DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[j swift]

OK, but did their sourpuss expression surprise you? 

Please register in order to view this content

[carolineg]

No lol.  They seem like they are a pretty joyless couple.  

[JAS0N47]

TODAY AT BURBANK...

 

Two moving trucks are seen outside the Burbank Studios. Thanks to a "Days" fan for sending this in.

 

Please register in order to view this content

[JAS0N47]

Please register in order to view this content

[Marlenafan01]

Does the hiatus seem to be for moving studios? Surprised press hasn’t picked up on it.

[j swift]

I guess, if we read between the lines, NBC sold Burbank Studios a decade ago (just like CBS sold their Television City and the Radford/Sony lot (where Salem Place was).  Now, it has mostly become a ESports productions studio.  The only other linear TV production left was Extra, and they moved over the summer to a new studio.  Then it was sold again last year. So, it was time to move. 

Also, Jason47 can correct the cannon, but DAYS has been on at least three different lots since 1989 (Sunset/Gower, Radford, and Burbank), its roots, to me, are not as tied to the lot, unlike B&B or Y&R leaving Television City on Beverly and Fairfax.  For example, their studio in Burbank isn't where Alice Horton always stood.

On July 15, 2024, Worthe Real Estate Group, QuadReal Property Group and Stockbridge Capital Group would reacquire The Burbank Studios as part of a years-long deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. The three companies paid $375 million for the 27-acre film studio campus in the Burbank Media District in Southern California, property records showed. Representatives announced the deal but did not disclose the value of the sale -- LA Times

Edited October 19 by j swift

[JAS0N47]

Days has been at the Burbank Studios for all but 6 of its 60 years, when they went to Sunset Gower from August 1983-June 1989. During their time away, I believe the interiors of the Griswold house were done in Spring 1989 for Christmas Vacation just before Days moved back in.

Edited October 19 by JAS0N47

[j swift]

But, wasn't the outdoor mall at Radford in Studio City (the old CBS/Sony lot)?

[JAS0N47]

What outdoor mall, Salem Place?  That was right outside the Burbank Studios, where people would line up and stand in line for Jay Leno's Tonight Show.

I never checked the exact dates, but I can confirm they were still at Sunset Gower on 6/20/89 and back in Burbank as of 7/3/89. But that is probably their first date back, because when you check on the Christmas Vacation tape dates, that says they taped until 6/30/89.

So it looks like over the weekend of 7/1/89 and 7/2/89 the Griswold house made famous in Christmas Vacation was transformed back into Salem!

 

[j swift]

Yes, I had thought Salem Place was on the lot in Studio City.  Thanks for the correction.

Anyhow, it makes sense that they're moving, and it really marks the end of an era for what was once NBC Studios in Burbank.  But, I don't envy them having to find a new route to work.  It is certainly odd that every major network has sold their Los Angeles based real estate in the past decade.

Edited October 19 by j swift

[Ryanc2]

I’m watching Days from January 2001 onwards and I’m close to the Coronation episodes. I was watching Passions during these years but not Days (mainly because Passions was on after school and Days was not. It aired too early in the day here in Canada). 
 

The question I have which I’m dying to know, is if JER was purposely ripping off storylines from Days and writing it into Passions with just slight differences? I know he was head writer for Days in the 90s but it seems like his storylines for Passions are a rip off of what Days was doing after he left. Sami’s execution being the most obvious to me at the moment because JER did a storyline involving Theresa’s execution just a year later & oddly enough the plots are almost identical. Sami was being accused of Franco’s murder when it was really Lucas who did it & on Passions Theresa was on death row to protect Ethan for killing Julian & she took the blame. I’m sure I’ll pick up on more examples as I continue watching these early 2000s episodes.

[Franko]

Off the top of my head, JER also revisited possession (evil Charity) and getting buried alive (one of the MANY misfortunes dumped on poor Sheridan).

[Ryanc2]

Yep Sheridan was put THROUGH it. That actress must have been exhausted playing her. 
 

More commentary on the January 2001 episodes:

John/Marlena/Roman

The conflict between them in these episodes centre about Brady and his hatred for Marlena. He’s a real brat. He’s like the male version of Sami in these episodes. I am actually rooting a for a Roman/Marlena reunion in this moment and just basing that preference strictly on this specific storyline (with no prior knowledge of their relationship from previous years), but John is annoying me for not being able to see how manipulative Brady is being. 
 

Bo/Hope

I am just now finally starting to understand their storyline after about 20 episodes and the whole princess Gina thing. I gotta say that whole thing was pretty stupid. I’m sure it looked really cool on screen back then because they had the budget to pull it off and make it interesting but Hope thinking she’s princess Gina is not going to be a favourite storyline of mine. 
 

Lexie/Abe

So Lexie has Bo and Hopes baby but doesn’t know it, an Bo and Hope have Marlo’s baby who was pushed down the stairs by Stefano? Do I have that right? Lol the whole thing was a little confusing to wrap my head around but I’m at the part where everyone is in Paris and Stefano is trying to convince Lexie to stay there (I’m assuming it’s because Stefano doesn’t want Hope to get close to her baby). I’m enjoying the internal battle Lexie is having with accepting that she is a “true DiMera”.

 

Sami/Brandon/Austin/Greta

This storyline is definitely among the most interesting ones for me right now because I love scheming Sami and the whole “tape” drama where Lucas confesses to killing Franco. Her and Kate are battling it out for who gets the tape and I’m obviously rooting for Sami but Kate’s scheming is very entertaining to watch as well. I also like the chemistry between Brandon and Sami. She finally has a man who is interested in her for who she really is but she can’t get Austin off her brain ofcourse. 
 

Nicole/Victor/Kate

This is another fun storyline to watch but I’m slightly perplexed by Nicole’s motives because on one hand she seems completely motivated by money but on the other hand she actually seems to have real genuine feelings for Victor, so I guess I just need to keep watching. Victor is now aware that Kate put a hit out on him and has already exposed her to their son Philip who saw Kate screwing another man (yikes). I am rooting for Nicole because I can’t stand Kate, so whether it’s Sami or Nicole or takes Kate down, both would be equally delicious. 
 

Shawn/Belle/Mimi/Philip/Chloe

I didn’t realize how corny the writing was for the teens back then. I thought that it was a new problem where writers just don’t know how to incorporate pop culture and lingo into their writing because they’re old. Well clearly they were just as old and out of touch back then too. All that aside, the writing and storylines are still solid and they’re doing a good job of building up these couples so the viewers become invested in them. I’m excited for when crazy Jan starts to really lose her [!@#$%^&*]. Chloe seems to be in a love/hate relationship with Brady and Philip is becoming jealous of that. That will end up becoming a solid triangle there. Shawn and Belle are adorable and I really loved the first Shawn, I can see the early signs of Mimi becoming a problem with them though. 
 

Jennifer

Jennifer was really backburned during this time and kind of on an island. I have been enjoying her scenes with Alice at the Horton house but we don’t seem to know yet what’s really going on between her and Jack. Alice has set it up so that Jennifer is going to the Coronation in Paris and sending Jack there to meet her so I’m assuming there will be a reunion at some point (whether or not it’s a happy reunion though, I am yet to find out) 

[MissPhoenixGirl92]

So I was just reading up on Janice Barnes's wiki page last night and I was pondering on her death at the hands of the Riverfront Knifer. Was she really brought back as a young adult just to be killed off later, because it seems like she probably would've eventually left town anyway if she hadn't died when she did. I do wonder if she hadn't been murdered that maybe she might have come back in a few short years anyway with a baby in tow and we would've been left wondering if it was Bill or Mike's or maybe someone else's.

I don't know... it just seems like a total waste to me. The fact that she was Maggie's former foster kid and she wasn't actually related to anybody in town means that she could've had a lot of potential story potential and she could've been paired up with pretty much anybody. I also would've loved to see what her dynamic would've been with Melissa and/or Sarah over the years. 

[j swift]

I don’t know if you’re concurrently watching currently, and I don’t want to spoil anything—but Lexie’s complexity was recently completely neutralized. Abe, speaking to their son, recalled her solely as an upstanding citizen. It felt like a quiet act of narrative revenge: Abe as the last one standing, rewriting the record in his image. As we know, history is written by the victors—though not the Kiriakis kind (pardon the pun).

Isn't it ironic that you can't repeat those stories now because there's no physical media.  That tape cassette was shown endlessly.  But, now there's no McGuffin to carry around and threaten people.  Even a thumb drive feels passé.

 

 

Edited October 22 by j swift