Days Of Our Lives
Ron Carlivati Reveals When Days of our Lives Episodes From His Head Writing Regime Resume Streaming
Days of our Lives viewers have not been watching material from head writer Ron Carlivati and his writing team for many months. Well, things are about to change.
Circle this Friday, May 31st when the first new script from Carlivati and company will stream on the Peacock soap opera. If you recall, Carlivati had to step away from the writing gig at DAYS due to the writer’s strike, but because the soap tapes at least seven months ahead of air, it is only now that fans will see how the stories shift or finish out that were started by Carlivati.
According to Ron’s conversation with TV Insider, when Carlivati and his team resumed writing the show in late October of 2023, the stories were already written well into 2024. Carlivati explained, “For me, as of us talking right now, the (replacement writers’ material) is still airing, so that has been very tough. I’m just very anxious and eager for our stuff to start airing again.”
Photo: JPI
Ron explained before the writer’s strike, he and his scribes had written up through the 2023 Thanksgiving episodes. Speaking on how the replacement writers tried to handle stepping in for the regular team, Ron expressed, “I think what they tried to do was move things slowly in the hopes that the strike would end and respect where my storylines were so that I could play them off when we came back. Unfortunately, the strike dragged on, so I understand that the show needed to make story decisions.”
The award-winning writer made clear that, “from January to May (2024), those were not my stories. I had nothing to do with those.”
Having lived through a writer’s strike before (when he was at One Life to Live in 2008), Carlivati explained how he dealt with coming back and adjusting the stories including that the plan was to, “blow things up, jettison anything that I did not like, and get back to a show that I understand and can enjoy and tell. ”
Photo: JPI
Look for a Carlivati-style ‘wink-wink’ on Friday’s episode. As he puts it, “I did want to make it clear that this was the line of demarcation, that the writers were back and there was a change happening. We have a little nod or two to what was going on in the first day and I think it will be very obvious and clear to the savvy viewer. Luckily, story-wise, certain things were coming to a head already.”
Photo: JPI
Stay tuned for how Ron resolves a Sloan and Nicole showdown, how Eric will find out he is Jude’s true baby daddy, what happens when the new Gabi returns from Salem from out of the slammer, the Maggie/Konstantin wedding, payback time for Theresa and more.
In addition, and as previously reported, when Carlivati returned, he crafted the series 15,000th episode which is set to air in early December, and will also pay tribute to the late Bill Hayes with the passing of his on-screen beloved character, Doug Williams.
So, glad to know Ron and his team’s material will start to reveal itself this Friday and moving forward on DAYS? Comment below.
Never understood taping so far in advance. If a storyline is a bust they can’t do course corrections for almost a year. Maybe they should just take 5 months off and not tape that they can do what others do and tape 6-8 weeks.
Apparently, it has to do with cost-saving measures. But that doesn’t make sense to me either because if that were the case, all soaps would do it.
DAYS needs a complete overhaul, anyway. None of the current stories are interesting to me, many of the characters are insufferable (Konstantin, Theresa, Sloan), and many of the characters I really liked (Ben, Ciara, Shawn, Belle, Abigail, soon to be Nicole) are not on the canvas. Hopefully this change in pace will be a good thing for the show.
If you tape that far in advance, you can do a lot of the OTHER production stuff in batches, as opposed to producing and finalizing each episode, one after the other, in real time.
This is an imperfect analogy, but think of it like making a new lunch every day vs. making them in advance each month. Yes, it means sacrifices (you won’t have as many fresh/perishable things,you can’t change things up if you find you get sick of a specific meal, etc.) BUT it also means you can save by buying things in bulk at Costco rather than going to the store daily/weekly. It means you can spend a hard weekend getting 30 meals ready vs. having to make time each day to do it, etc. (This is especially important in production, where certain roles are paid by the day, whether they work all day or just part of one, and doing things in batches vs. daily can be the difference between having to hire full-time employees to do a job — which is very expensive – vs. hiring people to do the work as a project when you have enough work for them and letting them go off and do other work in the meantime, which is much cheaper.)
It’s not ideal for several reasons, but it is much, much cheaper. DAYS has a far, far lower budget than the other soaps (which is why they reuse sets more often and refresh them less often, and no longer shoot outside). That’s why you don’t see the same issues on other shows. DAYS had to cut and cut just to get renewed and found something that worked for them, striking the balance.
Believe me, every person on DAYS would love to go back to a conventional schedule for many reasons (though I suspect they do enjoy the longer dark periods and time away that I’ve heard comes with this schedule) but most are resigned this is what was needed to save the show. I respect that, as I really do want to see the show stick around.
yeah, but the other soaps have something resembling a budget and they’re not so desperate to save money. Days is. The other shows clearly feel that they’d rather save money somewhere else, given the choice. Days does not have that choice.
The problem with the 5-month off suggestion is that cast and crew have to get paid or released from their contracts (laid off).
DAYS had the easy solution to this in 2020 when all TV production shut down for 4 months. Instead of adjusting the pace of shooting then, they were able to get to a 7-month advance in short time.
GH, can be at a max is 8 weeks ahead (prior to summer and winter breaks) and occasionally airs some scenes 3 weeks after shooting.
Having several months of episodes in the can should have been used to their advantage during the strike, and they should have just used up those episodes and taken a few months off, rather than use scab writers at all. Days, of course, was able to keep new episodes on the air during the 2020 COVID shutdown, and in the end, only had to do about two weeks of reruns before resuming production, though the last few weeks before that had epsiodes that were “padded” heavily with flashbacks, even some scenes that aired more than once in the same episode.
On the other horn, we’re seeing baby swaps and DID stories in Salem right now. Those aren’t ReRon’s writing??
They aren’t. He knows what people are thinking, which is why, I think, he’s making very clear he had scripts written through Thanksgiving and outlines through Christmas, but everything from early January to today, plotwise, was the scab writers.
When he returned he had weeks of scripts that were already in progress in terms of shooting/production. At best, he could make a few tweaks. His and the true writing team’s stuff starts tomorrow.
It’s easy to credit a writer we love or blame a writer we don’t for stuff we like or don’t. But put simply — and legally: union contracts are no joke and people don’t work at all when they are on strike, not even “behind the scenes” — the stuff from January to today was scab plot and dialogue and Friday is when Ron’s plotting resumes (though even that will have to involve him transitioning out of the existing stories, and working with the cast/contracted actors already in place, as when a new writer takes over).
I’d expect pure Ron stories to start in six weeks or so, by then some contract cycles will be up and Zucker and Burton’s non-story dictated exits will be handled (allowing for the characters on the canvas to start shifting) and all the previous stories will be wrapped up (even if they have repercussions), giving him a clear runway.
I love Mr. Carlivati as a writer but to be honest I liked a lot of the replacement writers work. It was less camp, more generational, slower paced and more adult. I loved the EJ Nicole relationship and the Holly Nicole Brady Tate Theresa parenting vibes as well as the Holly Tate story. It was great to see teens on the soap again. Great to see less Kristen. I even like the Maggie Constantine story because we get to see mature actors in a real storyline other than worrying about their adult children and being clueless. So I hope he doesn’t come in and whack all of the replacement writers work just because he can and because he hates the scabs and because it will only alienate the fans.
Doug Marland once said as newly hired soap writer you should take your time before you make a lot of dramatic changes because what you think on first glance may not be working the fans may have different ideas. I know this is a different situation but i cannot lie some of their work was good. The times are grim and we all want a return to more realistic, intergenerational family drama.
I agree with you on a lot, but the show was too slow for me, too repetitive, and weeks went by where nothing of significance happened. The scabs also didn’t use or refer to history as much as they could have (a strength of Ron’s) and missed some big opportunities, such as making the burning and rebuilding of the Horton house a non-event.
Holly and Nicole has been interesting and I agree completely about the value of intergenerational storytelling. But I would like a little more plot and payoff. If Ron can strike a balance, I’d prefer him.
Can’t wait for Ron’s material to start airing again. For the most part, the last several months have been kind of rough to watch. I’m anxious to see Xander finally learn the truth about being Victor’s true son and heir, kick Alex to the curb and make Theresa pay for her conspiracy with Konstantin, including kidnapping his daughter. I also want Shane to find out how she betrayed his trust wnen she tampered with Victor’s will after he left it with her. Nothing against EOB, but this character, IMO, has been completely ruined. I find her unwatchable. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I’d rather see Gwen return. I found her much more interesting.
Rumor down here in Hell is that Xander’s mother will be coming to Salem for his wedding, and obviously she will know the truth about who his father was. I’m thinking she may not be aware that Victor intended to tell the truth about being Xander’s father in his final will & testament, but when she gets to town and finds out that Alex is passing himself off as the heir, things will “click” in her mind and she will realize her son’s being cheated.
They went to the trouble of burning the Horton House in order to buy a new couch? At least they pretended to rebuild the house and not move them into that three wall condo/bedroom set that everyone else lives in.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Favorites Making Returns: Alison Sweeney, Christie Clark, Chandler Massey and Bryan Dattilo
Great news for Days of Our Lives fans, now that Ryan Quan is co-head writer of the long-running soap opera. Coming in June of 2027 (since DAYS tapes ten or so months ahead), you can look forward to the returns of Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady), Christie Clark (Carrie Brady), Chandler Massey (Will Horton) and Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton).
The foursome is back on set and began last week to tape their upcoming story arc, according to TV Insider. As to what exactly is going on that brings sister Sami and Carrie’s history back up, as well as Will and Lucas’ is only being teased at this time, but suffice to say, it should be intriguing.
Alison Sweeney explained on being back on set, “It was a lot of dialogue and emotion, but with all the best actors to work opposite, we fell into it as if no time had passed. It was really wonderful.”
Photo: JPI
As to working with the longstanding rivalry of Sami and Carrie, Alison added on working with Clark, “So, it really does feel like we’re sisters. It’s so fun, and she’s such a good actor that she makes everything so natural that you can really disappear into those stories.”
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES
It also seems like the deep-history, which often had the sister fighting for the love of Austin Reed, but that might not figure into the equation this time, or will it?
Alison indicated what she thought of the scripts she was given. “I felt like when I read it, it was a page-turner. I was very excited. There’s a lot of history here, and a lot of things that haven’t been said. So, it’s really not like, ‘Oh, rehashing stuff.’ And now having played some of the scenes, I’m psyched.” Sweeney added, as for the men, working again with her on-screen son, Chandler Massey and Will’s on-screen father Bryan Dattilo, was also extra special.
The last time DAYS viewers saw Sami on the canvas was back in November of 2025, when she revealed she has gotten engaged to never-before-seen Dante Vitali. As for Clark, she last visited Salem for the episodes surrounding John Black’s memorial in June of 2025.
Chandler Massey’s Will Horton last made a visit to Salem in November of 2025 when he attended the gala for the Tom Horton Free Clinic as part of the soap opera’s 60th anniversary celebration. Bryan Dattilo was last seen in December of 2025. So, by the time we see all four again it will be close to two years since they were on new episodes of the series. Time to look forward to June of 2027.
So, excited by the news of Alison, Christie, Chandler and Lucas making a return to Days of Our Lives? What do you think the story will be involving, Sami, Carrie, Lucas and Will? Let us know via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Alum Al Calderon Talks On His Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes as Javi Hernandez (Exclusive)
Last Tuesday, Al Calderon scored the first Emmy nomination of his career for his role as Javi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives.
Calderon name was announced as one of the performers competing for gold in the Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on October 30.
This week, Calderon chatted live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel for a one-on-one conversation where he discussed: his nominated scenes and time on the Peacock streaming soap opera, his decision to leave DAYS, his role of Nico Silva on Brilliant Minds and its sad cancellation, plus his passing the torch of Javi to Jacob Martinez, who took over the role on-screen on the June 30, 2026 episode of Days of Our Lives.
Photo: JPI
JAVI REVEALS TO LEO THAT HE HAD A DAUGHTER WHO DIED
Al revealed the scenes that comprise his now Emmy-nominated reel have at its epicenter the heartbreaking moments from the September 12, 2025 episode. In it, Javi shares for the first time to Leo (Greg Rikaart) that he had a daughter named Solana, with a woman he was seeing named Sylvia. One fateful day, Sylvia left their child in a car when she went to work and the little girl died. Javi had blamed himself for not being the parent to take his daughter to school that day since he was hungover the night before, therefore it opened up the opportunity for something to happen to the his child, and it did.
The multi-talented actor/singer explained his reel: “It was the scene where he is talking about his daughter to Leo. I also included the scene where Javi goes to talk to Melinda (Tina Huang) and to see if it would be a viable option to adopt, because I wanted to introduce the subtlety and nuance of why Javi kind of has this whole connection to Tesoro, in a way.”
It is true that Al can bring the tears and make us cry right along with him during his run as Javi. To that, Calderon added, “I’ve read the comments that I’m a little bit of a crybaby, so I didn’t want the entire reel to be of me crying, but I wanted it to show a little bit of an emotional range of the restraint that Javi was feeling so I included that scene
In addition Calderon shared, “I also included a really beautiful scene with Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez, DAYS) where I’m looking at photos of Tesoro, and of course, Javi is crying. I just wanted to show the relationship between Javi and his family as well, and as I mentioned the reveal of the child that he lost.”
Photo: JPI
ALUMS AL CALDERON AND ALICE HALSEY REPRESENT DAYS OF OUR LIVES IN EMERGING TALENT CATEGORY
In a twist of fate, Calderon is also nominated in the Emerging Talent category with Alice Halsey who played Rachel Black. Halsey is currently starring in the reboot of Little House on the Prairie in the lead role of Laura Ingalls on Netflix.
As to his hope on Emmy night, Al expressed, “Of course, I want to win, but Alice Halsey is going to give me a run for the money. And if’s not me (who wins the award), it better be her!”
You can check out the full interview with Al below.
Now let us know, do you remember Al’s emotional scenes when he explained to Leo he had a daughter who died, which made it all the more heartbreaking to not end up with permanent custody of Tesoro? What do you think of Al’s chances to win the gold based on his Emmy scene selection? Do you miss him as Javi? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
Emily O’Brien Talks On Her Y&R Past as Jana Hawkes and Working with Peter Porte on ‘Days of Our Lives’
On the latest edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart which dropped on Tuesday, July 21, Emily O’Brien is the featured guest. As soap fans know, Emily has worked with Rikaart both in her first soap role on The Young and the Restless as Jana Hawkes and now on Days of Our Lives in her current role of Gwen Rizczech.
While Emily continues on DAYS, she has very impressive list of credits in the other part of her career as a voice-over actress and one in motion-capture in some of the most popular video games in the world.
O’Brien was first seen on The Young and the Restless back in 2006. She recalled her landing the role which eventually paired her for her five year run with Greg Rikaart.
Photo: JPI
BEING CAST ON THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
“The role was just a few days and she wasn’t even supposed to be English,” Emily recalled. “The role was originally called Jade. Karen Rae, the casting director of The Young and the Restless at the time said to me “Oh, you’re from England. Try it with the dialect.” I put it on and she said, ‘I’m going to bring you back at like 3 for s callback.’ So then they changed the role to Jana and they said she’s going to be a Brit. I was only supposed to be on for like five episodes and it turned into 5 years.”
In explaining why she loved crazy Jana, Emily shared, “Jana was sort of like the misanthrope. She was just was the odd one out and I loved it. I felt so comfortable playing that because she was just eclectic and weird and she loved playing with Ouija boards and she rode a motorbike. There was just so much color to bring to her. It was just such a great match to play with Greg (Kevin), and Christian LeBlanc (Michael) and Tracey Bregman (Lauren).
Photo: JPI
GWEN, DIMITRI AND LEO ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES
On Days of Our Lives, the Leo, Gwen, Dimitri dynamic is quite unique and been through many schemes and entanglements. Often Emily finds herself in repartee with her ex-lover, Dimitri, who turned out to be gay and then had a thing for her bestie, Leo (Greg Rikaart)!
During the conversation, Greg and Emily sang, Peter Porte’s praised with O’Brien expressing, “Peter is just ready to play. He comes on set prepared. I’ve never seen him with his script. From blocking and rehearsals, he doesn’t have it. He’s prepared. He’s a physical actor and he always trying to come up with something. I think he let me slap him. He let me kiss him. He let me throw a cheeseburger in his lap. He’s ready for anything for anything.”
You can catch the full episode of ‘Soapy; featuring Emily O’Brien below where the actress also talks about replacing Jen Lilley as Theresa Donovan after being let go as Gwen; and being paired again with Greg Rikaart on the Peacock streaming soap opera this time as best friends and more.
So, were you a big Jana Hawkes and Kevin Fisher fan on Y&R? Did you like them as a couple? Do you like the dynamic between Emily and Peter Porte and Greg Rikaart on DAYS? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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