Days Of Our Lives
More With Melissa Archer Video Interview & Behind The Scenes At Her DAYS Digs!
Photo Credit: MF Soaps, Inc.
Yesterday, we posted at On-Air On-Soaps our brand new feature interview with Days of our Lives newest arrival, former One Life to Live favorite, Melissa Archer.
The fiery redhead is now Salem’s Serena Mason, who comes to town for a multitude of reasons as the story begins to reveal itself. But chief among those reasons is to see if she can rekindle the flame between herself and Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan). Only from the looks of it, she’s got a major roadblock already… Nicole Walker! (Arianne Zucker)
In addition to the chat you read, we also sat down for an on-camera conversation with more of the interview with Melissa where she discusses the difficulties in making a new on-screen love story when there has been no history prior to that played on screen, what it’s like working with Greg Vaughan and Arianne Zucker, how she got the role of Serena on DAYS, and lots of fun moments.
After the video chitchat, Melissa and Michael Fairman went on tour of her new DAYS digs! From Melissa’s dressing room, to an impromptu conversation in the hallway with Arianne Zucker, to chatting about dressing Melissa from DAYS costume designer Richard Bloore, to meeting up with DAYS make-up artist Jeremy in the hair and make-up room, we got our own mini-tour of this former Llanview residents new soap home!
Now after the jump watch our sit-down video interview with Melissa, and then our behind-the-scenes visit at Days of our Lives with her! Then share your thoughts: Are you willing to give Eric and Serena’s romance a try to see if you will come to root for the couple? Do you want Nicole with Eric, no matter what? Are you happy to see Melissa in her new digs? Comment below!
OMG! I LOOOVED THIS! Thank you so much for the interview and tour.
Love having MA in Salem. DOOL is my favorite soap since OLTL’s sad demise. Seeing Melissa and Kassie, along with all of the Day’s vets just makes my day. Looking forward to seeing all the upcoming storylines.
Would love to see AZ’s Nicole and MA’s Serena become besties. Nicole needs a friend. I’ll buy the martinis.
Absolutely…..
I liked Melissa on OLTL, but so far I am loving her on DAYS…I know I am in the minority. I am willing to give her and Eric a chance. I am over Eric and Nicole anyway. Not that I want Nicole and Daniel together…no prefer Nicole with Brady. Also, can we assume that since Serena mentioned her mother that her Mom may be on the way to Salem? If so, please Corday I know that it may be tempting to seek out Erika Slezak, and I adore her, but please go after Marj Dusay instead! Lure her out of retirement. She would be awesome on this show!
I wouldnt mind Robin Strasser as Serena’s mom…Robin should play Lee Dumonde who was involved with Stephano in the early 1980s and is Dougs ex wife…Serena could turn out to be Lee and Stephanos daughter…and with Doug and Julie back in Salem could make for great drama…Erika should be Jens mom Laura and Jerry Ver Dorn should be Jens dad Bill Horton…Marj Dusay could play Linda Anderson, the biological mother of Maggies daughter Melissa…Linda could come to Salem looking for another daughter she gave up for adoption who turns out to be Nicole…Faye Walker whom Nicole thought was her mother couldve worked as a maid for Linda and adopted Nicole after Linda put her up for adoption???
I’m already in the process of giving her a chance and I am not disappointed. Basically, I just like her character. She’s strong, doesn’t take crap, and she’s doing a fantastic job of creating a sense of history with Greg Vaughn’s Eric. I know Greg seemed to give the impression he wasn’t fully on board with this wrapped in a bow relationship, but I hope he knows that he and Melissa have a nice chemistry and if he would just let go a little more in his scenes with her (he’s always so damned reserved), there could be some major sparks. There have been two or three scenes with Serena, where Eric briefly felt really alive – and then he goes back to that bottle-with-a-stopper-in-it control that tends to stifle chemistry.
And no, i don’t want Eric with Nicole. The idea of that story and their history was interesting, but ultimately, there was no chemistry between them.
Even if Eric doesn’t wind up with Serena, I like her and think she would work with just about any man on the show – Brady perhaps (and send Melanie over JJ’s way), or I even see a spark with Daniel (who I think hasn’t worked with any woman outside of Kristen).
Can I be of any assistance of MA/DAYS? I can paint her dressing room door and any other doors at DAYS…free of charge!
No, nothing against her personally. But Eric and Nicole belong together. No natural chemistry between Serena and Eric in my eyes.
And I am not a fan of insta or forced fed pairings, all this “happened of camera’ doesn’t make me as an audience member become invested.
Ericole had real build and amazing chemistry, they made us care by making us a part of their journey. As opposed to the show now just *telling* us we should care and having other characters prop them and say how wonderful she is.
Also I have no interest in investing in another reelationship for Eric atm when he has been shown to be unforgiving and not loving unconditionally.
He needs some growth….
And the writers need to finish what they started with ericole, ans deserved better than them being suddenly dropped.
Perhaps they can screen test M.A with E.M or G.G….because I don’t see any natural click with G.V JMO….
Nicole and Eric all the way no matter what. . . and soon!
GV and MA have good chemistry. But this whole romance-off-camera as their backstory is not working for me. I need to see the romance unfold for myself, not be told by two characters, one of whom I’ve never seen before, how wonderful they were as a couple. I’m not a big Ericole fan. That’s not what’s motivating me here. I would like to see two characters meet, fall in love and develop a relationship slowly, and not be thrown together this quickly with so many characters on the show singing the praises of Serena instead of me making my own mind up about her. It’s a hard-sell and I resent it. I wish DOOL had written a different story for Serena, or better yet, had made her a legacy character. Fans actually do value history on this show and creating Serena Mason, who apparently has a strained relationship with her mom, is making me yawn. I’d rather see more Hortons, more Bradys and more Kirikias than a newbie and probably down the line, her mom.
Eric and Nicole are always the best!
Although I agree if the ladies want to be friends.
I love Eric and Nicole together. They are my favorite couple on the show, and the main reason I watch.
Sorry but I wont have it any other way.
Eric and Nicole are unfinished and I won’t like Eric in another relationship till he lets go of his hate for nicole.
I ove Melissa Archer on DAYS. She brings a great energy and is so refreshing. Serena and Eric have great chemistry. Eric and Nicole were so dull. I can’t wait to see what her REAL reason for being in Salem is.
I love the interview with Melissa, and seeing her interact with AZ was nice as well.
Eric and Serena are gorgeous together, and I’m enjoying their interactions so far.
Melissa Archer has never been better. Frankly, I got tired of her Natalie on OLTL – though I NEVER got tired of OLTL. I’m really enjoying her mature, sexy, older character on Days, and she’s the best thing that’s happened to Eric in forever.
I love Nicole and wish Show would realize what gold they have in this actress.
But she and the actor playing Eric have no fire at all IMO. Find Nicole somebody better ASAP.
Such a joy to see her back on screen. She is lovely and I’ve missed her!! Yay!
Love the behind the scenes interview! Give us more of these Michael. So happy to see Melissa on Days. It is as close to OLTL as we can get at this point.
Good interview, Melissa seems sweet and lovely. I like her character so much, excited to see more from her. She looks like the type that would rock any of Salem’s eligible bachelors’ world, sexy, gorgeous and feisty and sure she would work with any of them, like Brady. I’m for Eric and Serena and don’t care that I didn’t see the backstory romance develop onscreen. It’s more than happening for me now, Eric and Serena gel together and are great. They are a beautiful pair. So over Nicole and Eric, they did nothing for me and were depressing. This thing with Serena and Eric is light and refreshing and Serena makes Eric sparkle and I’ve never seen him smile so much. Nicole needs to find somebody new who gets her. Would like to see her and Nicole become friends eventually one day.
I am not interested in seeing Eric with anyone, but Nicole. I hope they take Serena in another direction, but until they do I will not be watching her character with Eric. Nicole and Eric have great chemistry and I hope they fix them VERY soon!
I love Melissa Archer as Serena! I did not know if I would, but she’s great. She has great chemistry with Greg Vaughan! I think she would have great chemistry with other men, too. I agree with the posters above. Nicole and Eric were sooo blah together.
Michael! I love this interview and so glad you got to take us BTS at days. We rarely get to see the secret happenings only you can bring us. So fun that Ari stopped by and also a peek into wardrobe! You rock Michael…now try to sneak in on some Jarlena action while you are there 😉
xo
I love Melissa but is it just me or would she not be better paired with Eric Martsof??? I know they are friends in real life and to me Brady and Serena would be so exciting, electric and passionate together
That would be a great way to go too. She’s sexy, he’s sexy and I think their characters would work together. Better than him and Melanie for sure.
Enjoyed the interview, it was cool seeing her and AZ. Bring on Nicole vs Serena! Melissa Archer has been a great addition and I love Serena so far. Can’t wait to see all parts of Serena! She and Eric are so different from him and Nicole and I am loving the difference! I can’t stop smiling when they’re together in scenes. She’s dynamite and he’s smitten and it shows.
She is a nice addition to the show, but sorry I don’t see or feel the chemistry between Eric and Serena. They need to put Nicole and Eric back.
I believe Eric’s happiness in love is ultimately with Nicole. They are good for each other. Right now, don’t want to get into all the reasons why I believe that.
However, I am also enjoying Eric with Serena right now. It brings a breath of fresh air into the Eric-Nicole story. I think the writers wrote themselves into a corner with the “Nicole hides evidence from Eric” plot. Bringing in Serena is a nice way to create time to rethink the Eric-Nicole relationship – if there is to be one.
The “I can’t forgive Nicole” thing is not working for me because it is not being properly dealt with. Eric must come to the realization that Nicole is the reason he can no longer be celibate. Celibacy is at the root of Eric’s frustration! In time, the writers need to address this issue head on and do it justice.
In the meantime, I am enjoying the journey to wherever the Eric-Nicole-Serena story ends up. I hope the writers get this one right.
I like Melissa as Serena. Happy for her getting a job in Salem and wish her the best.
Hey Michael! Thanks for such a great interview & tour! I absolutely am a huge fan of Melissa’s! She is doing an awesome job. I haven’t watched Days since the 70s, and started watching since Melissa came on to the show! She is doing a great job as usual, and love that her character is so strong & gorgeous! Love her & GV together. Hope they continue on with this couple, as the mysteries unfold.
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the full list of nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, and it was CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless and broadcast television newest soap opera, Beyond the Gates that racked up the most nominations with 18 and 16, respectively.
The full reveal on Tuesday follows the announcement of several major categories including Lead Actor and Actress on Monday via Extra and Entertainment Tonight and The View today revealing Daytime Drama Series and more.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys ceremony is set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
Photo: CBS
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS expressed, “We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television, As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
“Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion, and dedication that drive this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, Head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Congratulations to this year’s nominees, whose work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements in Hollywood this October.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Gold & Silver Circle Inductees, and ceremony host will be announced at a later date.
Now below, check out the nominees in the daytime drama, talk show, entertainment news series and creative arts categories and congratulations to all!
Photo: JPI
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Stacy Haiduk (as Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives
Karla Mosley (as Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Michelle Stafford (as Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless
Heather Tom (as Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tamara Tunie (as Anita Williams Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman), The Young and the Restless
Steve Burton (as Jason Morgan), General Hospital
Scott Clifton (as Liam Spencer), The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye (as Ridge Forrester), The Bold and the Beautiful
Christian Jules Le Blanc (as Michael Baldwin), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Linsey Godfrey (as Sarah Horton), Days of Our Lives
Camryn Grimes (as Mariah Copeland), The Young and the Restless
Beth Maitland (as Traci Abbott), The Young and the Restless
Trisha Mann-Grant (as Leslie Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Amanda Setton (as Brook Lynn Quartermaine), General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Sean Dominic (as Nate Hastings), The Young and the Restless
Timon Kyle Durrett (as Bill Hamilton), Beyond the Gates
Michael Graziadei (as Daniel Romalotti), The Young and the Restless
Roger Howarth (as Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Mike Manning (as Bradley “Smitty” Smith), Beyond the Gates
Lawrence Saint-Victor (as Carter Walton), The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner (as Emma Scorpio-Drake), General Hospital
Al Calderon (as Javier Hernandez), Days of Our Lives
Alice Halsey (as Rachel Black), Days of Our Lives
Giovanni Mazza (as Gio Palmieri), General Hospital
Ambyr Michelle (as Eva Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Arielle Prepetit (as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke (as June Hughes), Beyond the Gates
Jeff Kober (as Cyrus Renault), General Hospital
Eva LaRue (as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez), General Hospital
Christopher Sean (as Paul Narita), Days of Our Lives
Ray Wise (as Ian Ward), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
TODAY With Jenna & Friends
The View
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri Shepherd, Sherri
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
Outstanding Daytime Personality (Daily)
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour, Extra
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones & Corey Jovan, Divorce Court
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — An Entertainment Tonight Special
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working In the Theatre
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime
Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Let Frankie Cook,” Getting the Band Back Together
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates, Episode 104
The Bold and the Beautiful,” Episode 9511
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”
The Jennifer Hudson Show, ” Episode 4041
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
General Hospital, Episode 15719
The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Episode 5033
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13273
So, what do you think of the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations? Who are you happy to see receive a nomination and who do you think was snubbed? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.
Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.
Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
It’s Daytime Emmy nomination week, and as previously reported things kick-off on Monday, July 13 when Entertainment Tonight (7pm ET) will announce the nominees for Lead Actress category and Daytime Talk Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition on Monday, Extra (7pm ET) will reveal the nominees for Lead Actor and Daytime Talk Host.
On Tuesday, The View (11am ET) starts things off with their announcement of Daytime Drama, Entertainment News program and Outstanding Daytime Personality-Daily. That is followed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) full reveal of all the categories beginning at 12noon ET/9am PT on their website and their official social handles on X and Instagram.
Then, Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT join Michael Fairman as he hosts his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he will chat with some of the just announced nominees as we celebrate the hard work of the men and women in front of the camera who will be going for gold.
WHEN ARE THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
This year, the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on October 30 in ceremonies in Hollywood, California (Venue yet to be revealed). At that time, as like last year, both the major categories and creative arts will be presented. There is no word yet on a broadcast partner for the annual celebration of daytime programming, or if it will soley be streamed on NATAS’ watch.theemmys.tv and various apps and platforms.
WHO WILL BE APPEARING ON THE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINATIONS SPECIAL 2026?
Throughout Tuesday, keep an eye on Michael Fairman TV’s social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram, for updates of who will be expected to appear on our live show.
If you have a question or comment for one of the nominees, or on the nominations, we can encourage you to join us in the live chat on Tuesday night.
So, who are you hoping lands a nomination from Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Let us know via the comment section. More Tuesday!
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GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
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