NBC’s iconic daytime soap “Days of Our Lives” might not have had a chance for survival if not for its move to Peacock, one of the show’s Emmy-winning directors, Scott McKinsey, told fans in a Facebook message Friday.
McKinsey took to social media to assure “Days of Our Lives” fans that, from what he knows, “there will be no perceptible change to the show as it moves from NBC to Peacock.”
“IOW,” he wrote, “the show has not been canceled, and/or ‘picked up’ by Peacock. This is a big difference from the sad demise of ABC’s [‘One Life to Live’] and [‘All My Children’]. All of your favorite characters will remain on the show for the foreseeable future. In fact, the prospect of ‘Days’ remaining in production for the long term just increased as a result of this move. Without Peacock, ‘Days’ might have been numbered on the Network.”
NBCUniversal Television and Streaming chairman, Mark Lazarus, announced Wednesday that the 57-year-old daytime drama (aka, soap opera) was leaving NBC for its streaming service Peacock starting Sept. 12, which would benefit both Peacock and NBC. “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,” he said in a statement.
Long-time viewers of the show, however, saw the shift as a downgrade of sorts and, in addition, have expressed their anger and disappointment that “Days” will only be available in the tier that the audience has to pay for – meaning, ya gotta subscribe to Peacock.
“I understand Peoples’ sour reaction to being asked for money to remain viewers, but let’s look at the positives,” McKinsey began. “The monthly subscription includes access to every show DOOL has ever aired, (as I understand it). It allows you to watch a new episode anywhere you have internet access. So you don’t have to view it on your DVR at home, (or lose the episode because your DVR is full, or because the network preempted it for a car chase!)”
McKinsey went on to encourage “cord-cutting” by dropping cable company access and instead sign up for individual streaming channels. And he urges fans to make Peacock one of those channels… for the sake of securing a home for “Days of Our Lives.”
“In an effort to keep the show airing, I’m going to ask you a favor,” he wrote. “Please consider signing on to Peacock for at least a month, near the date of September 12th, to demonstrate your interest in following ‘Days’ to its new platform. This will help solidify ‘DOOL’s’ chances of remaining viable with Peacock. They will understand that the increased subscriptions around that date are associated with ‘Days’ viewers. After that, I understand if you can’t elect to stay subscribed. But please send us over to Peacock with as much support as you and your friends can muster.”
NBC, Corday Productions and Sony Pictures Television announced in May 2021 that “Days” had been picked up for two more years, insuring that it would run through Seasons 57 and 58. To date, it has earned 58 Emmy Awards, including most recently 2018’s Outstanding Daytime Drama, and 372 nominations, as well as multiple People’s Choice Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and Prism Awards.
The network dipped its toe in the streaming world with the launching last year of the“Days” (also known as “DOOL”) sister show, “Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem.”
You can read Scott McKinsey’s entire message to fans by clicking here.
