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What Did You Think of the Premiere of ‘Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem’?

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/Peacock

Today was the debut of the well-publicized and highly-anticipated DAYS streamer limited-series: Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem which dropped on Peacock at 3:01am EST Monday morning.

If you have not seen the first episode, and intend on watching it,  do not read any further as it contains moments and story points – however, if you have seen the premiere read on!

At the beginning is an updated version of the traditional iconic series opening of DAYS, hourglass and all, but wait for it! It’s not the late MacDonald Carey’s voice who is welcoming us in to watch the drama unfold, but none other than Deidre Hall (Marlena) who gets the nod.  Deidre voices-over: “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our Lives” cue the new logo for the limited series.  We also get an opening title sequence after the prologue of the episode complete with location shots and the cast members names!

Photo: JPI

In this throwback to the 90’s high adventure and escapades in soaps, we learn that in 1991 the Alamainian Peacock was stolen by Hope acting as Princess Gina. Shane Donovan has come to John and Marlena in Zurich needing their help, because the peacock featured six different and precious gemstones: a citrine, an amethyst, a ruby, emerald, sapphire, and an orange diamond.  Although the peacock was recovered, the stones were not and we are off to the races in this case of the missing jewels caper.  Shane wants John and Marlena to be an American couple who want the gemstones at an auction, but he tells them there is danger involved.  Jarlena are most them up for the task!

Photo: JPI

Meanwhile, Tony and Anna visit Carrie and Austin and can sense the trouble in their marriage.  Carrie is upset.  Apparently, Austin had too much to drink and brought up Rafe to Carrie.  Wanting to make amends, Austin wants to get his wife a sapphire necklace, which Anna goes a ga-ga for in the photo Austin shares. But not wanting Carrie to know what he is up to he asks Tony and Anna to go the auction to bid on it.

Photo: JPI

Lisa Rinna makes her return as Billie Reed, but dressed undercover as kind of a Princess Gina lookalike, long hair, tiara, and all. She gets busted by Ben and Ciara and tells them she is undercover watching the amethyst in the jewelry shop that Ciara was loving on to Ben. But as they talk about Ben being a serial killer and all, someone went in and bought the jewel spoiling Billie’s plan.

Photo: JPI

In Miami, turns out Paulina has the orange diamond, and in one of the funniest bits, goes and on how Michelle (Obama) in the White House gifted her the ring as Abe, Eli and Lani look on perplexed.  Later, when everyone tells her not to go out on the town with that ring on, she insists, but bad news.  While the foursome are dining, two henchmen with guns come a-calling!

Photo: JPI

Elsewhere in Phoenix, Chad comes to visit Will and nuSonny, now played by Zach Tinker (who delivered in his emotional scenes in his debut). Turns out WilSon seem to be having marital problems. .. again!  Sonny thinks Will is cheating on him.  Will says he is working on a top-secret assignment and has to go to the office.  Later, when Chad calls to see if Will is where he says he is at, he is not there.  Sonny springs into action and goes to Will’s computer and finds an email that he is meeting someone at a resort and spa.  Best buds, Chad and Sonny, hightail it to the resort and land outside Will’s suite.  When Sonny knocks on the door he is surprised to see Leo Stark … in a robe!  Something tells us each episode will end with a guest star popping up, but we shall see and the let the games begin!

So, what did you think of the premiere episode of Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem? What was your favorite part? What did you think of Zach Tinker in his debut as Sonny? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But, first vote in our ‘Beyond Salem” premiere poll and cast your vote below.

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Im not sure yet. But where the hell is our Sonny. Its a different Sonny. I’m not happy. And they are having problems…come on. I let u know later what I think..

The actor who played Sonny didn’t want to come back. He’s living in Florida and wants another type of career.

Freddie Smith (Sonny) moved to Florida and didn’t want to return. He and his wife are thinking of starting a family and both are getting into real estate. More lucrative; secure work, in his mind. So; we got a new Sonny. I thought he looked way too young at first but I actually think he’s doing a great job, and is adorable.

Liked it but not overblown by it; do think this is the wave of the future if soaps are to survive. Cable is becoming a dinosaur and streaming is the way to go. It’s honestly hard for me to support this show because of how badly the head writer is handling the main show right now. I’m a generational viewer that grew up watching with my mom and grandmother. When they stop watching I will, they unfortunately have no desire to watch on line.

Yeah, Ron was doing okay for awhile, but it’s getting stale again. General Hospital is far more enjoyable now!

Only complaint so far is Will & NuSonny immediately having some sort of marriage problems…. which would be even more ridiculous if that idiot Leo Stark is involved. There really wasn’t a reason to bring him back. Let’s hope his bug eyed mother doesn’t make an appearance.

Poor Chad… he thought he was getting a break from his own wreck of a marriage…. and now thrown right in the middle of his friends’ troubles.

They don’t have marriage problems…

Well, it seems like they do….

Even though it turns out Will was NOT cheating, the fact is that Sonny obviously has some trust issues. The irony of that is that he suspected Will of cheating with the dude that he (Sonny) was previously cheating with.

Yes, Will cheated before… but he was really not himself at the time (horrible recast) and he’s died & come back through Rolf-amnesia since then. Meanwhile Sonny not only cheated with Leo, but also while Will was in prison, Sonny was literally hooking up with the guy who actually committed the crime.

So if anybody had a legitimate reason to have trust issues here, it would be Will, more than Sonny. But he seems to have moved past it. Hope Sonny can do the same now. Maybe they need to come home to Salem? Probably better for them, better for their kid (who I’m guessing will be a SORASed teenager the next time we see her). Businesses can relocate or open “branch offices” , so it’s not like Sonny would have to give up his gig. And Will could literally write from anywhere.

I get what you’re saying but whether there was a past history of cheating or not…though to add further fuel to the fire there was, it’s understandable that Sonny jumped to that insecure place due to, as be explained, Will’s actions and secrecy and then finding out Will lied, wasn’t at work, but at a hotel… It sucks to have trust issues but I guess when both parties have stepped out before insecurities can arise. All in all, they seem as in love as ever.

I’d love them to come back to Salem…not sure if Chandler Massey would come back. He moved to Georgia, and I haven’t read if nuSonny is looking for a regular gig.

That shower scene with Leo was quite amusing, lol. NuSonny’s exasperation and expressions were great. I like him…

Iam loving it so far except for that Leo Stark which as Satan said there was no need for but don’t worry, mommy dearest is back at Y&R causing troubles there. While I do miss our old Sonny I do like this NuSonny who played Noah on Y&R and be sure to look for Peter Porte and Lisa Rinna’s dance.

I stupidly said that Zack Tinker played Noah on Y&R when it was actually Fen Baldwin he played. I’ll accept him in a minute if we have to lose our old Sonny. After seeing this series, I want to see them back in Salem and Will never looked so good, a beard and just all grown up. The friendship between the two guys and Chad was wonderful to see. I haven’t seen Chad so funny and animated in years. Greg Rikkart/Leo Stark did a good job as usual.

Oh Violet, three gorgeous guys in the same story? I’m gonna need to turn up the air conditioning!

I just love watching Leo he brought a lot of fun to the show at first on days i didn’t like him but he grew on me

I actually kind of liked it! I’m hoping they do more of these type of things in the future. Zach Tinker was great as Sonny. Can’t wait to see more.

Freddie Smith aka OG Sonny said he was not interested in returning.

I’m not big on TV- but- you have to pay to watch Peacock.
My cousin has Peacock and told me- it’s not worth a nickel lol
She dropped it..

Peacock TV is a free streaming service. The upgrades cost very little. You can sign up for free and watch Beyond Salem and a lot of other shows and movies for free at Peacocktv.com

It’s free. They have different tiers and Beyond Salem is on the free platform. Peacock in and of itself has some great shows and films…they have a much bigger selection of shows and films then when they initially started.

SuOOO,
It is free. I get it on my Smart TV as a free App. Please look into it further. This series is great, even the locales and colors are more vibrant.

I thought it was fun, and always enjoy a little comic relief in the middle of dramatic trauma, aka-Leo. I have noticed the regular DOOL has been sneaking some fun into the gloom of Salem, thank goodness. Hello, Paulina!

I have watched DOOL over 50+ years and have been through the peaks and valleys of the storylines and I’m enjoying this break although I think Beyond is a little busy with the multiple fast-moving storylines. I am fine with this new format, even though Beyond’s genre is more intrigue than drama.

I’m okay with Sonny’s replacement as it was Freddy’s choice, as it was Freddy’s choice.

It’s good to see some favorite characters although if the viewers haven’t watched the show for a long time, they may not be familiar with them and not be interested in them.

Con E,
I think that seeing as how this is only a five day series, they did a wonderful job, especially the locales, outdoor settings , especially Florida and the colors were amazing, like watching a movie.

I loved it!! New fresh take! Excited for the next episode! Yea do I like everything? No. But at least they are trying something new!!

It was only so-so ): I was not happy with Will and Sonny having problems again. Hoping that will be over and done with during the five days of the series. Love having Chandler back and I like Zack Tinker’s Sonny very much too.

The other stories felt lame to me. It’s more of the same poor writing that is happening on Days lately – the overall storyline arcs aren’t good right now, individual scenes are well written and the performers give their all but the show is not very good at the moment ):

Checked it out with the free Peacock and wouldn’t pay for it that’s for sure. The acting is laughable and too camp. Not sure where the other OG super couple Steve and Kayla were though. Sorry, not a fan of John and Marlena; their acting has declined over the years. Am happy Deidre got to do voice over though.

Personally, I think the show is beautiful; if nothing else it’s exquisite visually. The acting? Same actors from DAYS so there was nothing new or different there. NuSonny was actually quite good.

Rebecca 1,
Iam also loving it and if you watch Y&R you might have recognized NuSonny as old Noah Newman. Just read your other comment and am holding myself back from gushing too much. You are right on all counts. Billie’s Tango partner, Peter Porte is also from Y&R, played Paul’s son and as grown into one good looking man, ooh,la,la.

Hi Violet! Nice to hear from you. Believe it or not I don’t watch Y&R. Ironically, I always read it has the best ratings of the four remaining but for some reason that’s the one I haven’t watched. Peeked in a bit out of curiosity to see Steve Burton, then Jason Thompson…and just saws seconds of Justin Hartley before he was blown up, lol, but I can’t say I ever watched one episode…just a peek at these actors. So, hmm…I don’t know who Peter Porte is. Maybe one day I’ll succumb and start watching Y&R. Only decades of history to catch up on! 😉

The look on Ben’s face in the top photo says exactly how I feel about this Beyond Salem.

I like it! Gorgeous production; beautiful sets; location shots, compared to Days. I don’t even know if they actually traveled or if it’s the magic of the media. I’m assuming they didn’t travel due to expense and more importantly, covid. But it LOOKS like they’re on location and that’s what makes it work.

It’s fun escapism. I thought the tango scene was pure entertainment! I think they’re following the production value of The Bay… Wonder if they’re thinking of making this a daily show, or a weekly…testing the waters with this one week event. I’d watch at this point…

What are the chances a platform titled “Peacock TV” has access to a series that has a storyline involving this “Alamainian Peacock”… and is Vivian Alamain somehow connected to this storyline? The character and / or her family just HAS to be.

Wasn’t Zach Tinker on another soap opera once upon a time… wasn’t it “The Young and The Restless”?? Different to see Sonny Kiriakis portrayed by somebody other than who has played him for so long on the regular show (too) (Freddie Smith), but He (Zach Tinker) is definitely adorable and very good looking. So yes he has the look factor down. Haven’t seen this yet just read the spoilers anyways so will have to wait and see if there is chemistry between Zach Tinker and Chandler Massey.

Though the “Alamainian Peacock” itself was never mentioned before now, the fictional country of “Alamainia” is very much a part of Days history, from the early 1990s. And yes, the country was named after the Alamain family. The one piece of history they forgot to mention is that John Black was previously known as “Forrest Alamain” in one of the 666 different rewrites of his back story. He was raised as Vivian’s nephew, before he ended up working as Stefano’s brainwashed “pawn”.

Ashland Cripton,
Yes, Zank Tinker was on Y&R a few years ago. Played Fen Baldwin.

I loved Beyond Salem. It was really good. I thought they did a great job. Leo Stark is a scene stealer.

I enjoyed the heck out of Beyond Salem.

Breaking News

Robert Kelker-Kelly, ‘General Hospital,’ ‘Days of our Lives’ and ‘Another World’ Star Dies at 62

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Robert Kelker-Kelly

Robert Kelker-Kelly, who became prominent as a one of the leading men in soap operas back in the late 80s and 90s has died at the age of 62. TMZ first reported the news of Robert’s passing on Saturday, October 3 at his home in St. Peters, Missouri.

According to the St. Peters police report, officers responded to call at around 8:16 pm about an unconscious man who was not breathing, as paramedics and other EMS were en route. Kelker-Kelly had reportedly complained of chest pain shortly before becoming unresponsive and the circumstances appeared consistent with a medical event.

Officers and paramedics administered life-saving measures, but were unsuccessful in reviving Kelker-Kelly. The cause of his death is still unknown and under investigation.

Robert Kelker-Kelly

Photo: NBC

Daytime fans first saw Robert back in 1987 when he was cast as Sam Fowler on Another World. He played the role for three year suntil 1990. Two years later, he took over the role of Bo Brady on Days of our Lives replacing Peter Reckell, who at that time decided to leave the show.

As Bo, Kelker-Kelly was major in story playing opposite the likes of: Crystal Chappell as Dr. Carly Manning, Kristian Alfonso as Hope Williams and Lisa Rinna as Billie Reed. When Peter Reckell returned to his signature role in 1995, Kelker-Kelly left the show.

Next, Robert returned to his original stomping grounds at Another World but this time as race car driver, Bobby Reno who was actually Dr. Shane Roberts. His second AW stint lasted from 1996-1998.

Robert Kelker-Kelly, GH

Photo: ABC

Eventually, the actor would begin his run as the evil Stavros Cassadine on General Hospital in 2001, then make returns in 2002 and 2003. In 2013, he briefly returned as Stavros as part of the show’s 50th anniversary celebration, and made one last appearance in 2014.

Robert has also became a professional pilot full from 2003 to 2015 and had been married to former Days of our Lives star, Miriam Parrish (ex-Jamie Caldwell) from 1997-2011, but the couple divorced in 2011. Since that time, he has not remarried.

Recently, Robert was back in the news when Lisa Rinna talked about her time working with her former Days of our Lives co-star in her recently released memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It.

Rinna shared on her then on-screen love interest, “Behind the scenes, we hated each other. Remember when Kathy Hilton said I was the biggest bully in Hollywood? Not true. Not even close! I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies.”

The former Billie Reed and reality star even punctuated that with, “He made my life a living hell on the set of DAYS, He was horrible to me, I’d go so far as to say verbally abusive. He was passive-aggressive, manipulative and played weird mind games.”

Besides his role in the soaps, Kelker-Kelly appeared on primetime on Touched by an Angel and Rescue 77 and played Bo in the Days of our Lives specials Night Sins and Winter Heat in the early 90s.

Michael Fairman TV will provide further updates as they become available on the death of Robert Kelker-Kelly.

Now, share your remembrances and condolences on the loss of Robert Kelker-Kelly via the comment section below and let us know of all his daytime roles, which was your favorite.

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Days Of Our Lives

DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?

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Days of our Lives Preview

Next week, expected surprises and schemes on Days of our Lives. In official spoilers for episodes streaming on Peacock from October 5-9, it looks like Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) has hunted down a very much alive Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd), while Marlena (Deidre Hall) admits a deeply concerning confession to her daughter Belle (Martha Madison), and more.

As previously reported, Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, General Hospital) is stepping in for one day for Tyler Joseph Andrews in the role of Theo Carver and will share scenes with Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), where Theo finally agrees to go along with Gabi’s plan, after she offered him a job.

Meanwhile, Gabi may have her hands full with Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) whose big win in Monte Carlo may have sparked his gambling addiction … all over again, but Philip reveals her has a plan.

Kristen and Sophia Diner

Photo: Corday Productions

Sydney (Sydney Malekeh) is in for a shock when Dante (Franco LoPresti) arrives in Salem. Why is he in Salem? Is he part of the unraveling of the Dominic Marino mystery, since we know he seemed like he was talking to the man in Monte Carlo?

Will Marlena ever figure out what Rita (Maggie Carney) is hiding about the mystery of Dominic, and if Marlena is truly his birth mother or did something more suspicious go on and how deeply involved is Rita in this whole story?

EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) finally demands answers of his own from Rita after overhearing on today’s Cliffhanger Friday her conversation with Marlena. Will Rita cop to anything?

Then as noted, while everyone thinks Sophia took her own life, after Kristen “murdered” her, Kristen is infuriated to find she is somehow alive working as waitress in a diner in Kentucky. Will Kristen try to kill Sophia yet again?

Take a look at some of the additional spoilers for next week’s action on DAYS below.

Monday, October 5

Joy worries about her future.
Alex surprises Stephanie.
Chanel supports Johnny through a difficult decision.

Tuesday, October 6

Rachel gives Brady cause for concern.
Roman surprises Kate.

Wednesday, October 7

Leo’s good day takes an unexpected turn.
Brady is forced to make a difficult call.

Thursday, October 8

Paulina refuses to give up on Lani.
Chanel asks Johnny for a promise.

Friday, October 9

Stephanie and Alex steal a private moment.
Steve gets troubling news from Johnny.

So, what do you think will happen when Kristen finds that the woman she thought she murdered and framed (making it looking like a suicide) is alive and well and working in a diner far away from Salem? Was Rita more involved with Stefano DiMera than we even know? Who is the birth mother of Dominic? Is it really Marlena or did someone else carrying her child? And what of Dante? Why is he back in Salem? To get at Philip, or something else? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver

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Tajh Bellow

After an earlier post on Thursday, October 1 about General Hospital alumni Tajh Bellow’s (ex-TJ Ashford) upcoming project from Issa Rae’s HOOPAE Digital, comes word that Bellow is temporarily stepping into the role of Days of our Lives Theo Carver to fill in for Tyler Joseph Andrews on the Peacock streaming soap opera.

According to TV Insider, Bellow will be making a one-day appearance next week on the October 6 episode of DAYS as Andrews was unable to make the tape date that was shot 10 months ago on a day last December. Andrews (pictured below) took over the role of Theo in September of 2025.

In Bellow’s upcoming episode as Theo, he will share scenes with Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez).  A DAYS spokesperson tells the outlet that Bellow “stepped seamlessly into the role, and the cast and crew were grateful for his professionalism and commitment, albeit for only one episode.”

Tyler Joseph Andrews and Cherie Jimenez

Photo: JPI

TAJH WILL BE SEEN IN MULTIPLE PROJECTS IN OCTOBER

As General Hospital fans know, Tajh played the role of TJ Ashford from 2018 to his last appearance in December of 2024. Along the way, he received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his performances as TJ, the last being in 2025 in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.

In addition, bellow along with Y&R alum Loren Lott will be seen starting on October 14 in the new Love Island spoof series, The Compatibility Experiment. The show will drop exclusively on TikTok and the PineDrama platform.

The Compatibility Experiment gives a satirical look at reality dating shows, think Love Island! The story centers around Kelvin (Bellow) and Camila (Lott), whose relationship is put to the test when they join a reality show to try to win a the million dollar prize.

So, what do you think of Tajh stepping in for Tyler Joseph Andrews as Theo on DAYS? Perhaps, the soap opera liked his work that he might be considered for another role in the future bringing Bellow back to the soaps? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

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