Days Of Our Lives
Ron Carlivati Talks on Decision to Make Days of our Lives 15000th Episode About Doug’s Funeral, and Previews Chances for WGA Award
This week, Days of our Lives celebrated the taping of their 15,000th episode. In of it itself, that is an incredible accomplishment for the long-running soap opera currently streaming on Peacock.
However, this on set gathering was a bit different. Though the show is celebrating their achievement, they are also in the middle of taping scenes surrounding the death and the funeral of Doug Williams, played by the late Bill Hayes, who passed away on January 12th of this year at the age of 98.
As previously revealed many longtime favorites are back to honor Bill and the character of Doug including: Gloria Loring (Liz), Melissa Reeves (Jennifer), Matthew Ashford (Jack), Maree Cheatham (Marie), Victoria Konefal (Ciara) and Stephen Schnetzer (Steve) to name but a few.
Photo: JPI
Michael Fairman TV was in attendance and spoke with Days of our Lives head writer, Ron Carlivati to gain some insight into how the 15,000 episode was crafted and the decision to honor the character of Doug Williams and Bill Hayes as its epicenter. In addition, Ron weighed-in on this Sunday’s April 14th WGA (Writers Guild of America) Awards, where he and his writing team are facing off with General Hospital for the daytime drama prize. Here’s what Ron shared below.
Was this your idea to make the 15,000th episode centered around Doug’s funeral and passing?
RON: It was. When you’re looking at it, and laying out the calendar for the whole year and you see 15,000 is coming up, we’re like, “What are we going to do?” And then, we got the news that Bill had passed away and something kind of clicked. I was like, “We should honor Doug on that show.” So then, we started to kind of build around that … when does he pass away? How does he pass away? Who could come back? You know, it’s a lot. I’m very pleased with the returns that we got as there’s so much that you could do. We wanted everybody we could get. So, we put together a wish list and Janet Drucker (co-executive producer, Days of our Lives) made it happen.
Photo: JPI
You have Melissa Reeves back as Jennifer, when the role was last played by Cady McClain. What has it meant to have Missy back for these shows?
RON: It was so nice to see Missy Reeves. I think Cady has done such a good job, but on the 15,000th episode to see Missy as Jennifer, it’s a big deal. So having her was great, and overall, the milestone was a big undertaking, because you want to live up to it. You want the 15,000th episode to be good. Now, it has a lot of real emotion that you’re playing. because for the cast and the crew they’re honoring Bill Hayes just as much as we’re honoring Doug Williams.
Photo: JPI
Was it hard for you and the team to write this episode?
RON: Yes. I’ll tell you why it was hard to write. When I wrote, for example, Asa’s (Phillip Carey) death on One Life to Live or Victor’s (John Aniston) on DAYS, Asa is a different type of character. Like, you could have characters going, “Oh! I’m glad he is dead.” You could have different points of view, but with Doug, you’re not having that. Every person loves this man. No one had a bad relationship with him. So, you’re challenge as a writer is how do you make it that not everybody’s saying the same thing and doing the same thing. And so, we tried to find ways to make the episode about all the familial relationships and yet, how do you make it about Doug and yet broaden the scope.
Photo: JPI
I had spoken to Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), a week after Bill’s memorial, for an interview. She said that she felt very fortunate that you did include her on discussions of how you would tackle Doug’s passing. How did that conversation go?
RON: First, I attended Bill’s funeral, which was incredible. I said to so many people it was an emotional service, but it was hard to be sad at this. The guy had an incredible life and it was an incredible celebration. And so, you’re sitting there watching this knowing that you now have to write something similar. And how do you write something that lives up to what you just witnessed? I wanted to talk to Susan to get her thoughts about, you know, how much do you want this to be about keeping Bill separate from Doug. How comfortable are you sharing your grief. She was incredible to talk to. It was a great chat.
You’re in the middle of taping these major scenes for the 15,000 episode to air in December. How do you think it’s going? Have you seen any of the scenes?
RON: I haven’t seeing anything. I mean, we were still making changes to the script up till this morning!
Photo: JPI
The Writers Guild Awards are this Sunday, April 14th and once again this year there are two daytime drama nominees, General Hospital and Days of our Lives. How are you feeling about your chances this year?
RON: It is often just GH and us in the category. I’ve won three years in a row, so I’m kind of feeling like it’s their turn.
Photo: JPI
What episodes did you submit for contention? If I recall, they had to do with Victor’s memorial.
RON: The episodes we submitted were centered around Victor’s funeral. I think one has story with Vivian (Louise Sorel). We had some fun stuff, we had some emotional stuff at Victor’s death, and I am pretty sure that our submission was three episodes right around that time.
Did you make the decision to go with those episodes because there was a mix of humor and drama?
RON: I like to have some humor, but it was also the funeral, then there’s Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) giving birth, and then Vivian’s crashing the reading of the will. So, we had a lot of fun and it’s hard sometimes to pick three that tell a story, as opposed to submitting for the Daytime Emmys, where the writing team only submits two shows. So, we shall see how it goes on Sunday.
Courtesy/Peacock
So, are you looking forward to the emotional 15,000th episode of Days of our Lives? Do you think DAYS will take home the WGA writing award for daytime dramas for the 4th year in a row? Comment below.
When are episodes written by Ron back on our screen And where is hope this all looks amazing but where is Kristian Alfonso
Looking forward to this. Really want Kristian Alfonso (Hope) and Peter Reckell (Bo) back for this.
If Kristian isn’t part of this then I’ll begin to wonder who has the problem. Is it her or the powers that be?
I am happy that we get Missy back.
I totally think that it is a Kristian thing and not Days of our lives. If I recall correctly when she said she was leaving she said she wasn’t planning on never coming back to Days of Our Lives and technically she hasn’t. She came back to the online version before there was always an online version like there is now and the other version isn’t in salem. I’m guessing she had a different deal for that and they’re not wanting to give her whatever she’s asking for and I think that’s bad on her. Especially for this show. I don’t watch online so I don’t know if both still in a coma so I can see why he’s not there. And she’s been with him in his coma for whatever so that’s no excuse. If everyone else can come back and even Allison Sweeney comes back once in awhile then this girl can do it too especially for this for an actor she worked with for years and I assume cared about.
I hope and pray you are all going to surprise the fans and still have Bo (Peter) and Hope (Kristian) back. To me it won’t be that great with out them. Hope is his daughter and she was always about family. Glad all the others are back now please bring Bope.
Ron is the only writer on daytime who loves soaps
Even though he screwed over a couple with his weird writing. (One life to Live , General Hospital)
Huh? Say what you may about Josh Griffin but GHs Mulcahey and Korte have been in the industry for decades – fairly certain they don’t hate the industry.
You may prefer Ron’s style, but that doesn’t mean the others don’t love the genre.
DAYS is the best! But currently too much Baby Mama Trauma. We need more LBQT positive stories! This is also The GAYS of Our Lives! Strong and PROUD! ️ from RICK DEMERIAKIS.
Strange that Ron C. is gay but wrote out all of the gay characters we cared about most (Sonny, Will, Paul) and left us with Leo.
While Ron does have a somewhat questionable past with gay characters (why was Dorian pretending to be a lesbian?). He did try with Kish but the network got uncomfortable. On GH, he brought back Lucas, but he (and writers that came after him) never mastered the character.
The Days Gays that are off canvas are likely more due to Corday/Allar than Ron.
Days Of Our Lives
Sheri Anderson, 3-Time Emmy Winner and Former Co-Head Writer of ‘Days of Our Lives’ to Chat Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
Sheri Anderson, the three-time Emmy-winning soap opera writer is set to be the special guest on Thursday, June 11 beginning at 7pm ET/4pm ET for a livestream chat on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
The veteran soap opera writer has previously been the co-head writer at Days of Our Lives along with an impressive list of writing credits and tenures at: General Hospital, Santa Barbara, Guiding Light, Another World and primetime’s Falcon Crest.
Throughout her decades long career, Sheri has been involved in every aspect of the writing process including long-term storyline, daily episode breakdowns, dialogue writing and editing and more. She is widely recognized as one of the creative forces behind the high romance era of soap opera super couples in the 1980s.
Photo: JPI
ARE SOAP MORE RELEVANT IN 2026?
With the daytime soaps being mentioned in the mainstream of late, including a recent New York Times essay, Ryan Gosling’s high praise of Days of Our Lives icon Deidre Hall (Marlena), Late night host, John Oliver asking to be cast on a soap after doing a bit on his show, it seems daytime drama may be culturally relevant again, or is it really?
During the chat not only will we get Sheri’s takes on all the series she wrote for, but also ask, “Why soaps? Why now?” Why are audiences rediscovering/missing emotionally-connected storytelling? What did our genre provide viewers emotionally? And what has current programming gained technically but lost emotionally?
Join us with your comments and questions for Sheri in the live chat, as we talk the pros and cons of today’s daytime soap opera and daytime television landscape and delve into Sheri’s soap writing history and the characters she created or had a penchant for and learn about her new endeavors and outside projects.
Photos: JPI
If you are unable to make it to the live chat, but have a question or comment for Sheri that you would like us to ask on the broadcast, please drop it in the comment section below and we just might pose it on-air.
For upcoming celebrity features, livestreams and special event coverage, make sure to subscribe to the Michael Fairman Channel.
So, did you enjoy Sheri’s writing for Days of Our Lives and the other soaps she’s credited for? What do you think of the current state of the soap opera? Healthier than its been in awhile? Costing along? Relevant or not socially relevant in mainstream culture in 2026? Weigh-in and share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Elia Cantu, who has played Jada Hunter, the daughter of Marcus Hunter, played by the late Richard Biggs from 1987-1992, has confirmed that she wrapped run her run on Peacock’s Days of Our Lives.
Cantu first arrived back in Salem in 2022 and a few months back was moved to recurring status with the long-running soap opera along with Galen Gering (Rafe Hernandez).
Now, Cantu took to her Instagram on Wednesday, June 10 to share the news of her departure and some heartfelt goodbyes. As DAYS fans know, because the series tapes ten months ahead of dropping new episodes, Cantu will be seen well into 2027.
Photo: JPI
A BITTERSWEET GOODBYE
Along with the following heartfelt words, Elia also taped a “final bow” to punctuate her time on the beloved soap opera. She wrote, “As I say goodbye to Days of Our Lives, I’m excited and looking forward to the next chapter. Leaving DAYS is bittersweet, but I step away full of gratitude and joy for what’s ahead.”
Speaking on playing the daughter of legacy character, such as Marcus Hunter, Cantu added, “Its been an honor. She is bold, layered, and I’ll forever cherish bringing her to life. She remains a staple in Salem and I’ll carry everything she taught me as I go. Jada, you will always be my girl.”
As she concluded her message, Elia gave a major shoutout to everyone at Days of Our Lives and most importantly the fans. “To the cast and crew — Thank you for your hard work and long hours,” Cantu shared. “What a journey it has been. To the DAYS fans — Thank you. You are incredibly supportive, caring, and dedicated. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. There’s more to come, and I hope you’ll come along with me for what’s next.”
Recently in story, DAYS had been building the on-again off-again romance between Jada and Shawn Brady (played by Brandon Beemer). No word yet how the series plans to write-off Jada, which we will not see revealed until next year.
You can check out Elia’s touching post below as she wraps her run at Days of Our Lives.
Now let us know, will you miss seeing Jada Hunter on you screens? Did you enjoy the performances of Elia Cantu? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
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Beyond the Gates
2026 SDSA TV Award Nominations: All Five Daytime Dramas Score in Best Achievement in Set Decoration
The Set Decorators Society of America has revealed its nominations for 2025-26 SDSA Awards for Television, which recognizes the work of the set decoration and production designers in primetime, streaming and daytime series.
This year, all five soap operas: Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless all received nominations in the Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Daytime Series category.
In its official SDSA rule book, to qualify for the category of a Daytime Series, which includes daytime dramas, daytime talk shows, daytime game shows, and daytime children’s programming, all episodes must air before 6:00pm and must have a credited Set Decorator. For daytime dramas, the content must contain multiple plotlines that are carried over from episode to episode.
Photo: JPI
WHICH EPISODES CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE COMPETITION?
The eligibility year for episodes runs June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. Founded in 1993, the SDSA is an international nonprofit professional association dedicated to promoting excellence and preserving the legacy of the art of set decoration in motion pictures and television.
Several popular primetime and streaming titles that have wrapped their final seasons also received nods including Euphoria, Stranger Things, Hacks, Outlander, and The Boys. Popular titles such as Bridgerton.
Take a look below at the nominated scenic design teams from your favorite soaps:
Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Daytime Series
Beyond The Gates: Set Decoration by Cynthia Slagter with Production Design by Bruton Jones
The Bold and the Beautiful: Set Decoration by Prim Rosales, Beth Wooke, Prerna Chawla, Charlotte Garnell, Chelsea Mondelli, Michelle Hall, & Linda Louise Sheets with Production Design by Lou A. Trabbie III
Days of Our Lives: Set Decoration by Adele Caine & Sarah Holmes with Production Design by Tom Early & Dan Olexiewicz
General Hospital: Set Decoration by Jennifer Elliot with Production Design by Andrew Evashchen
The Young and the Restless: Set Decoration by Jennifer Haybach, Justine Mercado, Maria Dirolf, & Monica Lowe with Production Design by David Hoffmann
So, which soap opera from the calendar year of basically June of 2025 to a week ago in 2026, do you think has had the best looking sets? Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, or The Young and the Restless? Make you pick and drop it in the comment section below.
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