'Days Of Our Lives' Gets Its Biggest Change In Six Decades

NBC’s longest-running series “Days of Our Lives” is making a big move after 57 years on broadcast television.

On Wednesday, NBC announced that the long-running daytime drama will move to the NBCUniversal-owned streaming platform Peacock starting Sept. 12, Variety reported.

The big change reportedly marks NBC’s exit from a genre it pioneered more than seven decades ago when it launched “These Are My Children,” a soap opera that ran from January to March of 1949.

“Days of Our Lives,” which is produced by Corday Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television, has survived cancellation multiple times over the past 15 years, with Sony Pictures Television and NBC having negotiated deals that make financial sense to both parties, according to Vulture.

The series has not been getting the desired ratings in the past several years and is currently the “least-watched” show among four remaining network daytime dramas, the outlet noted.

But NBCUniversal and Peacock executives reportedly hope that the drama's loyal fanbase will follow the show to the streaming platform.

“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,” Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal television and streaming, said in a statement obtained by Variety.

He continued, “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.”

“NBC News Daily,” a new one-hour news program, will take over the time slots previously occupied by “Days of Our Lives” beginning Sept. 12. It is anchored by NBC News’ team, including Kate Snow, Aaron Gilchrist, Vicky Nguyen and Morgan Radford. It will also be streamed simultaneously on NBC News NOW and Peacock.

In 2021, “Days of Our Lives” was renewed for Seasons 57 and 58. The show celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2020 and aired its 14,000th episode in December that year. The drama is set in the fictional Midwestern town of Salem and tackles love, family, marriage, divorce and death experienced by the Horton, Brady, Kiriakis, Carver and DiMeras families.

Ken Corday, 72, serves as the executive producer of the series with co-executive Albert Alarr. Ron Carlivati is the head writer.

“Days of Our Lives'” move comes as two other major broadcast titles, “Thursday Night Football” and ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” prepare to shift to streaming in the fall. In September, “DWTS” Season 31 will debut on Disney+, while “Thursday Night Football” will premiere on Amazon Prime.

CBS also shifted its shows “SEAL Team” and “Evil” to the streaming platform Paramount+ ahead of their new seasons.