a second chance with you and a family with our beautiful children. You are the love of my life, Chad. There’s nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my days with you.”
Photo: JPI Studios
In a touching moment, Chad is overcome with tears and expresses to Abigail; “You’ve always fought for your health, and for us, and I’m in awe of the woman I fell in love with. I’ll cherish you. I will protect you. I’m yours, and I’ll never doubt you again, because a love like ours really does only come once in a life.”
They exchange rings and Julie pronounces them husband and wife. But this happy moment is also bittersweet when Chad says, “We hate to marry and run.” Chabby has a plane to catch to take them to Paris. Chad looks around the room and at all the special people in his life, and tells the group how special they all are to him. In that scene, it definitely gave the feels that it was also Billy Flynn saying farewell to his castmates.
Of course … before they leave town Chad and Abby visit Stefan (Tyler Christopher) and Gabi(Camila Banus)is there. They give them the news that they are leaving for France and are married. In a moment alone between Abby and Stefan, he apologizes to her. Stefan notes how much he loved the other part of her (Gabby with a “Y”) and knows that she loved him too. Abby says, “I know”. Meanwhile, Chad says goodbye to the portrait of his father, Stefano vowing to be back someday. After Chabby exit the DiMera mansion, Stefan has a meltdown and throws the chest board while Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin) walks in on the scene.
Photo: JPI
And finally, in the 10-hankie moment beautifully played by Billy Flynn, Kate Mansi and Melissa Reeves (Jennifer), Chad and Abby at the Horton house to say their final goodbyes to Doug (Bill Hayes) and Julie, Jack, JJ, and Jennifer. Abigail tells her mother to never give up on her dad. Chad is in tears as Jennifer tells him she will miss him, He says, “I will miss you, too”.
It was in that moment that any of us that have ever had to say goodbye to our families and move far away from them, or come back to visit them and then leave again, can relate. Saying goodbye is often heartbreaking when you leave behind the ones you love. But, Chad and Abby got their happy ending … for now. However,t his is a soap opera, so you never know how long happiness will last, or when they might be back in Salem.
Kudos to the performances of Billy Flynn, so raw and real, and Kate Mansi playing Abigail with depth and dignity to wrap up the story.
So, what did you think of the Chabby goodbye? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
THIS WEEK: Billy Flynn and Kate Mansi Exit DAYS As Chabby Says Their “I Do’s” In Heart-tugging Moments
Breaking News
Drake Hogestyn Chats On John Black’s Latest Predicament With Diana and Leo On ‘Inside Salem: Days of our Lives Podcast’
The complex life of John Black (Drake Hogestyn) just got even more complicated on NBC’s Days of our Lives; thanks to the arrival of his ex-flame Diana Colville (Judith Chapman) and the bombshell that bad boy Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart), who has been causing so much trouble for Will (Chandler Massey) and Sonny (Freddie Smith), is actually his biological son! Boy, John certainly has had some kids he never knew about pop up (remember, Paul Narita is John’s son, too). But, is this all a tale spun by Diana, or the truth regarding Leo?
Longtime DAYS vet, Drake Hogestyn sits down with host, Michael Fairman on an all-new installment of NBC’s Inside Salem: Days of our Lives Podcast. During the conversation, Drake talks about his surprise learning from the script that Diana Cooper was indeed his ex, Diana Colville.
The beloved actor reveals that at one point he thought Genie Francis (Laura, GH) might be coming back to reprise the role, but now that it’s Judith Chapman he is having a great time acting opposite her. In addition, being a true historian of DAYS, Drake takes the listeners on some fun facts that they may not have remembered. Later, Hogestyn reveals why he and Deidre Hall (Marlena) have found such success as DAYS’ enduring John and Marlena.
Michael commends Drake on his Daytime Emmy Pre-Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his emotional turn following Marlena being shot at the Jarlena nuptials, and the family saying their goodbyes believing she was going to die, especially she the good doc had a DNR request on her legal forms filed with the hospital.
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
In the backstage segment of the podcast, Eric Martsolf (Brady) takes Fairman on what a typical production day is like for him and others in Salem: visiting the wardrobe department, stopping to talk to the stage manager, and chatting it up with co-stars along the way including: Lauren Koslow (Kate) and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah).
The new episode of Inside Salem: Days of our Lives Podcast is currently streaming on NBC.com here, and will be available for download via iTunes on Monday.
So, do you think John will do next now that Diana is working her way back into his life, and Leo is his son? Will he tell Marlena what is going on? What did you think of the sentiments shared by Drake in the interview? Comment below.
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Days Of Our LivesFebruary 17, 2019THIS WEEK: Billy Flynn and Kate Mansi Exit DAYS As Chabby Says Their “I Do’s” In Heart-tugging Moments
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