Following its move to Peacock in 2022, Days of Our Lives has now been renewed for two seasons, taking it to its 60th season.
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In Aug. 2022, a major decision was made to move daytime television stalwart Days of Our Lives from traditional broadcast channels on NBC, to a streaming-only version on Peacock.
“This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming said at the time. “With a large percentage of the Days of our Lives audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show’s loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers.”
Apparently, the move has worked as Days of Our Lives has now received a two-year renewal which will take it through its 60th season.
This is not the first U.S. soap opera to attempt this, but under different circumstances. Following the cancelation of All My Children and One Life to Live in 2011, both series attempted to be revived in 2013 on Hulu. This was done via a company called Prospect Park that had licensed both series from ABC. The project did not go well, with labor disputes occurring with unions, and an eventual move to the Oprah Winfrey Network. Both series ended up meeting their final demise during those revival attempts.
Is this the future of soap operas in the U.S.? We’ll have to wait and see.
