5 hours ago, carolineg said:

Ron did start mentioning Peter regularly especially after Missy left, so I always figured the show would recast or bring him back.  Oh, well.

 

When Kristen was posing as Nicole in 2019 and "married" the randomly-also-alive Tony to... get standing at DiMera or something, it was originally supposed to be Peter, I think. Then something changed. But there was a plan to bring in Peter at some point there.

2 minutes ago, Michael said:

When Kristen was posing as Nicole in 2019 and "married" the randomly-also-alive Tony to... get standing at DiMera or something, it was originally supposed to be Peter, I think. Then something changed. But there was a plan to bring in Peter at some point there.

I think Peter's continued absence is so glaring!!! 

 

Do you think the show killed off Renée and Megan too quickly back in the '80s?

4 hours ago, asafi said:

Do you think the show killed off Renée and Megan too quickly back in the '80s?

Renee, absolutely.  She had a lot of places to go on the canvas and could have created years of drama.  Megan, not so much.  She was a plot device used as a spoiler for Bo/Hope.  I suppose the show could have kept her, but if I had to choose one of the two it would be Renee.  

Al Calderon (Javi) has been cast as a series regular on Brilliant Minds, so I guess he might be out in about three years...

7 hours ago, asafi said:

Do you think the show killed off Renée and Megan too quickly back in the '80s?

2 hours ago, carolineg said:

Renee, absolutely.  She had a lot of places to go on the canvas and could have created years of drama.  Megan, not so much.  She was a plot device used as a spoiler for Bo/Hope.  I suppose the show could have kept her, but if I had to choose one of the two it would be Renee.  

I once tried to imagine them keeping Renee, but moving her out of the love triangle with Tony and Anna and moving her into a new one with Bo and Hope (and Larry Welch, I guess). Philece Sampler was only two years older than Peter Reckell, and it's not like Renee had been tied to any one man during her time on the canvas, even if Tony was the longest-runner at that point.

7 minutes ago, Franko said:

I once tried to imagine them keeping Renee, but moving her out of the love triangle with Tony and Anna and moving her into a new one with Bo and Hope (and Larry Welch, I guess). Philece Sampler was only two years older than Peter Reckell, and it's not like Renee had been tied to any one man during her time on the canvas, even if Tony was the longest-runner at that point.

Okay but would we still have had "Renee threw a party & invited the whole town, who she proceeded to tell off"?!!! I'm good as long as we keep that. 

3 minutes ago, Franko said:

I once tried to imagine them keeping Renee, but moving her out of the love triangle with Tony and Anna and moving her into a new one with Bo and Hope (and Larry Welch, I guess). Philece Sampler was only two years older than Peter Reckell, and it's not like Renee had been tied to any one man during her time on the canvas, even if Tony was the longest-runner at that point.

I actually think you move her into Alex's world more as a schemer or even David's (if they recast) and wanted to take Renee into a different direction.  I feel like she was peripherally involved with Marlena as well so Roman would have been more obvious than Bo to me. Just with the Tony/Anna connection and it could have been a messy mess with Anna/Tony/Renee/Marlena/Roman.  I do think the show was all in with Roman/Marlena at that point though. I feel like there were more options with Renee with how many cast members she was involved with.  It would have taken creative thinking, but easier than trying to move Megan into different circles because she was much more one note.

They also could have delved into Renee's pre-Salem/pre-Stefano past, and mined a lot from that as well.

And from what I've read, it sounded like they teased a pairing between her and Chris too, in the beginning. 

51 minutes ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Okay but would we still have had "Renee threw a party & invited the whole town, who she proceeded to tell off"?!!! I'm good as long as we keep that. 

Yes, we can keep Renee reading everyone for filth.

48 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I actually think you move her into Alex's world more as a schemer or even David's (if they recast) and wanted to take Renee into a different direction.

In theory, recommitting to David also means recommitting to Doug & Julie (i.e., not just disliking Hope with Bo), which would be a good thing.

48 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I feel like she was peripherally involved with Marlena as well so Roman would have been more obvious than Bo to me. Just with the Tony/Anna connection and it could have been a messy mess with Anna/Tony/Renee/Marlena/Roman.  I do think the show was all in with Roman/Marlena at that point though.

Oh, man, a love pentagon (accidentally typed "pentagram" at first) would be something else. Years ago, we found out that Deidre Hall was close to leaving in 1983-84. I suspect that if she had, Marlena would have been a victim of the Salem Slasher.

48 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I feel like there were more options with Renee with how many cast members she was involved with.  It would have taken creative thinking, but easier than trying to move Megan into different circles because she was much more one note.

Megan really did feel obligatory, an extra speedbump for Bope.

34 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

They also could have delved into Renee's pre-Salem/pre-Stefano past, and mined a lot from that as well.

And from what I've read, it sounded like they teased a pairing between her and Chris too, in the beginning. 

And then Chris gave the eulogy at her funeral.

I was trying to find out what 2 episodes DAYS won the 1976 Best Writing Emmy for & Jason47 came through for me, fast & in a big way, with what seems to me to be VERY interesting info - and, as always I thank him!! Apparently this year they had a choice to make, an option, they could submit one episode or they could submit themselves for the entire year.
First the qualifying period of time ran from March to March, 1975 to 1976. It will be many years before the Academy (NATAS) switches to a calendar year for eligibility.
Now, the exact wording of the category at this time.
"Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, for a single episode of a series; or for the entire series."
So, I think we should look at all of the nominees:
The Edge of Night (series) Henry Slesar
The Guiding Light (episode February 3, 1976) Jerome Dobson, Bridget Dobson, Jean Rouverol
Days of Our Lives (series) William J. Bell, Kay Lenard, Pat Falken Smith, Bill Rega, Margaret Stewart, Sheri Anderson, Wanda Coleman
The Young and the Restless (episode September 5, 1975) William J. Bell, Kay Alden
All My Children (series) Agnes Nixon
So, GL and Y&R both submitted one specific episode, while EON, DAYS & AMC went all in.

Now, we need to talk a bit about the stories that Bell, Sr/PFS explored.

First up, the real biggie, the reveal of Mike Horton's true biological paternity! Wesley Eure was playing Mike & as such he was the first young adult Mike, no longer a child. Of course he was SORAS'd but it's difficult to be sure when or by how many years & that complicates the natural question: How long was this secret kept? I've seen 8 years, 12 years & 16 years. I'm confident that it was the longest a 'known by the audience secret' had been kept on DAYS. So, the audience knew all along. Tom & Laura knew all along. Bill knew if not all along, well, pretty close. Kitty found out but Kitty died. Mickey did not know, either that Bill raped Laura or that he himself was sterile.
After Mike was injured and needed a blood transfusion, it was revealed that Mickey Horton wasn’t his biological father - Bill Horton was. The fallout was intense: Mickey shot Bill, disowned Mike, and suffered a breakdown. To put it another way, one day all of a sudden Mike learned that his uncle was his dad. Mickey went & got a gun & shot Bill when he learned about the rape. When Mickey had his nervous breakdown, he also vanished. No one in Salem had any idea where he had gone. We the audience learned that he had amnesia, remembered literally nothing, saw 'MH' on his belt buckle & began to call himself Marty Hanson. He also ended up on a nearby farm & became a laborer there for Maggie.

Other stories, 1975: Doug & Julie's romance, complicated by Addie becoming a third, although Julie was involved with other men, also. They had a pattern where one would be available but the other would not. Then, they'd switch those positions.
Laura Horton became psychologically shaky. 
Dr. Neil Curtis made his debut in 1974, but by 1975–76, he was becoming a fixture in Salem’s medical and romantic scenes. 
Melissa, Linda Patterson’s daughter, & Linda herself, were complications for a few people. 
Bob Anderson, at Anderson Mfg. led to many business moves, power plays, possibly chicanery. He also complicated Julie's romantic life.

Just as I would love to see AW's Pete Lemay years over again, I would dearly love to see DAYS Bill Bell Sr. & Pat Falken Smith over again.

 

On 7/31/2025 at 5:31 PM, Contessa Donatella said:

Now, we need to talk a bit about the stories that Bell, Sr/PFS explored.

First up, the real biggie, the reveal of Mike Horton's true biological paternity! Wesley Eure was playing Mike & as such he was the first young adult Mike, no longer a child. Of course he was SORAS'd but it's difficult to be sure when or by how many years & that complicates the natural question: How long was this secret kept? I've seen 8 years, 12 years & 16 years. I'm confident that it was the longest a 'known by the audience secret' had been kept on DAYS. So, the audience knew all along. Tom & Laura knew all along. Bill knew if not all along, well, pretty close. Kitty found out but Kitty died. Mickey did not know, either that Bill raped Laura or that he himself was sterile.
After Mike was injured and needed a blood transfusion, it was revealed that Mickey Horton wasn’t his biological father - Bill Horton was. The fallout was intense: Mickey shot Bill, disowned Mike, and suffered a breakdown. To put it another way, one day all of a sudden Mike learned that his uncle was his dad. Mickey went & got a gun & shot Bill when he learned about the rape. When Mickey had his nervous breakdown, he also vanished. No one in Salem had any idea where he had gone. We the audience learned that he had amnesia, remembered literally nothing, saw 'MH' on his belt buckle & began to call himself Marty Hanson. He also ended up on a nearby farm & became a laborer there for Maggie.

Other stories, 1975: Doug & Julie's romance, complicated by Addie becoming a third, although Julie was involved with other men, also. They had a pattern where one would be available but the other would not. Then, they'd switch those positions.
Laura Horton became psychologically shaky. 
Dr. Neil Curtis made his debut in 1974, but by 1975–76, he was becoming a fixture in Salem’s medical and romantic scenes. 
Melissa, Linda Patterson’s daughter, & Linda herself, were complications for a few people. 
Bob Anderson, at Anderson Mfg. led to many business moves, power plays, possibly chicanery. He also complicated Julie's romantic life.

Just as I would love to see AW's Pete Lemay years over again, I would dearly love to see DAYS Bill Bell Sr. & Pat Falken Smith over again.

 

Absolutely legendary storytelling. Bell & PFS knew how to play the long game - raw, emotional, unforgettable.

 

Something tells me the AI social media manager over at Soap Central is not a big Days fan.  Maybe, it's the fact that they can't distinguish Gabi from her daughter, Ari?🤔🤖😎