Days of our Lives aired its final episode on NBC on September 9, 2022. But the sands will continue to pass through the iconic hourglass... just in a new location: the Peacock streaming platform.
News of DAYS' move to Peacock first broke in early August. As you might expect, the news was met with a range of reaction from fans. There was shock that DAYS would be leaving its network home of 57 years. There was anger that a show that had been "free" for 57 years would now cost money to view. There was fear that the move to Peacock signaled an inevitable end to the soap opera. There was also excitement from fans who viewed the digital platform as a way for Days of our Lives to continue and thrive.
As it turns out, the move from NBC to Peacock has long been in the planning stages. The performance of two seasons of Beyond Salem and the Days of our Lives Christmas movie showed that DAYS fans were willing to stream content in numbers substantial enough to pave the way for the mothership series to follow suit.
"The network always had the right to migrate the show exclusively to Peacock, and now they've decided to do so, and we're excited," Ken Corday said last month. Corday called streaming "the future" and suggested that "in a year or two," all first-run dramatic television would move to a streaming forum.
What do the stars of Days of our Lives think about the big move? The stars chatted with Soap Central from the Horton Town Square set to offer their thoughts.
"I think of Peacock as NBC and as our home, so I'm feeling very optimistic," said DAYS legend Deidre Hall, who originated the role of Dr. Marlena Evan in 1976.
Hall's co-star Robert Scott Wilson (Alex Kiriakis; ex-Ben Weston) admitted that there was initially some "shock" about the timing of the announcement that the show would be moving to Peacock. But, Wilson said, that surprise quickly wore off, and he added that he and cast mates have embraced the change.
"I think everyone knew it was coming down the line. I just didn't think it was going to happen so fast," Wilson admitted. "When it was delivered, it was kind of like [gasp], but then it was like, oh, there's longevity, there's opportunity, there's all this great, refreshing news that's attached to it. It's great."
Days of our Lives has already taped episodes through February, so viewers won't notice any changes until then. After that, though, Corday teases that the show "will be able to say and do things that are a little bit more titillating than on broadcast" television. The length of the show could also change because each episode won't need to be whittled down to 38 minutes to fit into an hour timeslot with commercials.
"We are asking fans to make a change, but it's a very simple change," added DAYS co-star Eric Martsolf (Brady Black; ex-Ethan Winthrop, Passions). "It's not actually difficult in any way, so we're just trying to get the word out that this is our new home. Home is where you hang your soap opera hat, and it's going to be great in the long run."
Martsolf also highlighted an area where some DAYS fans have expressed concern, noting the integrity of the show.
"The powers that be have stressed that we are going to preserve the integrity of the show," Martsolf stated. "It ain't going to change, it's just going to evolve. So, we preserve the historical impact the show has had, yet we move it into the future. It's a win-win."
Peacock is doing its part to make the cost factor less burdensome for DAYS fans. Through September, the cost to subscribe to the premium tier of Peacock is just $1.99 per month or $19.99 for an entire year. The normal cost is $4.99 per month or $49.99 for a year. There is also a totally ad-free "premium plus" tier for $9.99 and $99.99.
Not sure how to watch Peacock? You can watch on a computer, a smartphone, a SmartTV, Roku, Amazon Fire devices, and even on thee X-Box gaming system. Plus, if you are an Xfinity or Cox cable subscriber, Peacock's premium tier might already be included with your cable subscription at no extra cost. For a list of supported devices, check out the Peacock TV Help page. Bill and Susan Hayes figured it out and even made a little video to help DAYS viewers.
Neither Peacock nor Days of our Lives has confirmed what time of day new episodes of the long-series serial will be posted to Peacock, but some rumors have said new episodes could be posted as early as 6 a.m. ET daily.
For now, Days of our Lives will air only on the the premium and premium plus tiers of Peacock. It is unknown if the soap, which debuted November 8, 1965, on NBC, might drop episodes to Peacock's free tier after a certain period of time.
What's also unknown is exactly how many episodes from Days of our Lives' historic vault will be available to stream. A DAYS source said in a recently deleted Facebook post that "every episode" would be available to stream, but that has not been confirmed.
Days of our Lives' current contract runs through September 2023. No timetable has been set for when Peacock will announce a renewal or what a renewal might look like.
If you still need incentive, be sure to check out the two-minute preview of what to expect from DAYS' new season. If you are not able to sign up for Peacock right away, fear not: Soap Central will continue to provide comprehensive daily recaps as we've done for nearly 30 years. You can read those recaps at any time at soapcentral.com/days/recaps
Soap Central's special correspondent for this interview was Dishin' DAYS host Tony Moore. Tony has hosted the online dating show Mutual Friend. He also wrote and stars in the short film Kevin, which is being shown at film festivals across the country.
Are you ready to tune in to Peacock to watch DAYS? Do you have any questions or concerns? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
