“Days of Our Lives” executive producer Ken Corday has teased what’s next in Salem as the hit Peacock soap celebrated its 61st anniversary. The show debuted on NBC on November 8, 1965, but moved to Peacock in 2022. Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) talked to the plague of Alice (Frances Reid) and Tom (Macdonald Carey) in Horton Town Square to pay homage to the OG characters who started it all, marking the anniversary in the Friday, November 6 episode. Now Corday has previewed what’s in store for fans in the upcoming year.
Traditions, Romance and Legacy Heat Up ‘Days of Our Lives’
Speaking with Soaps.com, Corday honored the milestone anniversary by giving a glimpse of what’s coming up. The mysterious Dominic Marino (Kyle Pryor) has finally shown his face, so the fallout of that on the DiMera family and Marlena (Deidre Hall) will be front and center.
EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) plays a major role in that storyline as Corday teases that Stefano’s (Joseph Mascolo) legacy lives on through his sons. “Stefano does loom large, just as Victor Kiriakis does. EJ and now Dominic both have the gravitas and power to carry forward the DiMera legacy, for better or worse,” he expressed to the outlet.
Corday revealed that “Days of Our Lives” plans to get back to focusing on the core families in Salem, like the DiMeras, the Bradys, the Kiriakises, the Hortons, and the Hernandezes. Through that, Corday expressed that the great family traditions that have been alive in Salem and on the show for decades will continue.
“Over the past six decades, [the show] has solidified the built-in traditions that we will always respect — the Horton family Christmas tree, wedding anniversaries, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, for example,” Corday spilled.
Another staple on the hit Peacock soap is romance, and Corday teased that too. “There are some new, young loves, rekindled romances, and complicated triangles. I’m particularly excited about a brand-new character who brings some levity to the canvas and gets herself involved with almost everyone in Salem. She’ll debut in the spring,” he declared.
The executive producer also hinted that love takes center stage on the show. There will be some interesting pairings that may lead to a romantic dynamic between the DiMera and Kiriakis families. Corday compared it to the Montagues and the Capulets but did not give details.
Corday promised a lot of intertwining in the upcoming storylines for the show’s core families. Instead of separate storylines, there will be more interaction across the canvas.
Will Marlena Find Romance Again on ‘Days of Our Lives’?
The one question that has been asked a lot since Marlena lost her great love, John (Drake Hogestyn), has been whether she would find love again. It hasn’t even been two years since John died, but the rumor mill has been running rampant about Marlena’s love life.
Corday isn’t focusing on that right now. “What we uniquely do best is focus on multigenerational storytelling, and there is something very powerful in having our strong, surviving women serve as examples of perseverance and as matriarchal role models. A romantic partner isn’t necessarily required, is it?”
“Days of Our Lives” has already been doing that with Julie and Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) as they mourn their husbands, Doug (Bill Hayes) and Victor (John Aniston). Marlena has been in that fold a bit but also front and center with her kids and now the whole Dominic, the son she never knew she had, mystery.
The extended winter preview also gave fans a lot, teasing major cast exits, new romance, and the fallout of Dominic’s arrival, to name a few.
“Days of Our Lives” airs weekdays on Peacock.
‘Days of Our Lives’ Boss Previews What’s Coming Next to Mark Major Show Milestone