It was a yr of highs and lows for Days of our Lives in 2024. Whereas the present was picked up for Season 61 by Peacock and celebrated its 15,000th episode, real-life deaths of beloved castmates and a head writing change shook up issues behind the scenes.
As the brand new yr kicks off, the place the cleaning soap is about to have fun its 60th anniversary on November 8, co-executive producer Janet Drucker says, “Regardless of how arduous the previous yr has been, personally and professionally, together with dropping Invoice [Hayes, Doug Williams], Drake [Hogestyn, John Black] and most lately Wayne [Northrop, ex-Roman Brady], along with the foremost adjustments in our writing employees, we’ve actually settled into and are having fun with the trajectory of the present. We’re actually keen about how our imaginative and prescient is taking form and might’t wait to share it with our followers, outdated and new.”
These adjustments will probably be extra realized within the spring, when the fabric of recent co-head writers Paula Cwickly and Jeanne Marie Ford, who changed Ron Carlivati, will start airing. “The tales created by Paula and Jeanne Marie will first be seen on the finish of April and it’ll shortly be evident that they’re shifting us again to Salem’s core household dynamics — Brady, Horton, Kiriakis, DiMera, and Hernandez households,” previews Drucker. “We’ll see Sami [Brady, Alison Sweeney] and Rex [Brady, Kyle Lowder] come house for visits, and the nearer we get to the present’s sixtieth anniversary within the fall, the extra acquainted faces will seem.”
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And a few new ones, as effectively, the exec shares. “It’s going to be a giant yr honoring the present’s previous and legacy whereas establishing new, eventful, and thrilling tales,” enthuses Drucker. “Marnie [Saitta, casting director] continues to carry some actually nice actors our method for a few recasts, plus extra intriguing characters to return. We now have new actresses portraying younger Rachel and Sophia; they seem early within the yr. There’s undoubtedly a refocus and stronger storylines that includes our college-aged characters, as audiences are already getting a style of with the Tate [Black, Leo Howard], Holly [Jonas, Ashley Puzemis], and Sophia [Madelyn Kientz] love triangle/child story. We, after all, will keep on with romance — Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, love triangles — plus a riveting whodunnit, and naturally, small doses of humor Leo [Stark, Greg Rikaart], Hattie [Adams, Deidre Hall] and Bonnie [Lockhart, Judi Evans], Susan [Banks, Stacy Haiduk] and Vivian [Alamain, Louise Sorel] at all times ship.”
New Writing Staff’s First Episodes
- Episodes from the brand new head writing crew of Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford will begin airing on April 24, 2025.
- Particular, joyous, sixtieth anniversary episodes are being deliberate and can embrace the return of some favourite Salemites, airing in November 2025.
Huge Casting Adjustments
- Madelyn Kientz’s final airdate as Sophia Choi is January 27, 2025. Newcomer Rachel Boyd takes over the position on February 12, 2025.
- Kim Coles returns as Nurse Whitley King — Abe Carver’s (James Reynolds) soap-loving kidnapper — for one episode February 5.
- Emily O’Brien, who performed Gwen Rizczech earlier than assuming the position of Theresa Donovan when Gwen left city in October 2023, will probably be again as Gwen on March 10, 2025.
- Alice Halsey takes over as Rachel Black on April 24.
- Cleaning soap vet Michael Dietz, identified for enjoying Joe Scanlon on Port Charles and Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Mild, will seem for a brief story arc starting April 30.
Thrilling Storylines Forward
- Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) and Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) work to alter the course of each Titan and DiMera Enterprises.
- Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) realizes Philip isn’t the one for her.
- EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Belle Black (Martha Madison) can’t deny their intense attraction to 1 one other.
- The Who Shot EJ? thriller commences, involving most of Salem.
- Rachel Black disappears.
- Sophia Choi continues to weave a tangled internet with Tate and Holly, and her mom, Amy Choi, provides to the chaos.
- Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) vows to Marlena Evans (Corridor) that he’ll maintain looking for John Black.
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Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, Peacock