How Long Has ‘Days of Our Lives’ Been on TV?
Days of Our Lives is one of the four daytime soap operas left on TV alongside General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Back in the day, soap operas used to dominate the television landscape, but it’s clear that they have been on a decline in the past several years.
Nevertheless, many fans still enjoy watching soaps since they hold a lot of history within them compared to other shows that go off the air after a few seasons. Days of Our Lives, for example, is an example of a program that has been around for generations. But just how long has the show been on TV for and is it likely that it will end soon? Read on below to find out.
What is ‘Days of Our Lives’ about?
Days of Our Lives focuses on the people who live in a fictional Midwest town called Salem. While other soaps on TV today like to tell stories about opulent, wealthy characters, Days of Our Lives is known for featuring people who are more middle-class and relatable to average Americans.
The show initially focused the most on members of the Horton family when it first premiered. However, over the years, other families have been added to the mix as well, such as the Bradys, the DiMeras, the Johnsons, and the Kiriakises.
Days of Our Lives follows the members of these clans as they go through the ups and downs of life. Like many soaps, the show also hooks viewers in with gripping storylines about crimes, mysteries, and heartbreaks.
How long has ‘Days of Our Lives’ been on TV?
Days of Our Lives premiered on NBC in November 1965. So far, the series has 55 seasons.
Because it has been on the air for so long, Days of Our Lives has a very rich history filled with memorable storylines that fans still talk about today. For example, the episodes in the 1960s and 1970s were popular for their love triangles. And in the 1980s, Salem was haunted by the “Salem Strangler,” a person who murdered many women in the town.
Over the years, there have also been a number of “supercouples” that fans could not get enough of on the show. For example, these “supercouples” include Doug and Julie Williams, Bo Brady and Hope Williams Brady, John Black and Marlena Evans, and Chad DiMera and Abigail Deveraux.
Days of Our Lives has had many historic moments as well. It featured an interracial couple for a few years in the 1970’s at a time when this was a taboo subject for television.
In 2012, the show also received praise for featuring a same-sex relationship and being the first daytime soap to show a same-sex wedding.
What does the future look like for ‘Days of Our Lives’?
Since soap operas are no longer as popular as they used to be, there are no doubt many fans who are constantly wondering about what the future holds for Days of Our Lives.
In November 2019, there were reports that the entire cast of the show had been released from their contracts and that Days of Our Lives was being put on indefinite hiatus. This put a lot of viewers on edge as they had no idea what was happening to the beloved soap.
However, it didn’t take long before word got out that NBC had renewed the show until 2021. Soap Central also reassured fans that “the reports of Days of our Lives’ death have turned out to be greatly exaggerated.”
It seems that, for now, Days of Our Lives is not going anywhere soon, and the townspeople of Salem will continue to be a part of fans’ lives as they have been for decades.
