Days Of Our Lives
Does DAYS Will and Sonny's Youth, Locale & Domestic Stability Make Them The Most Important Couple On Soaps?
Courtesy/NBC
Days of our Lives Will (Guy Wilson) and Sonny (Freddie Smith) are now young-marrieds, seemingly financially sound, living in small town USA ( not a gay mecca such as Manhattan or Los Angeles, or San Francisco) with a solid sex life, and they basically are raising together Will’s bio-daughter Arianna.
Sans the latest storyline where Nick Fallon (Blake Berris) has just been murdered and the two young men being murder suspects , in a new Op-Ed column for Advocate.com, writer Jeremy Helligar explores why WilSon just might be the most important couple in soaps right now!
Helligar writes after comparing WilSon to other couples on DAYS: “If you’re asking the obvious question facing any solid couple – How do they do it? – consider another: How did a show with such strong religious and moral overtones, one with a priest as a romantic lead, one in which a main character was once possessed by Satan himself, one with a leading lady (Melissa Reeves, who plays Will’s aunt Jennifer Devereaux) who faced major backlash two years ago for supporting Chick-fil-A on Twitter, become arguably TV’s greatest champion of gay romance? …. What elevates Will and Sonny to groundbreaking status is their youth, their location (Smalltown, U.S.A., far from the coastal gay meccas of New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco), and that their domestic stability (and sex life!) is so front-and-center on Days, which devoted three episodes in April to a gay wedding.”
Later in the piece Helligar illustrates WilSon and the current primetime dramas that have gay characters: “Young gays in modern dramas, though less overtly stereotypical than the ones in sitcoms (even Lafayette on True Blood has a significant masculine streak), tend to be more romantically challenged and often even more screwed up than the straight people around them. Over on Revenge, in the space of a half-season, we saw Patrick Osbourne, Virginia Grayson’s gay, long-lost son, murder two men, including his biological father. He and Mickey Milkovich on Shameless would make an excellent match if Patrick were to return from his apprenticeship in Italy and move to Chicago.
Two states down, on Nashville, gay country singer Will Lexington, whose shame over his sexuality made him suicidal, has married his beard, a fellow rising country star that he can’t get it up for in bed. Then there are the guys on Looking: They cruise in the park, cavort with gigolos, have threesomes and cheat on their boyfriends. They make Will and Sonny, who still only have eyes for each other, look like choir boys, the monogamous romantic equivalent, some might say, of “passing for straight.” Perhaps they’d take it further and criticize their union for being too closely modeled on traditional straight relationships. That’s an argument for another op-ed, but it doesn’t make “WilSon” any less of a valid representation of another gay reality, one that might be more inviting to young people who are struggling with coming out than anything we’ve seen on Looking.”
So, do you think Will and Sonny are illustrating that they are the most stable couple in soapdom? Would you like to see them knocked down a peg and not be so saintly? Even if one of the guys did murder Nick Fallon would it really tarnish their good guy images? Weigh-in below!
Breaking News
51st Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Nominations
On Thursday, the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards revealed nominations in several key categories via four entertainment news programs: Access Hollywood, E! News, Extra and Access Hollywood.
Three of the four announcements were major categories in the field of Daytime Dramas.
The nominees in the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series category are: The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, Neighbours and The Young and the Restless.
Photo: JPI
General Hospital won this category last year, and has the most all-time wins for a series in this category. For the first time, the beloved Australian-based soap opera, Neighbours is now eligible for competition due to its reboot which streams on Amazon Freevee.
Photo: AmazonFreevee
The 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out in ceremonies in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th.
Previous categories announced tonight via the entertainment news outlet included: Lead Actor and Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
So, what do you think about this year’s nominee for the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series? Who do you think should win? Comment below.
Breaking News
51st Daytime Emmys: Eric Braeden, Scott Clifton, Thorsten Kaye, John McCook and Eric Martsolf Score Lead Actor Nominations
Ahead of the full list of 51st annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations to be revealed tomorrow on Friday, April 19th, Extra’s Melvin Roberts unveiled the nominations in the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor.
Going for gold are Eric Braeden (Victor, The Young and the Restless), Scott Clifton (Liam, The Bold and the Beautiful), John McCook (Eric, The Bold and the Beautiful), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, The Bold and the Beautiful) and Eric Martsolf (Brady, Days of our Lives).
All five of the nominees are previous Daytime Emmy winners, with Eric Martsolf the only won in the group to have won his previous Emmy for work in the Supporting Actor category.
Photo: JPI
B&B could make it three years in a row as the reigning champs in the actor race, having won in 2022 with John McCook and 2023 with Thorsten Kaye.
In addition, as previously announced, the Michael Fairman Channel will play host to its 10th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations special featuring several of the nominees for the 51st annual Daytime Emmys which happens live tomorrow Friday, April 19th beginning at 8 pm ET/5pm PT.
Check out Extra’s announcement of this year’s Daytime Emmy nominees for Lead Actor, then let us know in the comment section, which of the five do you hope takes home the prize?
We’re honored to announce the @DaytimeEmmys nominees for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series:@EBraeden, @YandR_CBS@CliftonsNotes, @BandB_CBS@Iamthorstenkaye, @BandB_CBS
John McCook, @BandB_CBS@EricMartsolf, @DaysPeacock#DaytimeEmmys pic.twitter.com/2fWsxtWs3W— ExtraTV (@extratv) April 18, 2024
Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Alum Tanner Stine to Appear in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Starring Nicholas Chavez
Another face familiar to daytime fans has already boarded Ryan Murphy’s limited series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story which stars General Hospital favorite, Nicholas Chavez (Spencer Cassadine) in the role of Lyle.
Tanner Stine who played Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) and Steve’s (Stephen Nichols) son, Joey Johnson on Days of our Lives will also appear in the series.
In ‘Monsters’, look for Stine to portray the role of Perry Berman, who was Lyle and Erik’s friend and former tennis coach. In the story, Perry found himself at the epicenter of the murder mystery when he had accepted a phone call from Lyle shortly before the brutal murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez.
Photo: JPI
Other previously announced castings included: Cooper Koch (who plays Erik), Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as parents Jose and Kitty Menendez, Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, and Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth.
Photo: IMDb
In the series, the two wealthy brothers stand trial for shooting their parents in Beverly Hills, amid claims of self-defense after years of abuse, while prosecutors alleged that greed was the motives for the killing. Lyle and Erik Menendez have been behind bars in California for more than three decades for the 1989 killing of their parents.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will debut later in 2024 on Netflix.
What do you think about Tanner Stine being part of the all-star cast for ‘Monsters’? Miss Joey on Days of our Lives? Comment below.
51st Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Nominations
51st Daytime Emmys: Tamara Braun, Finola Hughes, Katherine Kelly Lang, Annika Noelle, Michelle Stafford, Cynthia Watros Score Lead Actress Nominations
51st Daytime Emmys: Eric Braeden, Scott Clifton, Thorsten Kaye, John McCook and Eric Martsolf Score Lead Actor Nominations
Mark Consuelos Celebrates One-Year Anniversary as Co-Host of ‘Live’ Alongside Kelly Ripa
DAYS Alum Tanner Stine to Appear in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Starring Nicholas Chavez
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
Y&R’s Eileen Davidson Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
Days of our Lives wins WGA Award for Daytime Drama Series
Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves Talk Return to DAYS for Doug’s Funeral, Susan Seaforth Hayes, and Their Enduring Friendship
DAYS Alum Tanner Stine to Appear in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Starring Nicholas Chavez
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Gay or straight…sooner or later they will break up…without some angst in their life they will stagnate and become boring unless you can write them and make like Tom and Alice, Chris and Nancy or Mike and Nancy who did have some minor marriage difficulties but their marriages last many many years and never bored me…can Will and Sonny last as long…maybe but i doubt it…mho!!!
The three i mention just happen to be my favorite long lasting couples: Days Mickey and Maggie are my favorite Days couple together as well even if they did remarry(didnt Tom and Alice remarry)…Doug and Julie were daytimes best supercouple(even if they remarried as well)…imb!!!(in my book)…Sonny and Will would have to last just as long but they are very interesting…why cant other couples on all the soaps be written that way…?
I’m happy that the show has made Will and Sonny a stable couple.However eventually they will have to give Will and Sonny some problems to deal with as a couple and individuals.I’m not saying to break Will and Sonny up anytime soon but they need to be treated like any other couple.Plus the show could give them some real life issues to deal with.For example Will and Sonny could try to get a bigger place to live and run into bigotry.Plus with Gabi going Will and Sonny could run into problems raising Arianna Grace on their own.
I think they are a great couple and I root for them but I dont think they are the most important couple on daytime . Days is in solid standing on nbc and signed thru the very least for the next 3 years . ABC is the scary villain in the room that would love to drop the dominoes for soap operas. I think the most important couple on daytime is the soon to be epic love story of Carlos and Sabrina . It has so many twists and turns and finally put a latino couple front and center
I think the best thing that DAYS can do for gays and straights everywhere is to give Will and Sonny messed up lives like anybody else! Don’t treat them differently because they’re gay. Treat them like all soap couples. DON’T PLAY BY THE RULES OF LGBT! Play by soap rules! DAYS is a soap opera, not a soapbox!!!
You said it best, LOL..I agree with you 100%..If Will and Sonny stay together it will spell BORINGVILLE..All couples need challenges and slings/arrows thrown their ways to make them exciting.
I love will and sonny whatever they choose to do days is just a joy to watch for this story and for all the stories I just love days!!!!!!!!!
Will has sworn to never be like his mom, and if he stays the course that means Sonny is the one who will stray. I hope they do it with taste. 😉
I love Sonny and Will. This has been one of the best and most important storylines that Days has ever done. I was so glad and thrilled that they did a gay storyline. With that said, I want Sonny and Will to stay together but to keep drama going they will have to face challenges that couples face on soaps, but I want them to keep working it out as a couple .
There is absolutely nothing realistic about Will and Sonny. They are not indicative or representative of the gay community in any way. They are written as a straight couple. When people talk about “gay stereotypes” there is really no such thing. It is not wrong or a lie to depict a flamboyant effininate gay person on television because there are a lot of them out there. I know many gay people and none of them act like Will and Sonny. It is very hard to do an apt portrayal of the gay lifestyle on daytime t.v. though. It’s a little easier on cable. But it’s a soap opera and we don’t watch for reality. We watch for fantasy and escapism. Will and Sonny are the fairy tale romance that the gay community wants to see and to that end they succeed in what they are doing. If it helps DAYS ratings I say keep the fairy tale going strong!! Even though I fast forward through all of the Wilson scenes, I feel that Days is the one show that keeps romance alive with their other couples like Eric/Nicole, JJ/Paige, Jennifer/Daniel, even Sami and EJ if you can call that a romance. I wish the other soaps would remember that romance is what soaps were about when they were HUGE in the ratings. They weren’t about nearly incestuous intermingling like Bold and Beautiful. They weren’t about violence and villains running rampant like General Hospital.
Have to agree with Johnny on this one – they are not depicted in a realistic
manner. I take into account that it’s a soap, but they are at times a little sickeningly sweet. I realize that it’s important to show them in a positive light
and that they are role models in a way, but the writers, if they want to add some degree of realism, need to show one of them maybe catching the eye of a mysterious stranger in town or doing something not so Saintly. The fact that practically “the whole town” was in favor of their marriage is also, unfortunately, not terribly representative of Society’s overview in general, albeit it would be nice if that were true.
I completely agree.Maybe the show could introduce one of Sonny’s exes.I’m not saying to break up Will and Sonny but maybe through his ex we learn something about Sonny’s past that we didn’t know before and it doesn’t put Sonny in the best light either.Will has done things in his past he regrets.So the same could be said about Sonny.I also have no issue with the show keeping Will and Sonny a happy couple but they still have to give them problems and let them deal with them together.
So Noah and Luke weren’t young?
Kyle and Fish didn’t live in Smalltown, USA?
Bianca didn’t get married (even if that storyline was horribly handled)?
The fact that none of the other daytime soaps that paved the way for all the “groundbreaking” Days is apparently doing were mentioned is a bit ridiculous.
Agreed. It’s like calling Lucas-Brad-Felix the first gay triangle on soaps. Um, no. Kyle-Fish-Nick on OLTL. I guess soap fans have short memories.
I couldn’t agree more with this article. Although I do agree that Will and Sonny are not an accurate representation of the majority of gay couple’s or gay people in general’s lifestyle, their situation is one to aspire to. I’m 31 and have been with my same sex male partner for 10 years, we are now married and live a perfectly ‘normal’ life, we have straight friends and gay friends and most of our gay friends live quite different lifestyles to ours but my husband and I chose to live the way we live, I suppose you might call it ‘traditional’ married life and Wilson show others that they can too, not that I criticise the way others live their lives, each to their own, but it does annoy me that some people think that monogamy doesn’t exist in the gay world.
I find this daytime couple to be nauseating. I have not grown to like nu-Will. I’m not sure why, I just don’t care for the recast. I fast forward through most of their scenes. I feel the same way about Brady and Theresa. I can’t stand Theresa; and it’s not that I love to hate her; I just hate the character. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. Daniel and Jennifer are very boring. Daniel needs a really hot, sexy woman, not Jennifer. I really can’t wait to see Eileen Davidson as Kristen Dimera to return. I absolutely adore Kristen. I also love the character of Kate Roberts. The actress is incredibly beautiful and talented. I love her raw honesty.
I agree regarding Theresa, the writers are making her too “one dimensional” and not allowing any layers to be hinted at. What made her this way? She admits to being a bitch but we don’t know why. A flashback of a tormented childhood might give us some insight on why she’s so determined to be rotten to the core. I do notice on the show (and soaps in general) that people are either complete Saints (Jennifer) or completely bitchy and manipulative (Theresa) and few characters are a little of both.
As a gay man, I like the portrayal of WilSon as just a normal couple-not stereotypically flamboyant like so many other shows depict gay/bisexual men. Not that there is anything wrong with that, or that flamboyant gay/bi men don’t exist (they do), but I like also seeing manly gay/bi men, or just ‘normal’ gay/bi men, like me, who aren’t really overly flamboyant or overly masculine. I do like their marriage and them raising the child. However, the show does need to add some drama/spice into their relationship. As far as the positives go, they are being treated like any straight soap couple. The same needs to happen for the negatives. Not necessarily infidelity or anything that serious that splits them up, but some shocking secret about Sonny’s past being revealed, an interloper who wants to steal away Will (or Sonny) but has no reciprocated feelings, much like Chloe last year trying to get with Daniel. I know that next week, Will finds out Sonny knew about Gabi hiring Andrew, and that is sure to bring in some drama. Maybe have a relative of Sonny’s or Will’s disapprove of their sexual orientation.
Well as we now know there is trouble in the relationship since Will’s article came out. The fact that Sonny was able to help Will get his foot in the door for becoming a published author didn’t sit we with Will. I just hope he remembers all Sonny did for him and in fact, it was Will’s writing that got him the job, Sonny just held open a door for Will to go through. I want this couple to last. yes they will have problems but they will need to work through them like any other couple. They are an amazing couple and so sweet to watch. Will is a bit young acting at times. He is tempermental but cools when shown that he wasn’t right in what he assumed. Sonny can’t and isn’t always right but that is what makes them both so lovable…imo. So I say “Keep going guys. Remember what brought you together and let’s keep it together!”