There’s been big news recently for fans of Days of Our Lives!
As of September 12, Days of our Lives will no longer be airing on NBC and will be shown exclusively on their streaming channel, Peacock.
Our TV Fanatics and Days fans, Christine, Jack, and Laura, are here to chat about whether this was a shock, what it might mean for the characters and storylines in Salem, and whether this move spells Days doom or will breathe new life into their favorite soap!
Were you shocked to hear that after 57 seasons, Days of Our Lives will no longer air on NBC but will exclusively be shown on their streaming channel, Peacock?
Laura: I was surprised, but not overall. I think with the Beyond Salem specials. It was a test. I hope that was a sneak peek of the plans and budget to come.
Jack: I was, and I wasn’t. For months people on various Facebook groups have been saying Beyond Salem was the beginning of moving Days to Peacock. I thought they were overstating their case. But streaming is the way of the future, and Days has had the rerun of the day on Peacock for a year or so.
Christine: I think Beyond Salem was always laying the groundwork for this. I just didn’t think it would go this way this quickly.
Jack: Yeah, when I first saw the announcement, I read it twice to make sure it was genuine. I didn’t expect it this quickly either.
Laura: I’d rather it go to Peacock than have them cancel the soap outright. Fan reaction so far is mixed.
Everyone online has an opinion about what this means. Some say it will breathe new life into Days, while others think it will be dead in a year. Some naysayers cite what happened with All My Children and One Life to Live when they moved online. What are your thoughts?
Jack: I’m excited, and I don’t think it’s the death of the show. Some viewers may not want or be able to afford to sign up for Peacock Premium, but there are also people who don’t own a TV anymore who might decide to check the show out for the first time once it moves over, so that’ll balance out.
I also think that things were VERY different in 2012 or 2013 when AMC and OLTL tried this.
I also thought Beyond Salem had better sets, more of them, and a more modern feel, so I’m hoping that Days moving over to Peacock will allow for similar production values.
Laura: I think it depends. I hope that going to Peacock means we can tell different stories and get a better budget. However, I do see that many diehard Days fans are older and aren’t tech/streaming savvy. Even my husband brought that up when the news broke.
Christine: Yes, not as many people watched streaming back then, and AMC and OLTL had both been off the air for some time before they went streaming. I’m sure a lot of fans didn’t even know they existed once again.
Unfortunately, they will lose some fans, but a lot of my older relatives already watch streaming shows. And Beyond Salem proved there’s an audience for Days on Peacock.
Jack: Yes, I think Beyond Salem was a test run, and I would imagine someone ran the numbers to see if it was a viable option before deciding to make the move.
Laura: Exactly. I think Days moving to Peacock, where it’s already been shown, will help. I also heard today from an article in the Wall Street Journal that they were moving some of the older Days episodes to Peacock. Depending on what era, that could be a huge draw.
Jack: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, that if they move some of the older episodes over, it can be more like something special for diehard fans on top of watching the current shows.
Christine: I’m excited about that prospect. It would be fantastic to rewatch some classic storylines from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. And when my daughter asks questions about certain storylines or characters, it would be great to be able to easily show her the past episode from which the reference originated.
What are your hopes for Days when it moves to Peacock? Do you want to see any changes to the show?
Laura: I want to lose some of the deadweight characters and continue the mystery of Beyond Salem 2 with Bo and Hope, even if it’s only an arc.
Jack: I don’t know the specifics of budgets and if it’s cheaper to make it online, but I’m hoping there can be a shorter lead time. I think filming so far in advance is detrimental to the show. When fans don’t like something, it’s too late to change it, for the most part.
Christine: Since the show tends to film months in advance, and we don’t know how far ahead the showrunner was told about the move, we don’t know if we’ll see any changes immediately or if it will take months.
Jack: I know they were filming Christmas recently, so those episodes will air on Peacock.
Laura: We were doing better in filming only 6-8 weeks out, but then NBC told them to speed up. So hopefully, with the move, they can slow down again.
What characters or storylines do you hope are dropped, and which characters do you hope continue or get more airtime?
Jack: Can we permanently lose Gwen, please? I love Emily O’Brien, but the character is a one-note schemer who gets blackmailed and cries she’s sorry, then does more horrible things. She’s dead weight.
Laura: I agree, Jack.
Christine: I completely agree! I used to think Gwen could be redeemed, but I’m so tired of her now.
I hope they push the envelope a bit more now that the show will be exclusively online.
Laura: I want to bring some of the Beyond Salem 2 cast, all three Johnson kids, Andrew & Paul, and Wendy Shin.
Christine: Yes, yes, and yes! I loved all of those characters.
Jack: Yes! I loved all the characters Beyond Salem 2 brought on.
Laura: We need a younger set built again.
Christine: Yes, they don’t have to be teenagers, but some more 20-somethings would be good. Tripp and Joey seem to fit that. Stephanie should be in her 30s, but the new actress looks younger.
Jack: I really would like some more realistic stories and some real romance, which we have a chance with if they bring back Bo and Hope, Andrew and Paul, and maybe someone with one of the Johnson kids.
Christine: I’ll take Paul and Andrew at any age!
Jack: Paul and Andrew were my favorite.
Laura: Yes, Paul and Andrew were my favs too. They were hot and sexy and fun.
Christine: Exactly. Days can certainly use more couples that fit that description.
Jack: I don’t like this constant cycle of get-together, have a secret, break up at the wedding when it comes out. I know it’s a soap trope, but it’s really overdone lately!
Laura: I was enjoying the slight triangle between Wendy, Joey, and Tripp. She had chemistry with both of them.
Jack: I did too. I thought it was cute and far less obnoxious than Allie/Chanel/Johnny.
Christine: That’s because Allie and Johnny, as much as I like them, can be obnoxious brats. Wendy did have chemistry with the Johnson brothers, and I like this Joey so much better than the last one.
Jack: It was so fun seeing John celebrate Pride with Paul too! I want more fun scenes like that.
Christine: Yes, John at Paul’s Pride party was the best! My daughter cheered when she saw that.
It seems like this summer in Salem has been filled with death. Abigail was murdered, and her family is grieving for her. Jake was shot and killed as soon as he got engaged to Ava. Is there too much grief and violence on Days of Our Lives?
Laura: Billy Flynn is rocking the grief scenes. That’s the best thing I can say about Abby’s death.
Christine: Yes, Chad and young Thomas have been a highlight, but there have been many low points too.
Jack: Billy Flynn has been doing a great job. I was disappointed that JJ was an afterthought for the most part. Even when he did come for the funeral, he got two scenes and disappeared again without explanation.
Christine: And Jack and Jennifer have been mostly MIA. It seems a waste to kill off their daughter only to have them back-burnered.
Laura: Oh, the Jack and Jennifer fans are pissed at how backburned they are. Jack was on today with Gwen.
Christine: It seems like the only reason Jack is around is to have scenes with Gwen. That’s not what I want to see.
Jack: And I think the Jake story would have been more effective if we weren’t in the middle of mourning Abby! Also, it irks me that right after the Evil Five get out of prison, Jake is gunned down by a random mugger who has nothing to do with any of the violent people already in Salem.
Christine: Your right, Jack. The least they could have done is kept us to the five villains and not thrown in this random guy just to push Eric and Nicole together.
Jack: OMG! I am annoyed with the Eric/Nicole propping. Even the thug felt obliged to point out they looked like they belonged together.
I just find it so unrealistic when they do that. In real life, you’re not going to find a whole town of people who all have the same opinion on anything! Can’t there be one person who is like, “Rafe and Nicole are a cute couple?”
Laura: Yes, I was hoping the thug worked for someone since all he did was hold Nicole at gunpoint and shoot Jake. I adore Ericole but give the thug a purpose. Did he hate Eric/Nicole and Jake/Ava for some reason?
Jack: I also think this Rolf story makes no sense. Two hours in the morgue makes it too late to resurrect Jake, but he can keep Stefan alive for over four years? Not that Rolf stories ever make sense.
Christine: Yeah, Dr. Rolf has always been nonsense. I don’t even try to make sense of it. It’s not worth my time.
What did you think about Jake and Ava getting engaged, only for him to die a few minutes later?
Christine: That they pushed Ava and Jake together just to kill him off! Jake and Ava had potential; that could have been a great long-term build instead of what we got.
Laura: I didn’t mind Jake and Ava. I feel for her losing him.
Jack: Yeah, I thought Jake and Ava had potential from the first time they crossed paths back when Ava was still with Rafe. And then they rushed to push them together so they could kill Jake.
Christine: The only upside of Jake’s death is that it might give Ava a storyline that doesn’t include making a man dinner.
Jack: LOL, Christine. I liked Li’s comment to Gabi yesterday about Ava’s qualifications. “Isn’t she a mob boss? She what, makes a killer ziti?” I liked Jake/Ava, and neither of them was my favorite character on their own
Christine: In this latest run, Ava is smarter than most characters in Salem, so I am interested in seeing where this goes, but killing off Jake just to bring back Stefan is a waste.
Laura: I totally agree. Wonder what they’ll have her do on the show, especially with Tripp gone, until they decide to bring him back again.
Jack: I agree, Christine. Also, it’s a rerun of how Gabi reacted when Stefan died, only with Ava and Jake. Choose a character for Brandon Barash to play and stick to it!
Christine: I liked Jake so much more than Stefan, but I guess we’re stuck with what we’ve got now. The one upside is that I generally like the actor.
Jack: It looks like, for now, Ava’s stuck in this scam with Gabi. But I like to think Ava only agreed to Gabi’s plan so she could get the upper hand over Gabi.
Christine: And Ava and EJ could prove interesting moving forward. They’re both playing one another, and they know it. And they’re both intelligent enough to make it a challenge.
Do you want to see more romance in Salem, and between whom?
Jack: Yes, I want to see more romance. I don’t have any particular couples who need to get together, but I’d like there to be REAL romance.
The only stable couples we have are Doug and Julie, and Steve and Kayla. Jack and Jennifer are rarely shown together. I’d like more stories for our classic couples and some new couples that are meant to STAY together for more than five minutes.
And I’m enjoying Ava and EJ too. I don’t know if it’s the actor or the writing or both, but damn, EJ has chemistry with every woman he crosses paths with, LOL. I was wondering if EJ will try to seduce the truth out of Ava, and to be honest, I wouldn’t mind if he did.
Laura: I was enjoying EJelle and am bummed that they’re done. I always enjoy Doug and Julie, Steve and Kayla, John and Marlena, and Jack and Jennifer, but I’m rooting for my Eric and Nicole reunion. Sorry, Jack.
Jack: I used to like Ericole, but my main problem with them is that it always devolves into Eric berating Nicole for doing something stupid.
Christine: Yes, Saint Eric is very judgmental and slow to forgive.
Jack: I liked EJ with Belle, too, and I thought Roman was similar with Kate as Eric usually is with Nicole, which bummed me out. I like Roman/Kate a lot too.
Laura: You’re right, Jack. I don’t like that. I used to be a diehard Brady and Nicole fan because I thought they were on more equal footing, but I think they’re better as BFFs now.
Christine: I was also a big fan of EJ and Belle. I like EJ with Nicole and Belle, and I think he and Ava have possibilities. I eventually even liked him with Sami. Dan Feuerriegel has really brought this character to life.
Jack: I am enjoying EJ more than I thought I would this run. I didn’t like him with Sami.
Laura: I’m also enjoying nu-Ej more with anyone but Sami. Dan/Ali didn’t have chemistry.
Christine: As for romance in Salem, I hate it when happy couples are torn apart because the writers can’t figure out how to make them interesting.
There are so many good story possibilities for stable couples. I miss seeing some real romance in Salem. It feels like we see very little of it these days. I hope that changes when it moves to Peacock. And with it being streaming, the love scenes could get a whole lot more interesting!
Jack: One thing I really hope is that they find Paulina more of a storyline. I like Jackee Harry, but it seems to me that lately, all Paulina is doing is wandering around town telling people who to be with.
Christine: I wonder if Paulina will continue to push Abe to run for governor while she tries to run things behind the scenes.
Jack: Yeah, I’m pleasantly surprised they didn’t drop the governor story. I thought it was just a plot point to let us know the governor was going to be blackmailed by Orpheus.
Speaking of Orpheus, is he the new Stefano?
Jack: It seems like it lately. He somehow knows all. I have always liked Orpheus as a villain, but we’ve gotten too far away from his original motive, which was to get revenge for Roman/John accidentally killing his wife.
Now he’s just evil for the sake of being evil which I don’t like as much.
Laura: So since Jack brought it up earlier, what did everyone think of Chanel’s pick in the triangle with the twins?
Jack: I was annoyed enough with both twins to hope Chanel picked neither one. I think Johnny is a better match for her, but he was also being obnoxious, so I wasn’t so enthusiastic.
Christine: I love that Days finally has a lesbian couple, but I don’t see them lasting. Allie is too immature. I think Chanel and Johnny make the better long-term pairing.
Laura: I also was Team Johnny. Allie was being more obnoxious, and I see them more as best friends.
Jack: Yeah, I think they just put Allie and Chanel together to have a lesbian couple without considering if they were the right characters. I will forever be disappointed we didn’t go there with Lani and Kristen.
Christine: I liked Eli and Lani, but I agree that Lani and Kristen would have been hot.
Circling back to Peacock, will you be watching when Days switches to streaming? And if there’s a cliffhanger when it does, do you have any thoughts on what that should be?
Jack: Yes, I will definitely be watching! I already subscribe to Peacock Premium. I’m hoping at some point there will be a way for me to watch Peacock on my TV, as there isn’t currently, but I will be watching regardless.
Laura: I absolutely will be watching. I already get Peacock thru Xfinity, but I’d pay for it regardless.
Christine: I signed up for Peacock Premium to watch the Days Christmas special last December. I got a discount for paying a year ahead. I haven’t regretted it.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.