By 
Days of our Lives, the longest running series on NBC, has been renewed for a record 56th season.
“Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”
Those words, which have drawn millions of eager viewers to their television sets for six decades, will remain a high point of the broadcast day with today’s renewal announcement of the multi-Daytime Emmy Award-winning series.
This news will be a relief to fans of the soap who have wondered when the official word would come from NBC. The fandom was thrown into chaos last November when erroneous reporting coming off the heels of another successful Day of Days fan event had fans believing the entire cast had been fired. False alarm, obviously.
On November 21, DAYS executive producer Ken Corday announced the renewal to the cast and crew (albeit prematurely) ahead of a planned extended production hiatus. Originally, production was set to resume in the spring of 2020. Production was reportedly set to resume this month.
A strong showing of public support came January 11, 2020 during the winter Television Critics Association tour when NBC Chairman Paul Telegdy confirmed support for Days of our Lives saying, “Of course Days of our Lives is going to carry on. We love it…. I know that will be good news for the fans.”
It’s important to note how significant that announcement was the the soap. First, it’s rare for a network boss to even discuss a soap at a TCA event nowadays. Secondly, it was 13 years ago when former NBC president Jeff Zucker stood one stage at the TCA and declared DAYS was unlikely to continue past 2009. But they are 11 years later still standing.
“From our incredibly loyal fan base to our wonderful writers, cast and crew, the enthusiasm for ‘Days’ never wavers,” said Bruce Evans, Executive Vice President, Current Programming, NBC Entertainment. “We’re incredibly thrilled to bring viewers another season of a show that has cemented its place in television history and touches all generations.”
“We are most grateful to NBC for their enduring faith in the future of ‘Days of our Lives,’ and we are excited to continue delivering compelling stories to our loyal family of fans into this new decade,” said executive producer Ken Corday.
Said Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television: “Ken Corday and his team continue to build on the legacy of quality storytelling and intriguing characters that connect with audiences of all ages. We are thrilled that viewers in the U.S. and around the world will be able to enjoy the award-winning ‘Days of our Lives’ for another season.”
“Days of our Lives,” which aired its 13,755th episode in 2019, remains a television institution. The show first premiered as a half-hour drama in 1965 and expanded to an hour 10 years later.
The show has garnered 57 Emmy Awards, including most recently 2015 and 2018’s Outstanding Daytime Drama, and 350 nominations, as well as multiple People’s Choice Awards, GLAAD Media Awards and Prism Awards.
Set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem, “Days of our Lives” airs nationally on NBC in the United States and in more than 25 countries internationally. The core families are the Bradys, Hortons and DiMeras, and the multi-layered storylines involve elements of romance, adventure, mystery, comedy and drama.
“Days of our Lives” is produced by Corday Productions, Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television. Ken Corday is the executive producer with co-executive producers Greg Meng and Albert Alarr. Ron Carlivati is the head writer.
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