There is great news out for fans of Days of Our Lives, as a renewal has just been made official by NBC. Viewers knew that the show was facing a negotiating period this month for a new contract, and while most thought a renewal was likely, knowing for certain now that there is no DOOL cancellation hovering is cause for celebration. What’s the scoop?
As Deadline notes, NBC has renewed Days of Our Lives for another year, and it seems that the network may incorporate an option to pick up an additional year, as well. Insiders had previously indicated that a DOOL renewal was virtually guaranteed, but that the announcement likely would not come until the official negotiating period had started.
Despite that, news of the writing team being put on hold did shake up the nerves of some Days of Our Lives fans. As many viewers know, DOOL works on a schedule that is quite different from the other soaps. Instead of filming a month or so ahead of when the episodes air, the NBC sudser tapes about six months ahead.
Given that schedule, the writing team had already put together scripts through the end of the current contract, and sources had indicated that they were recently told to hold off on anything more until a new contract was in place. Luckily, it did not take long for a deal to be reached.
Ahead of the Days of Our Lives renewal announcement, there were reports indicating that the network wanted to see the soap shift to a more traditional filming schedule like the other shows do. Daytime Confidential details that this became a bit of a sticking point in the negotiations between NBC, Sony Pictures Television, and Corday Productions.
Certainly, it becomes a challenge if a storyline is not working with viewers to have such a gap between when things are filmed and when they air, as adjustments cannot be made quickly. This timing issue has caused a lot of buzz when it comes to casting changes, as well, as it’s hard to keep changes under wraps with a six-month gap.
However, the current schedule was implemented several years ago as a cost-cutting measure and at this point, it may be difficult to move away from. At this point, the Days of Our Lives renewal news does not note anything about a change in the timing of production.
The network has voiced its support of the changes made with Days of Our Lives over the past year or so, indicating a desire to ensure the show kept running. As the 50th anniversary of the show approached, a number of fan-favorite characters were brought back and there was an effort to shift the show back to the core families and storylines that grew the show in its earlier years.
Characters like Patch, Kayla, Belle, and Shawn have all returned, and Bo Brady even came back briefly to give closure to his long-running love story with Hope. While there have been a number of difficult departures playing out as well, the shift in direction has had a very positive effect on ratings, and this seems to have given the show the juice it needed to ensure a renewal. Where would you like to see Days of Our Lives head in the coming year now that it is known NBC will be continuing the show’s run?
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