Fans of “Days of our Lives” are invited to buckle up for what promises to be a bumpy ride ahead.
On Tuesday, November 2, Peacock debuted a new sizzle reel for the upcoming batch of episodes, and soap fans have a lot to look forward to.
A Surprise Sibling
The clip begins with a voice calling out, “EJ DiMera?”
This prompts EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) to turn around to encounter Dominic Marino (Kyle Pryor), who tells him, “We meet at last.”
“And you are?” EJ responds, to which the stranger replies, “I’m Dominic Marino. Hello brother.”
That’s followed by an onscreen title card reading, “All great houses fall from within,” with the clip teasing what promises to be an epic battle with his long-lost sibling. “Bloodlines blur, loyalty is tested and home is where the heart breaks. In Salem, no house stands for long.”
In another scene, Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) worriedly asks, “What is he doing in Salem? What does he want from our family?”
That’s followed by Theo Carver (Tyler Andrews) meeting with Dominic, asking, “What did my grandfather send you here to do?”
“You’re asking the wrong question,” Dominic responds. “The correct question is, ‘What do I intend to do?’”
Transition to Streaming
As fans will recall, “Days of our Lives” ran for 57 seasons on NBC before switching to the NBCUniversal-owned Peacock streaming service in 2022.
At the time, Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal television and streaming, explained that the rationale behind the move to Peacock was intended to maximize the show’s already-massive reach while also freeing up space on the network for new NBC daytime content.
“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,” said Lazarus in a statement. “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.”
Some Fans Weren’t Onboard with the Move
Not at all surprisingly, loyal fans who’d watched the show for free on NBC were none too thrilled that they now had to pay for a Peacock subscription to follow the ongoing antics in Salem.
However, when Peacock announced it was raising its subscription price, fans went ballistic, with some pointing to be a downhill trajectory in the show’s quality ever since the show’s shift to Peacock.
“If @peacock actually cared about ‘Days of Our Lives,’ have the show the budget it needs for better sets, cameras, background actors and enough time to tell proper stories, I wouldn’t mind paying more. If the money actually showed on screen, the higher price would be worth it,” one fan complained via via X.
Another added (also on X), “Honestly we are the ones who should be paid for watching #Days.”
Meanwhile, another fan spoke for many in a since-deleted Instagram post, reported by The Sun.
Quick facts about Peacock,” the post began.
“They launched spinoffs early on to bring fans to the platform. They did a big announcement push when the show moved from NBC to Peacock,” the post continued.
“They still mention renewals. But that’s where it stops. No consistent promotion. No real effort to grow the audience. No push when the show gets outside attention. And yet… the suits are always there with champagne to celebrate a milestone or a new season. Funny how they show up to celebrate, but not to actually help the show grow,” the post shared.
“Meanwhile, the only people consistently promoting DAYS (classic and current) are the fans, doing it for free, every single day. And some of us even get punished for it…for doing the promotion the official channels won’t,” the post added.
Dominic Marino Stirs Up Chaos in Shocking New ‘Days of our Lives’ Teaser