Days of Our Lives
Long-running American soap opera set in Salem, Illinois.
Days of Our Lives (also stylized as Days of our Lives; simply referred to as Days or DOOL) is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022, and has streamed new episodes on Peacock since September 12, 2022. Created by husband-and-wife team Ted Corday and Betty Corday, the series is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday since its debut. The show is set in the fictional city of Salem, Illinois, and primarily focuses on the Brady and Horton families, along with the DiMera and Kiriakis families.
- created_by
- Ted Corday and Betty Corday
- first_air_date
- November 8, 1965
- network
- NBC (1965–2022), Peacock (2022–present)
- genre
- Soap opera
- setting
- Salem, Illinois (fictional)
- notable_families
- Brady, Horton, DiMera, Kiriakis
Lore & Background
Days of Our Lives was co-produced by Corday Productions and Sony Pictures Television. During its early years, Irna Phillips served as a story editor, and many earliest storylines were written by William J. Bell, who left in 1975 to focus on The Young and the Restless. The series expanded from 30 minutes to 60 minutes on April 21, 1975. The show's executive producer is Ken Corday, who has held that role since his mother Betty relinquished showrunning duties in 1986, with Janet Spellman-Drucker as co-executive producer. As of July 2025, the show has been renewed through 2028, and it celebrated its 15,000th episode on December 2, 2024.
Reader's Guide
Days of Our Lives is significant as one of the longest-running scripted television programs globally, airing nearly every weekday since 1965. It was the only soap opera on NBC after the 2007 cancellation of Passions, and it moved exclusively to Peacock in 2022 after 57 years on NBC. The show was praised in the 1970s as the 'most daring drama' for tackling topics like artificial insemination and interracial romance. Its ratings declined since the 1990s, but it received renewals through 2028. The series has won Daytime Emmys for Best Drama in 1978 and 2013, and its actors have won multiple awards. The show has been parodied by SCTV and Friends, and had high-profile fans including Julia Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Did You Know?
- Suzanne Rogers is the longest-serving current cast member, having appeared since August 1973.
- Susan Seaforth Hayes is the only cast member to appear in all seven decades of the show, first appearing in December 1968.
- The January 12, 1976, cover of Time magazine featured Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes, the only daytime actors ever on its cover.
- The show was rebooted on September 26, 2011, to regain lapsed audience and boost ratings.
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