DAYS: How I'd try to change the show, creatively...

[RionPassions]

I'm bored on a Saturday night, so here's what I'd do if I were head writer/executive producer:

First, there would be a blood bath.

Gabby, Duck, Stephanie, Roman, Billie, Belle, Shawn, Claire, and Abe would be let go.

Shayna Rose would return as Stephanie. Billie's off to my Days spinoff (see other thread). Wayne Northrop would return as Roman on a recurring basis. And Abe would stay on a recurring basis.

Then I'd bring back Carrie, Austin, Mimi, and Kristen. Yes, I know Mimi isn't popular, but I like her, and the writer is allowed to play favourites.

Marie and Hattie would return, both on a recurring basis, as would Melissa Anderson, Mickey and Maggie's daughter, to fill the void left by Jennifer. So would Doug and Julie, but I already count them as on recurring status. And I'd lure John Clarke back as Mickey for a few episodes a year.

I'd bring Kimberly, Shane, Adrienne, Justin, Carly, Lawrence, Vivian, Ivan, Lexie, Tek, and Alan Harris back for short stints as storylines dictated.

As for new characters, I'd cast the roles of Shane and Kim's kids, Jeannie and Andrew. They're Bradys.

As for stories, they would look like this:

HOT:

John/Marlena/Stefano/Kristen

I'd have Stefano put a bomb in John's head and use it to blackmail Marlena into leaving town with him. Marlena would end up on the island where she spent with Stefano in the past and explore more about her missing years. John and Marlena, although separated, would have joint memories of a past life together. Eventually, Marlena would escape and they'd force a brain surgeon to remove the bomb, but a side effect would leave John with Marlena. Marlena would nurse him back to health and they'd fall in love again. They'd also discover they previously met before as lovers in med school, and that Alex North was a hoax created by Stefano. Then John would remember everything, including what Stefano erased from his mind, and he and Marlena would reunite. Enter Kristen.

Bo/Hope/Victor(Justin/Adrienne/Carly/Lawrence)

Following the truth about the Brady/DiMera feud, Bo would distance himself from Grampa Shawn and try to re-establish peace with Victor. At the same time, he and Hope would be assigned to investigate dirty business dealings at Titan, which in reality are being orchestrated by a secret partnership between Justin and Lawrence. Bo would have to lie to Victor as he attempts to forge a relationship, while Carly's return to Salem makes Hope jealous.

Patch/Kayla

Patch and Kayla find out from Lawrence that he faked Patch's death and sent him to a prison camp as a sick revenge. They then discover the ISA extracted Patch and sent him to a small European country on a top-secret mission. When the ISA refuses to tell them what Patch did before he ended up in the clutches of the DiMeras, Patch and Kayla head to Europe on their own to investigate.

Sami/Lucas

EJ gets "shot to death" and Sami is the prime suspect. But when Lucas is arrested, she frames Kate to save him. However, it turns out Will is the real "killer", so Sami "confesses" to save her son. After Sami is sentenced, Will's conscience gets the best of him and he confesses. Before he can be sentenced, EJ shows up alive and the charges are dropped! During all this, Sami has her baby, which turns out to be Lucas', but little does she know that while she was unconscious during labour (thanks to a fall down the stairs), she had twins! Now, a mysterious hospital orderly has her second baby...Who is he? Perhaps it's Alan Harris!

Carrie/Austin

Carrie and Austin return to Salem, and Carrie becomes a feminist activist. She's also pregnant! Carrie and Sami end up thrown together when Alan stalks them both and kidnaps them. Will the sisters patch up their differences, or will it kill them?

SIMMERING:

EJ/Andrew

EJ seems like the kind of guy who'd f*** anyone regardless of their sex, so I could see him getting involved with Andrew, who'd be gay, as a way to get at the Bradys without going through Sami.

Kate/Tony/Anna

Kate and Tony would become partners in the board room and the bedroom, with Anna allying herself with John, Marlena, and Basic Black to battle Mythic.

Max/Mimi/Philip/Stephanie

Mimi and Philip would bond over their child, while Stephanie falls for Philip, angering Kayla and Patch in the process because they don't want their daughter involved with Victor's son.

Maggie/Lucas

Lucas and Maggie team up to run a problem for alcoholics through the Horton Centre. Maggie is missing Mickey, who's spending more time at work, and Lucas is stressed because of Sami, and both of them consider a return to alcohol. They help each other with their struggle.

LOW:

Chelsea/Nick/Jeannie

Chelsea devotes herself to environmental activism at school, while her mean cousin Jeannie takes advantage of the situation to sink her claws into Nick.

Victor/Caroline/Grampa Shawn

Caroline is angry with Shawn when she learns what he did to make the DiMeras hate them, so she turns to Victor. But she can't cheat on her husband, so she patches things up with Shawn. But then Shawn dies! Caroline wants to get together with Victor but doesn't want to be the town pariah. Luckily, Shawn's ghost appears to her and tells her to move on with Victor. She does, but this creates tension within her family.

Roman/Hattie

Roman and Hattie would fall in love, and together they'd try to figure out why she has such an uncanny resemblance to Marlena.

That's how I'd save Days.

[RionPassions]

Here's my contract cast listing:

1. Marlena

2. John

3. Kristen/Susan

4. Stefano

5. Hope

6. Bo

7. Patch

8. Kayla

9. Carrie

10. Austin

11. Sami

12. Lucas

13. Maggie

14. Tony

15. Anna

16. Kate

17. EJ

18. Philip

19. Max

20. Mimi

21. Stephanie

22. Nick

23. Chelsea

24. Jeannie

25. Andrew

26. Caroline

27. Grampa Shawn

Recurring:

1. Victor

2. Celeste

3. Doug

4. Julie

5. Abe

6. Mickey

7. Marie

8. Roman

9. Hattie

10. Bart

Short Returns

Adrienne Kiriakis

Justin Kiriakis

Carly Manning

Lawrence Alamain

Vivian Alamain

Ivan Marais

Lexie Carver

Tek

Kimberly Brady

Shane Donovan

Bonnie Lockhart

Connor Lockhart

Alan Harris

Edmund Crumb

[R!ck]

Now that would be a show I would definitly watch!

[RionPassions]

Thank you! I like to think it combines enough of JER's melodrama and camp with plenty of character-driven material.

Oh, and I totally stole [s.W.S.N.B.N.]'s idea to make Carrie a feminist.

[Roman]

Rion,

You would have Stefano plant a bomb in John's brain?

I can see the previews now......

"Next week, on Days Of Our Lives, the power goes out in John and Marlena's apartment. But when it comes back on, the bomb in his brain explodes, blowing his head off.

Can Marlena live with a headless John? It's all next week.....On Days Of Our Lives."

Just playing.

[psychofan]

You are so creative, Rion! I love those ideas.