DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[j swift]

Much like Sami had to learn when she persistently begged for Austin's attention, desperation is not appealing

[Khan]

Ah, but you're wrong.  I do like Deidre.  And Marlena.  But I don't kid myself into thinking she is The Most Important Character In DAYS History.

[Lye-C]

[carolineg]

Listen, no ill will to you or anything, but it's pretty clear you are pro-Deidre and pro-Marlena.  That's fine and I am too, but it's coming off like you are completely unwilling to listen to anyone else's thoughts or opinions.  Or honestly even actual facts.

Wait...I totally do think she's the most important character in Days History.  In all seriousness, but I guess other people might not agree.

[Lye-C]

Facts speak for themselves. Marlena has appeared in more episodes than any other character including the Hortons. Characters, families, and couples all exist because of her. Marlena led the groundbreaking possession storyline. You don’t get much more important than that. 

I’m glad I discovered the ignore function. 

[jam6242]

Behind the scenes look at the taping of the Christmas 1976 episode.  FYI, @JAS0N47

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Edited December 16, 2023 by jam6242

[JAS0N47]

Thanks!  Hadn't seen that article before. Fun read!!

[Contessa Donatella]

It's important to understand that Demonic Possession 1.0 lost the show tons of fans. 

Of course it gained them tons of new younger fans, too, so net is a gain. 

They also were undisciplined & self-indulgent & ran the story an awful long period of time beyond their original plan & many people think it would have been improved if they'd stuck with their original plan. 

However since Demonic Possession 2.0 has come & gone, it's important to note that everyone played it straight, which was right, rather than trying be be campy. Camp comes if it's played genuine. 

[Paul Raven]

I would imagine  a lot of the 'new fans' weren't as loyal to the show as the 'old fans' who deserted.

[Contessa Donatella]

Good point, Paul. The people who left in droves were dyed-in-the-wool totally wrapped up in DAYS, those fans who were described as being SO loyal & so fanatical who were positive that no other soap was even close to how great DAYS was! Like my family, where the Hortons were discussed as if they were the neighbors two streets over. What Alice had done that day or whether Julie & Doug had a secret getaway weekend planned was talked about along with, "Please pass the Bread & Butter pickles."!!! I stayed. I stuck it out. I was that unhappy, too. But so many friends left & most went to GH, some to AMC & they never looked back. Carly Buried Alive had offended them. Then, this. they were not going there with Marlena, who they did not at all like being evil. 

[Lye-C]

What the JER hater fails to recognize is that he brought the show’s ratings up, up, up. Thanks to the possession Days was the only soap whose ratings increased during the OJ trial. Then, two years later, JER brought Days such high ratings on the strength of the Kristen/Susan/John/Marlena story that it nearly defeated Y&R as the number one soap. In fact, JER’s Days was so successful that NBC rewarded him with his own soap, Passions. 
 

You can’t cherry pick history nor can you lie or obfuscate facts. 
 

The fact that JER is still under your skin all these years later puts a smile on my face.

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[I Am A Swede]

True, he brought the ratings up. But the long-term damage his writing did to Days was greater than his short-term ratings gain.

[Contessa Donatella]

I am not sure who you refer to. In case it's me. I do not hate James Reilly. I am totally in thrall, in love with the story of Kristen & Susan Banks & her siblings. I am not cherry picking & I am certainly not lying. But, James Reilly has not yet ever been under my skin. I do not even count him as a #SoapKiller. And they are the ones who I could maybe be thought to hate, although I really don't cotton to hating. And, the only time DAYS has been #1 was 1988 for the wedding & honeymoon of Patch & Kayla. Facts, you see. 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges

[Lye-C]

I definitely don’t agree. The writers who damaged this show were Dena Higley, Hogan Sheffer, Gary Tomlin, Christopher Whitesell, Marlene McPherson, Darrell Thomas, and Josh Griffith. Those who wrote Days similarly to JER such as Sally Sussman, Tom Langan, Peter Brash and Paula Cwikly, and Ron Carlivati kept the show compelling. Ron’s writing has been a return to form after a decade of nonsense and destruction.

JER wrote an exciting and interesting Days. In fact, NBC had the best soap lineup of the 90s with Days, Sunset Beach, and Passions (as far as I’m concerned, Passions is the greatest soap opera of all time). 

You must understand that JER is *the* definitive Days writer for an entire generation. He wrote the show properly. I remember reading SOD back when I had a subscription and seeing that soaps like GL, ATWT, AW, GH, and AMC were terribly boring. 
 

 

[I Am A Swede]

The highlighted sentence is the reason why you and I will never agree on this subject.