Paul Raven

Just thinking how times have changed since the last new soap launches. Then we waited for network press releases and magazine coverage eg SOD. Seeing the cast in casual clothing makes me look forward to the contrast when they are in costume. Sorry Clifton but that fugly shirt and baggy trousers combo isn't going to cut it! As for those familiar crew member, MVJ has been around and probably wants to work with people she knows and feels comfortable with. Also to give some of them the chance she is getting to work in a (hopefully) more creative environment. Being a woman of a certain age she may not have many connections with younger creatives.

I see that Nate's penthouse has been redressed. Looks better. How did he came to be living there? At one point I recall he sold it to Chelsea? And he moved to Cane/Lily's house. Lily moved to an apartment with Billy but then moved to Devon's penthouse. Devon lives at the Chancellor Estate, with Abby,right? Victoria and her kids moved out of her house to the Tack House, where Mariah and Tessa were living. They moved elsewhere but we never see their house. We see Daniel's apartment,Sharon's cottage and the Nikki/Victor room. Nick lives at his house we no longer see. Same with Lauren/Michael. Jack, Diane, Traci and Kyle live at the Abbott house. Where do these characters live? Sally, Phyllis,Summer, Audra, Chance,Adam,Chelsea? Have I missed anyone?

Variety review from April 63

Full circle soap moment for Clifton Davis .His first major TV role was A World Apart in 1971. Interesting to see how all those characters tie together and how different occupations will be depicted. A lot of sets needed for various workplaces.

Variety Review April 3 1963

That AD article was clickbait. A couple of shots of interiors. I was hoping for a lot more.

So if they start taping Nov 4 they will be at least 8 weeks ahead, unless they (hopefully) spend extra time getting the first few weeks in the can. It will be interesting to see how the publicity strategy evolves over the next few months.

Rose DeVille was actually on Y&R 3 times. Her first stint in 79 was a warm up- she was running a teen prostitute ring out of an antique shop. Chris Brooks and Brock were involved.

Y&R finally, finally addressed Jack's long forgotten son Keemo by introducing Allie,Jack's grand daughter. Was she bitter about being denied her family all those years? Not interested in a family she never knew? Intrigued to now be apart of a wealthy influential clan and ready to fight for her place in the family? No,she was pretty much a bland good girl who accepted her new circumstances and left town without a fuss. Years in the waiting and years of future story brushed aside.

That's the long lost brother plot I suggested for Sharon!

Monti Sharp is unrecognizable in that pic. Years go by... I think with the established soaps in the doldrums, CBS decided to take a gamble on BTG. It will be interesting to see how many markets go with it. What was the % reach for The Talk? As for the older demo, there seems to be a group think that they are all super conservative and set in their ways. Hence the stale storytelling. But I believe that's not the case, and a well told story that confronts 'issues' might be accepted and intriguing for many in that demographic.

I wonder if the real reason Slesar was dismissed was simply down to money. After more than a decade maybe his salary was just too much to justify so they dropped him. Sheldon would have been alot cheaper.

Not a fan of Melody's outfit in that pic. A new costume designer, Praise the Lord. Hopefully, the skin tight, one shoulder dresses worn by most of the female cast are consigned to the dumpster. They need character specific, age appropriate and classy looking clothes for the cast. Now we need the sets to be revamped and better music. And a new headwriter.

Taking a book set in the 20's that was turned into a movie set in the 40's and then TV series set in the 80's did create a problem in terms of tone and sense of place.

There were 2 Brians before Pinter -Frank Telfer and Robert Burton. Not sure why they were dropped.

With the money being poured into the Ranch, it seems odd that only Victor and Nikki live there. Obviously it's going to be used a lot so are we going to see a constant stream of visitors and Victor conducting his business there? Where is Nick living now?

Looking back at other soaps' premiere casts, it was usually a mix of a few known names and a bunch of newbies. So BTG is not unusual in that aspect. And some gems are uncovered in the cast - while others not so much. So there might be adjustments(recasts) in the first few months, or we will have to watch them grow onscreen.

Sigh... The Plan to Save Days 2015 Remix courtesy Ken Corday, Albert Alarr, Josh Griffith and Dena Higley et al(from SOD) *I understand Corday has to be a cheerleader for the show but seriously.... Digest: Let’s start at the very beginning.Why did you switch head writers? Ken Corday: Because the show I was looking at was no longer recognizable as DAYSOF OUR LIVES to me. I had been pondering making a writing change since September of last year and with all due respect to the writers who are no longer there, and who did win us an Emmy award, and GLAAD awards and many other kudos, there comes a time when they’re just burned out, and they were not getting it done. It was time to make a switch. I felt like the car was headed for the edge of the cliff. Digest: Do you want to be more specific? Corday: It was an overall feeling. It was the body of the show. It was the two or three main stories that were driving the show. It was the characters that were completely new and unknown to me and the longtime and somewhat new viewer. And more than anything, the atmosphere of negativity and complacency in the studio was overwhelming. In light of the fact that we were coming up to our most important production year ever, I felt like I had to grab the reins and pull back and change horses. Digest: How did Dena Higley and Josh Griffith come to head write the show? Corday: I had talked to Dena and Josh last July, August and September because I was thinking of making the change back then. It did not come to pass. They presented me with what was truly a wonderful long-term story and for reasons not to be disclosed, it was not implemented. Then, in February of this year, I took a week off as I often do to just clear my mind, and went to the South Seas and spent five days on a boat. It became very clear to me upon returning and attending [former DAYS Executive Producer] Wes Kenney’s funeral that I had to grab the reins and bring the show back to center and make it the great show it has been in the past again, and that these are the two that could take us there with their vision. And that the change also had to be made in the studio with producers. And in cast in a multitude of places. Digest: What did they bring to the table in their pitch? Corday: Let’s take them individually. Dena has a great history with the show. Knows romance. Has written some of the best stories ever on the show, Nicole and Sami’s baby switch story being the first to come to mind. Josh had been watching the show a number of years when he was writing YOUNG AND RESTLESS, and his dream was always to head write DAYS. So, I had made a marriage there, and they were like hand and glove; it was the perfect fit. One would finish the other one’s sentences and I thought, “How much luckier can I get?” And then their ideas started to fulminate and I thought, “My God, how good is this going to be?” And then I started making phone calls and insisted on making the change. And within a week of making the changes with head writers, I made the changes with executive producer and line producer and supervising producer. From Lisa de Cazotte to Albert Alarr and Janet Rider, both of whom are very talented and have a long, long history with the show. I called the cast together, I believe, on Monday, February 9, and said that I had an announcement to make. And I introduced the two new head writers and our two beloved producers and the place went absolutely berserk. And from that day on, I have enjoyed coming to work 100 percent more every day. I have never enjoyed my job more. I have never seen the show in better hands. I have never seen more inspired work, more inspired writing, more inspired production, and an amazing amount of hard work, tears and effort on the part of the cast. It’s phenomenal. And I said to them on that Monday, “We have to raise the bar. Failure is not an option here. The show will be 50 in November. We must get picked up for another two years, and in order to do so, we have to not reinvent ourselves but go back to basics to what has made the show great in the past. And hopefully when everyone reads [the scripts] in the next few weeks, you’ll realize that I’m not blowing smoke.” Digest: We heard some behind the scenes rumblings. Were you aware the cast was unhappy? Corday: Extremely aware. I can’t tell you how many meetings were held behind closed doors one-on-one or one-on-two with actors who were either just ready to jump or had no idea why I was letting this continue. So there was great dissatisfaction among the ranks, but more importantly, among the viewing audience. Digest: Is that where you as the show owner and executive producer feel you have to step in? Corday: You’re only as good as your last week’s ratings, and if I’m not looking at that and listening to what the viewers are saying or not saying, then I’m not doing my job. And it was very clear to me that we had to make a significant change. Digest: What was No. 1 on your list of changes you wanted to see? Corday: I needed to, first of all, change the cast. The cast on the show was no longer recognizable to me and those that were recognizable were doing nothing. So we had to flip that. We had to jettison stories that were not going over well with the audience and we had to give characters on the show who were recognizable and powerful more story. But most importantly, we had to, for the 50th anniversary, months after and before, give the viewers what they wanted to see. Not just in a mere appearance of someone from the past, but great story integrated with people on the show today while bringing back great stars from the past. And only these two writers were able to do it. No one else I talked to had even close to the same ideas. Digest: Had you contacted other people? Corday: Yes, I did. Many. Digest: How did you decide who you would bring back? The list so far includes Peter Reckell (Bo), Stephen Nichols (Steve), Alison Sweeney (Sami), Thaao Penghlis (Andre), Jason Cook (Shawn), Martha Madison (Belle), plus putting Wally Kurth (Justin) and Judi Evans (Adrienne) on contract. Corday: It was organic in sitting down with Josh and Dena and knowing this change was imminent. I knew what they had planned and what they had planned was more than a bomb; it was a nuclear arsenal of returns, one after the other, after the other, after the other, all in huge story. So it starts with a harmonica player who walks off the elevator with his son in tow, and then we find out that Steve doesn’t believe Bo is AWOL, and then we see Bo, and then Sami comes back and something isn’t quite right. Unfortunately, it meant losing cast members. I would be tipping story if I told you what happens, but many will be leaving the show in a grand story, in a very dramatic fashion. And one by one, the great Old Guard is returning. Digest: Do you roam the halls and get a nostalgic feeling? Corday: Oh yeah, and they all want me to come to their dressing room. And I’m happy to give each of them as much time as they want, as have our writers and producers. The doors are open again. The window is open for fresh air, and what flew in are some very beloved, much-missed birds. When I walk through those studio doors every day, it’s like I’m hit with a tidal wave of love and a positive feeling and excitement, such as I’ve never experienced before. Digest: There has been positive fan reaction to the people you’ve brought back. How does feel to be making decisions that are so well-received? Corday: It validates my life. Besides my wife and three children, the show is my life. If the viewer is happy, it makes me complete. In the course of basically four weeks, you will not recognize the show from what it is in August to what it will be in September. That much better. In the course of four months, people will be absolutely flabbergasted at what we’ve done. Digest: What was the feeling among the cast who were written out? Corday: They understood that this is show business and it is not show friends, and for the sake of great drama, sometimes, some people have to be expendable. Digest: Well, you can’t make everyone happy, and some fans seem particularly upset that Matthew Ashford (ex-Jack) hasn’t been asked back. What do you say to them? Corday: Well, okay, let’s talk about Matt for a minute. Jack fell down an elevator shaft, was impaled andis dead, dead, dead. I mean, there comes a point where, as will be the case with Thaao Penghlis’s return [as a presumed-dead Andre], you have to bend the rules. That’s not to say that Matt won’t come back some day, but you have to watch it with the audience that they don’t say, “Oh, our trust is ruined, Ken. You keep killing people and they keep returning. What are we supposed to believe?” So in this case, from September 1 on, when someone dies, they are dead. Digest: What was the thought process behind the plans for the story surrounding the 50th? Did you want a big, impactful story? Something historical in nature?Something that would bring lapsed viewers back? All of the above? Corday: All of the above in spades. I wanted to see Doug and Julie active. I wanted to see Victor, Maggie, Caroline and Stefano active again, running things, doing things, not just in the background. These characters had basically become under-5s: Abe, Roman, Caroline, Stefano, Victor, Maggie, Doug, Julie, John, Marlena. Should I continue? But story-wise, it started with, well, what can we do that is a special event for the 50th? And I came up with the idea that it would be Salem’s bicentennial celebration, 200 years since the founding of Salem and we would harken back to 1965, that Tom and Alice were part of the founding of University Hospital, and we would have a huge celebration. That is the frame, that is not the picture. The picture is the amazing characters and what they’re doing in that painting, and what transpires before, after and during the anniversary. Digest: There has been a noticeable lack of romance in Salem. Will we see more? Corday: Romance is the basis for where the story starts. This is how Dena and Josh approach their storytelling with me and with the producers: Who is the couple I want to die for here? Who are the couples we want to root for? Let’s isolate three or four of them and build great story around their high, romantic stakes. Every one of their stories is based on romance. And a little bit of psychosis, but that is also dramatic. Digest: Is romance something you wanted to see more of in the show? Corday: For the last two years. Digest: For someone who hasn’t watched and is picking up this issue, what can you tease about what’s to come? Corday: Within one or two days, you will think that you were watching DAYS OF OUR LIVES in its golden years but it’s déjà vu for the very first time. The show is going to be the best it’s ever been and I defy anyone to prove me wrong. Sounds pretty egotistical, but I’ve seen what we’ve done. Today I was reading late January and I’m still in awe with what these people are doing. In awe. Digest: How does it feel that the fans are still so passionate about DAYS in spite of the lower points you’ve gone through? Corday: I feel like the luckiest producer in television, that we’re on the air 50 years because our fans don’t give up on us through some of the darkest worst times and also through the great times. After 50 years, we’ve got five generations of them. How lucky is that? Digest: In 2011, you made a big deal about a reboot. What do you say to critics who argue that you’ve done this before and you’ve said this before? Corday: That was nothing like this. That was changing the tire. This is changing the engine, the body, the paint and the driver. You will look at the show and think you’re watching a prime-time version of DAYS every day, from the lighting to the music to the costumes to the set design to the writing to the acting to the direction and the production. It’s just unbelievable. Digest: We have done the “Plan To Save DAYS” stories in the past. Would you call this your plan to save DAYS? Corday: This is not just my plan to save DAYS, this is my plan to make the best DAYS OF OUR LIVES ever. This is my plan to launch the show into the next 10 years. Digest: Are you optimistic that the show will get a pickup? Corday: Very optimistic. The contract is up in September of 2016. Digest: What do you say to the fans today? Corday: Bear with us through the summer and fasten your seatbelts come Labor Day because you won’t believe what’s going to hit you between the eyes. In your wildest dreams, you will not be able to imagine how good this show will be. I am not one to make false promises at this time because it’s been very difficult for me to make any promises over the last few years. Please stay tuned. So what do you think? What stories came from this?

Unfortunately, and for unknown reasons, we can no longer edit posts after an hour or so.😫

It seems like Victor has rebuilt the ranch elsewhere. Hopefully it will be explained in the scripts. Perhaps he purchased or owned some nearby land and had the new ranch built there. And explain what will happen to the current house. Otherwise Nikki might have noticed construction of a new house on the current property...

The GCAC set was new in comparison to the Newman Ranch and I don't believe it would be in such a state. When it returned it looked identical which suggest to me that it was in storage and had been discontinued b/c it was a large set. They put in a new counter. It does need a revamp IMO. It was set up over 20 years ago as a place for the youngsters of GC to hang out and the whimsical quirky decor reflected that. Now it's an all purpose hangout and the decor looks dated and unsuitable. I'd get rid of the jukebox, robot and the creepy face on the wall, add some new furniture, reupholster the banquettes etc IRL most businesses would have an update in that time unless it was a more traditional set up like GCAC.

@FrenchFan I may be wrong but I think Chase Crossley (not Pamela King)was playing Jane by this time. Pamela King had taken over from Eileen Fulton in 64 in a short lived unpopular recast, which wouldn't have happened had she been playing Jane. I think that Jane might have been a recurring character seen from time to time until Chase took over the role in 1963 and Jane moved in with her widowed brother. Maybe someone can confirm or clarify this?

I believe George discovered that Jane, possessive of her brother after Anne's death, poisoned young Johnny's mind against Robin so she and Paul would break up and Jane could have a fantasy family of herself Paul and Johnny.

On first glimpse the set looks good. The former JFP ranch set was soulless and then they went to the current (tiny) room we see now. That was done to reduce the size of sets so more could be fitted into the studio . Same with the shrunken Chancellor set and dropping the GCAC for Grand Pheonix. This new set is much larger so hopefully there's been a change in production and we will see bigger sets. Next up a revamp of Crimson Lights please!

Obviously John will die. I just hope that they don't try one of those 'he left a secret message etc' stories which tie into some mystery that never ends up being anything of importance or is some ridiculous retcon.