Days Of Our Lives
What Were Five Times Soaps Went All Sci-Fi On Us? Think Clones, Aliens, Satan & Passions!
Courtesy/CBS
Now over the decades devoted soap viewers have been put through the ringer with some very implausible plots. However, while some have been “out there,” some have been quite entertaining and memorable. And yes, there are those that are remarkably unmemorable, as well.
In a hilarious tribute to the five times soap operas went sci-fi insane, SYFY Wire has posted a hysterical look into these storylines which include: The Reva/Dolly clone story on Guiding Light, Marlena’s possession on Days of our Lives, Casey the alien from Lumina on General Hospital and so much wackadoodle from the defunct Passions that you will have a great chuckle when you go through the review in the video.
So soapers, check out this video ditty to kick your 4th of July holiday weekend off after the jump!. Then in the comment section below, let us know which of all was the zaniest, most outlandish sci-fi stories of them all on the soaps represented here in this video, or not, is your all-time favorite!
No Dark Shadows?
Dark Shadows was all reality – in the realm of Collinswood that is. Port Charles and The Edge of Night were in betweeners. Passions was a whole other world to itself. Regular soaps are more “realistic” for the most part…. Except when there’s a crystal lovin’ – not from this world – alien hiding in your garage that your child is secretly feeding and becomes friends with.
Or when you and some people you know go down under… And live in a place called The Lost Underground City of Enterna.
Or when you go thru a time travel vortex next to a ranch fence to Texas in the 1960s and people you know from the future and there in the 60s but they’re other people.
Or when you go back in time 100 years so the 1880s and meet your wifes great grandma who is the spitting image of your wife.
Or when you go to heaven and get to see and talk to all your old friends and relatives and you get to come back even if you were there for days. Oh, and you get to do this three different times in 1987, 2008 and 2012.
Or when you’re possessed and you levitate over your bed.
Or you control machines that do fantastically evil things – like a satellite that can brainwash people. Or a device that can freeze the whole world of at least downtown in New York state.
But otherwise normal.
😀
And all that crazy, silly stuff that Passion was and is being laughed at now was the reason NBC cancelled one of the best all time soaps Another World for— Big Sigh
ANOTHER WORLD was always a pretty classy show but that Jordan Stark/The Lumina Foundation storyline was a real stinker.
You’re right. “Passions” was not worth losing “Another World”, my grandmother’s favorite soap.
As an adult I can laugh at “Passions”, but, in retrospect, as a thirteen-year-old, and through High School, it was so much fun. The ridiculous, unfathomable stories, made it all that more attractive.
Celia…more and more, Passions used to make me LOL…most of the time anyway. As far as I’m concerned, as a duo, Timmy and Tabitha were COMIC GOLD…MORE LOL!!!!! Liz (Eve’s sister) was clearly disturbed and unhinged…but ENTERTAINING AS HELL!!!!! Edna (the mother of that WHACK-A-DOO Beth) was (among other things) bitchy, cranky, foul-mouthed, mean and ornery…and a LOL RIOT!!!!! My dear, I could go on and on here……….
Later, my friend.
A colne- possession- alien- time travel- etc //
I MISSED IT !! all of it.. I MISSED THE GOOD STUFF!
Now, that is fun great soap !!!
A1,0000 times better than than the crapola now, for sure..
Imagine– actually having fun watching a soap- AWESOME!
All we have is doom&gloom and 8 months of Morgan died !
I would pay for some outlandish sci-fi , anything but Morgan is dead..
my picks:
1. Marlena possessed by the devil DOOL
2. Casey the alien GH
3. Marlena kills half of Salem then they all are alive DOOL
4. Viki travels back in time to the Wild West OLTL
5. The Ice Princess freezes Port Charles GH
Oh, I remember watching Marlena being possessed, Casey the Alien, and Viki traveling to the Wild West.
Eterna! Eterna! Eterna!
The wardrobe for the lost city under Llantano Mountain added to intrigue. Add to that Viki’s prolonged heaven dream and Clint’s trip back 100 years were totally over the top!
ONE LIFE TO LIVE had some of my favorite sci-fi storylines: Viki goes to Heaven; Clint time travels back to 1888; the underground city of Eterna; Bo and Rex time travel back to 1968; Professor Delbert Fina uses his magical remote control to show Rex and Gigi what really happened in the basement the night “Gigi” died. The least successful sci-fi story on OLTL was Bo trying to find a way to extract the mysterious solarimite to power Georgina Whitman’s prototype car.
PASSIONS was unlike anything seen on daytime since DARK SHADOWS thanks to James E. Reilly’s wild imagination. The Vincent storyline that played prominently during the show’s last few years on NBC was totally original.
@Alan….Thanks for your “Ryan’s Hope” reply….Alas, “Aristotle Benedict White” came before my regular viewing days of this soap, but I’m sorry I missed him given that he was played by Dynasty’s Gordon Thomson!!! (I looked it up….) I think I randomly caught that Delia/King Kong thing simply by happenstance….and I recall reading about it, too! By the time I really began watching this show in the mid-80’s, it was mainly comprised of days filled with more down-to-earth Irish-American references like “Danny Boy,” and corned beef and cabbage, along with those second-generation characters of Rick, Ryan, Johnno, Katie, Ben and Maggie, plus that fabulous villain, Max DuBujack!!!! With plenty more of real-life NYC-style embellishments thrown in for good measure! As for Delia’s ESP? You know, that deliciously daffy dame was always such a hot mess with her many meltdowns that in retrospect they all sort of meld into one big incomprehensible impression in my mind…when did her intuitions actually start becoming reality???…Was there a major storyline attached to this particular talent or was it just sprinkled throughout the series???? Regardless,I truly treasure the inspired insanity that Ilene Kristen brought to that role—still love her!—although I can vaguely visualize GH’s Robin Mattson briefly portraying Delia when I first checked into this soap on a daily basis ala VCR. (P.S. I’ve always thought a tongue-in-cheek run-in at Port Charles’ Kelly’s between these two actresses would be a total treat….”Dueling Delias!”)
I don’t remember all the details of Delia’s ESP (we didn’t have a VCR back then so I would flip back and forth to the soap with the most interesting storyline) but I recall it having something to do with her playing the stock market and later it was revealed that she was reading the cosmic forces that she believed dictated Maeve’s likes or dislikes on any given day. I think the plot was dropped fairly quickly and never referred to again.
The Meritkara mummy storyline was a pretty atypical story for RYAN’S HOPE but I was a teen back then and was totally into the whole Faith was a reincarnation of Meritkara, the curse that was killing people connected to the mummy, and the seal on the tomb that was supposed to reveal the location of a “River of Gold” that the show never got around to pursuing.
And this type of plots are a part of the reason that soaps are in such bad shape these days. I rarely watched Guiding Light after Reva was cloned. Likewise, I permanently turned off Days when Marlena became “possessed.”
Cheap, gimmicky plots that insult the viewer’s intelligence.
I realize that all soaps have plots that really stray from day-to-day experiences. It is one thing to give us a plot where one woman has a relationship with every male member of a family. It is another to have the heroine kidnapped by aliens who take her to an unknown planet.
IMO, the main thing soaps have going for them are the relationships of the characters. By airing five days a way for decades, the shows have one advantage over every other type of show (or even a movie) —- The viewers can get to “know” the characters and want to keep up with their “friends.”
Clones, aliens, devils, “towering infernos”, etc. are the type of plots that only work in HUGE budget films that are gone in 2 hours of viewing. The soaps have no business pursuing these types of story lines as they don’t take advantage of the formats strengths. Moreover, the soaps don’t have the budgets to make these type of plots remotely attractive — They just look cheap because the show doesn’t have the huge budget to make it look even remotely “realistic.”
Mr. Fairman, I like your site and visit it frequently. However, we definitely have different opinions on the need to honor or celebrate these types of plots. The only way they should be remembered is as the type of story NOT to put on a soap.
I remember Casey, the alien. I’m a big sci-fi fan, but even this story seemed strange on GH at the time. But lets don’t forget vampires and Lucy as the slayer along with Caleb/Michael Easton, Livvie/Kelly Monoco, and Rafe. Another plus is that Anna Devane was in both.
All My Children was a very down-to-earth show (as much as any soap could be), but even they visited the Twilight Zone when they had Erica Kane’s previously-thought-to-be aborted fetus implanted in Greg Madden’s wife, where she gave birth to Josh Madden. What a disastrous storyline.
Casey the alien on GH was pretty out there, and I remember it well. I’d also add the Ice Princess storyline, which was out of comic books, not a daytime drama. It gave us great Luke and Laura and introduced us to Robert Scorpio, but it was way out there.
Erica’s unabortion may be the worst soap storyline of all time! Not sure if Agnes lost veto control at that time.
That storyline and those poisonous pancakes started a downward spiral the show never recovered from.
This clip was indeed entertaining! And I can’t argue with the choice of Passions, given its bizarre, unbelievable plots throughout.
As a soap purist, however, I am no fan of sci-fi plots as a rule because they defy logic and reason. Some would argue that soaps in general defy logic and reason. Great storytelling is no easy feat, which is why some soap scribes succumb to strange, suffocating scripts (including trying to make a hero out of an abusive, foul-mouthed crime boss/murderer) — yes, I managed to squeeze in an anti-Sonny rant! — and also why some writers explore science fiction. And then when the storyline has run its course, things go back to normal, almost as though the characters (and viewers) experienced a bad dream.
I am indeed a fan of some science fiction, but I don’t want the genres of soaps and science fiction intersecting. Put another way. I like chocolate and I like nuts, but I don’t like nuts in my chocolate (insert double entendre here). So no Snickers (or snickers) for me!
All that being said, I did enjoy the Eterna storyline (briefly mentioned in above clip) on OLTL!
“BAR BAR OF THE BLACK LAGOON” ON As the World Turns, when somebody sent Barbara, Lily, and Emily, (I think) to some place in Sweden where some mad scientist doctor did experiments on them to make them old. “DOCTA VESTON IS A CHEENIOUS!!!” As stupid as it was, we were glued to our tv in my house!!
Since I’m 90+ episodes behind on GH and testing the limits of my DVR, I can’t weigh in on anything current, but well said by a number of you already–no church and state and no sci-fi with my soaps! Having just binge watched 5 seasons of House of Cards, focus on great story telling and turn in strong performances and you’ll keep us watching. These shows are on thin ice as it is without another Ice Princess story line…although that’s about when I started watching. There’s so much savvy, enthralling television being done, so tap into that renaissance before you go all “Port Charles” on me and I wake up one day to find my show is now all about vampires. (Alas, I still hung in to the bitter end, but today I wouldn’t subject my DVR to that.) There’s just too much good stuff out there competing for our attention, so don’t you dare do it (going sci-fi), just stick to the formula! Sure, improve the wheel if you can, just don’t try to reinvent it.
Days of our lives was so good this week . please watch the replay and tune back in . This soap is finally taking a turn for the best .
Another World did a stupid story about a gorilla in love with Cass…it wasnt sci fi but just as dumb!
And how about when Ryan’s Hope went all “King Kong” with Delia (though not in the form of Ilene Kristen..) being kidnapped by a primate suitor??? For a soap that was generally quite rooted in reality, that storyline was truly out there….
Jim: The Carolyn the gorilla thing paled in comparison to the Jordan Stark/Lumina Foundation story that had 1880’s scientist Jordan Stark time travelling to 1990’s Bay City because the soul of his dead love was inside Amanda Cory and he needed to make love to Amanda in the secret garden on the Cory estate that housed a tear in the time/space continuum so that his lover could take control of Amanda’s body and they could be reunited.
Shay: Don’t forget Aristotle Benedict White’s search for the tomb of Meritkara, the mummy who was a previous incarnation of Faith Coleridge. Or Delia’s bout of ESP!
Poor James E. Reilly died not long after Passions was cancelled by Directv. He probably lost his will to live after not having a sci-fi storyline to write.
Too stupid for words! LOL!
LOL!!!! I thought the compilation was absolutely hilarious! And in the midst of real life drama, big or small, it only reinforced for me how such escapism, is, just that! Hahahha…to see these people, LOL, singing, dancing, talking to aliens in such wry, campy style is too fun. I really wish they had pursued Michael Easton’s Caleb on GH (I love a good-looking vampire!) rather than the stuff I find intolerable like Michael forgiving Sonny or almost every single person in AJ Q’s family putting him down when he was alive. Some of the emotions and reactions that are supposed to be realistic are just non-relatable to me.
I personally think there’s plenty of room for real life drama…friendships, family, romance…with a little alien (ala the gorgeous Casey) thrown in!
Kudos to SYFI Wire for taking the time to gather such “ancient history” and compile such a hilarious clip and “tribute” to the crazy soap genre, such as it is/was.
You just had to remind us of Reva’s clone, didn’t you? She also walked through a painting to a past life, and I think the other characters jumped in there too lol. Guiding Light really jumped the shark with Reva’s over-the-top stories. When they lost Cynthia Watros’ Annie they felt they had to make up for it, and it backfired. Even the replacement Annie was a bad recast and couldn’t pull off the crazy stories like Watros.
Soap Operas are fantasy fiction. end of story
When these stories are well written and acted they can be fully engaging and create the kind of drama you dont see much of these days. I like the stakes high.
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?
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.
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.
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
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.”
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.
Four cast members are officially on contract at Days of our Lives, according to the soap opera’s closing credits on Peacock and longtime Days expert and historian Jason 47.
Lauren Koslow (Kate), Sydney Malakeh (Sydney), Sal Stowers (Lani) and Jacob Martinez (Javi) are the names that appear in the closing credits in the contracted cast members section. Days of our Lives fans also note that the series tapes ten months in advance of streaming episodes.
As Days of our Lives fans know, Lauren Koslow has played Kate Roberts since 1996, and recently filled-in for Jess Walton in the role of Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless when Walton was unable to travel from Oregon to Los Angeles during the specific tape dates. But now, Koslow has been re-upped to contract status as of the September 8 episode.
Photo: JPI
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Sydney Malakeh is the newest member of the contract players when she debuted on contract status on the September 10th episode. Days fans first met Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) daughter in scenes in Monte Carlo around a gambling table.
As for Sal Stowers, the actress had been on contract from 2015-2022, then on recurring status with the soap, and would make appearances and limited runs since 2023. Soap fans first saw Sal as Cassandra Foster on Prospect Park’s revival of All My Children in 2013. Sal’s first new contracted episode was noted to be September 16.
Jacob Martinez, debuted on June 30 of this year as the successor to Al Calderon in the role of Javi Hernandez, and has now been bumped up to series regular as of the September 10 episode.
Photo: JPI
CREDITS
According to the referenced posting from Days of our Lives expert and historian Jason 47, he shared, “It took me four weeks to realize, but the same week that Sydney Malakeh (Sydney) debuted (9/7-9/11), “Days” also put Lauren Koslow (Kate), Jacob Richard Martinez (Javi) and Sal Stowers (Lani) on contract.”
Jason47 added, “This confirms the “errors” of Lani being listed in the credits the week of 9/7 but not appearing, and Kate and Javi appearing in the credits the week of 9/14 but not appearing. It also now makes sense why Javi and Sydney are being listed before Rafe and Philip in the credits.”
He also shared, “For the record, Lauren Koslow’s first date back on contract was 9/8, Jacob Richard Martinez was upped to contract on 9/10, Sydney Malakeh debuted on contract 9/10 and Sal Stowers’ first date back on contract was 9/16. The records will be fixed on the website in the coming days.”
So, glad to hear Lauren, Sydney, Sal and Jacob appear to be on contract with Days of our Lives (as of these episode airings)? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?
TUNE-IN: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Banneker Homecoming Episodes, EP Sheila Ducksworth Speaks on Impact HBCUs Have in Real Life
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver
REPORT: ‘Days of our Lives’ Puts Four Actors On Contract
‘Beyond the Gates’ Honors HBCU Tradition with Banneker University Homecoming Episodes
Alley Mills Returns to ‘General Hospital’ as Heather Webber
Judith Light Joins Cast of ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 in Recurring Role
‘Beyond the Gates’ Marquita Goings Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson
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