Days Of Our Lives
THE DAILY BEAST: How The Daytime Soap Came Back From The Dead!
Courtesy/CBS
In another great piece from the mainstream media on the current state of the once ailing daytime drama genre, The Daily Beast’s Tim Teeman looks at the soap opera resurgence that has emerged since the cancellations of four major network soap operas over the last five years.
Senior Vice President, CBS Daytime’s Angelica McDaniel was interviewed for the piece where she offered up: “Soaps are thriving. You can see that in primetime too, with the success of shows like Scandal, Revenge and the return of Dallas.”
Stephanie Sloane, Editorial Director of Soap Opera Digest, related that a significant factor is that viewers left bereft after the cancellation of a favorite show have migrated en masse to one of the four survivors. To help fans grieving One Life To Live in particular, ABC has thoughtfully exported many of the core cast to General Hospital. “The predictions of the death of the daytime soap were greatly exaggerated,” Sloane says. “People still want to see storytelling in daytime. The cancellation of the other shows might have made people think that no show was safe, so they have passionately turned out—and daytime soap opera fans are the most passionate fans of any TV genre—to support these shows, to keep them on air. Soaps are the only place where you can see this dramatic kind of storytelling on air every day, all year round.”
As for what the future holds, McDaniel weighed-in by saying, “You can’t take anything for granted, or you get stuck. I just implore fans and viewers to support these shows. The truth is, the longer they support them, the longer they’ll stay on the air.” Stephanie Sloane commented, “As long as the writers and producers keep it fresh, the future of daytime soaps is secure. The thing is, people like to be told stories, and daytime is one of the few places where they can hear them every day.”
So, what do you think about the state of the soaps? Do you think we are now on the path for longer survival? Or, is each soap only as good as its last storyline, where as we have seen in the past anything is possible, even the most beloved soaps could be wiped off the map? Comment below!
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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Unless i see a new soap i wouldnt call it much of a resurgence…there are only 4 soaps and if you are looking for daytime drama’s there isnt much to pick and choose, and if you do pick one or two and the story isnt good you might leave again and this time for good…if the remaining 4 are going to survive they better get a good production team and even better writers because if you dont the networks will cancel and there wont be anymore!!! So folks, its also up to you if you dont watch for any reason and your show gets cancelled you also have yourself to blame too…
Except for Y&R I love and watch b&b days and gh and love them all very much and look forward to them each day
Y&R was the Best ever. Then they got new writers and begin getting rid of the Best actors. Now the story lines are terrible and the actors that have been brought Omar the worst. Nick,Sharon,Summer,Fen,Faith ,Kelly. I’m sorry but now that Adam & Billy are done,so am I . I’ve watched this show for over twenty years but I can’t stand it any more. So it back to GH for me
Glad ratings for soaps are bouncing back. I wish it had happened before AMC got canceled, but, I guess, better late than never?
I agree mike, better late than never. gh and days is on fire now. i really think amc and oltl are gone for good now. I hate to say that, but it is true. but we still have our 4 soaps to watch still. i am very happy, all the soaps got renewed, thats great news, for everyone. Long live the soaps.
I watch 3 of the 4. I DVR and binge watch evenings and weekends. Loving the soaps.
Soaps will never die, there will always be one..
soaps are like a huge book..
Nobody puts down the book until they read the finial page..
( and soaps are a never ending story )
Yes, if you mean by soaps the serialized method of storytelling– that has been around a long time and will never go away. If you mean soaps as in daytime dramas– serialized dramas produced specifically for daytime television using certain production values– those will probably go away once network television goes the way of the dodo bird– extinction– replaced by the web as being the only means of entertainment distribution.
Cancel Y&R after today or better yet FIRE Jill Farren Phelps and bring back all she has taken from our once amazing show.
Of course she ( the CBS VP) would implore fans to keep supporting the show– she knows there is a planned exodus from Y&R starting tomorrow and she is afraid she might lose her nice high paying job if this show tanks on her watch.
Remaining daytime viewers have embraced the four remaining shows but the soap demographics remain a concern for the networks. Ad rates are based on viewer demographics plus ratings. Any slippage in numbers and the axe will fall. I hope the shows last a while.
I always watched Y&R but today was my final day. They got rid of the two greatest actors Adam & Billy not to mention the best story lines. Why would anyone want to watch it now Really does anyone want to see Jill & her famous music box or Chloe try to steal Chelsea’s baby,or Nikki & Victor break up yet again or maybe Nikki with her visits to her past life? In a word BORING! They even made poor Sharon a nut case & then there’s Neil & his girlfriend getting married on Valentines day BORING! The interesting story about Fen played out too long and got BORING! And we can’t forget Summer is going to follow (THE PATH) but because of the letting go of MM nobody is going to give a damn what happens to her. So I’m with quite a number of others. Early Spring cleaning and General Hospital & Bold & the Beautiful
I think this article is about the resurgence of the soaps. I am sure consolidation and perhaps the end of Soapnet have driven viewers to the four remaining shows’ primary broadcasts. Perhaps increased quality has a lot to do with it as well. When you’re facing elimination, to stay in the game, you have to increase the level of your performance. I’m certainly glad the remaining shows in the genre are experiencing resurgences.
On another note, and I am sorry to get irritated, but I may start tuning BACK into Y&R now. I’m tired of a vocal minority who doesn’t know what actually IS going on behind the scenes at Y&R making decisions based on zero reliable information. Also, I’m tired of hearing how EVERYONE is going to tune out after January. I’m someone, and I count, and I don’t agree. Also, Y&R is bigger than any one actor.
MM was fired. People NEED to get over it. There probably was a good reason for the termination. Also, this legacy character was ruined before the current leadership took over the show. I personally need a break from Adam Newman.
Billy Miller CHOSE to leave. Some longtime viewers like me may perhaps agree that the original portrayer is better than a recast. David Tom won an Emmy, and he is talented, and I’m thrilled by his return.
Y&R has issues. I agree that JFP is the WRONG person to lead this show. I don’t think corporate America should continue to reward proven track records of failure by executives. However, GH was on life support, pun somewhat intended, just 2 years ago, and look what good hiring decisions did for that show. Also, Y&R’s ratings have skyrocketed. I like numbers. I’m a facts guy, not an emotionally driven feelings guy, and Y&R AGAIN broke 5 million viewers last week, almost approaching 5.4 million average viewers. That’s an amazing statistic, and credit should be given when credit is due.
Thank God, a voice of clarity and reason. Wonderful post. Thank you for expressing this so clearly and logically — without melodrama, hyperbole or trying to speak for “everyone.” It will give those of us who agree with you something to cling to!
Well as a viewer of GH who thinks that RC is by far the worst writer to hack up that show in the last 30 plus years, I am thinking that I am going to switch over to Y&R because at least it isn’t an unanimated cartoon. Plus I adore Tristan Rogers.
I thought GH was a goner after the 50th, but they’ve been extended into 2015 and the foreseeable future. The rumor that ABC realizes they screwed up with AMC and OLTL looks less like a rumor and gains more traction. The OLTL team was brought in to wrap up GH “in a respectful manner” according to ABC at the time, now they’ll be on another 2 years.. funny how great writing turns things around.
If PP would give up their claims on those shows, we could put ABC to the test and see if they actually do something with them. Not to sound like an overly optimistic soap fan, BUT ABC wants those leasing rights back, PP wasn’t the only production company that wanted to do something with those shows. Perhaps too much time will have passed before ABC does get their hands on rights, but I guess we can hope for a 2nd resurrection.. altho, I’m over it already and have moved on.
I do watch Dallas, and unfortunately Scandal happens to be on ABC.. I watch that and Grey’s. Other than that, I wont watch anything on ABC. Can’t say enuff how HAPPY I am to see their entire Daytime lineup fall apart, while GH gains it’s highest ratings in years!
Well I haven’t moved on – still watching OLTL on HUluplus – need my Viki ……
ABC could ‘test the waters’ by airing highlights from OLTL and AMC over the summer – (after Katie is put out of her misery) and watch the ratings zoom…..
This would save them money and whet the appetite of the viewers for more.
We want our soaps back! (Where’s Roxie when you really need her).