ARTICLE: Jamey Giddens to Exit ‘Days of our Lives’ Writing Team, Joins Primetime Soap

[Errol]

After spending two years as a breakdown writer at “Days of our Lives,” Jamey Giddens has decided not to renew his contract and will depart the daytime drama series next month.

Giddens announced the news last night on Twitter after a follower asked if he was still writing for the show. “I am through next month,” responded Giddens, who also revealed he has signed on to write for an existing primetime series.

“I just signed on with a hit primetime soap that I won’t be able to discuss deets on for a while,” Giddens shared while noting his work on “Days of our Lives” will continue to air through at least the end of the year due to the show’s current tape-to-air schedule. “My #DAYS eps will likely air through year’s end, but Salem U.S.A. will always be home away from home! Two amazing years!” said Giddens, closing out his post.

In response to the news of his upcoming exit, some of Giddens’ “Days of our Lives” colleagues wished him the best of luck as he follows the next stage in his career.

Miranda Wilson (Megan Hathaway) said, “It was an enormous privilege to have worked with your writing. I’ve so much appreciation of the crafting it took to bring Megan back, and to make it both super fun for me to play and super exciting for the fans to watch. I’m bereft that I will speak no more, your wonderful words.”

Judi Evans (Bonnie Lockhart) congratulated Giddens, saying, “Best wishes in all you do. It has been a pleasure saying your words.” She used four “heart” emojis to emphasize her appreciation.

Paul Telfer (Xander Kiriakis) commented, “Huge congratulations Jamey! Thanks for all the fun and best of luck with the new gig!”

Kassie DePaiva (ex-Eve Donovan) stated, “How exciting!!! Congratulations!!”

Outside of “Days of our Lives,” others in the daytime community also congratulated Giddens on his continued success, including writer Michele Val Jean (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), who said, “Loving all the love!” and Casey Kasprzyk (Supervising Producer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”), who said “Congrats! Well deserved. Excited to hear more details.”

In the two years since Giddens joined the show’s writing team, “Days of our Lives” took home the Writers Guild Award for Daytime Drama two years in a row (2022, 2023) and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team in 2022.

In addition to his work on “Days of our Lives” and spinoff “Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem,” Giddens created and executive produced “Ambitions,” starring Robin Givens as a high-powered attorney who will stop at nothing to get what she wants after she joins her family’s prestigious Atlanta-based law firm. The series is available to stream on Tubi. Prior to that, Giddens served as an associate producer on “Workshop” and was a writer for the inaugural season of “The Rich and the Ruthless,” created by Victoria Rowell (“The Young and the Restless,” “Diagnosis Murder”).

Before segueing to TV writing, Giddens made a name for himself as the editorial director and co-founder of Daytime Confidential, a popular TV news destination featuring breaking news on soaps, talk shows and game shows, daily recaps and spoilers.

Note: The post Jamey Giddens to Exit ‘Days of our Lives’ Writing Team, Joins Primetime Soap appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.

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[Liberty City]

BYE! Long over-due.

[Soapsuds]

Bye!!  Don't let the door hit you on your way out!

 

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[TEdgeofNight]

THANK YOU Jamey for leaving Days! I appreciate you stepping away from a job you never deserved. Luckily, I don't watch any hit primetime soaps so I won't have to be subject to your next writing gig. Buh bye.

[j swift]

I do not appreciate Mr. Giddens podcast performances, his erroneous insider knowledge, or his contentious engagement on social media.

However, it is hard to read board posts and not recognize his influence on the options of fans of the genre (I still hear his mispronouncement of the hard "g" in my head every time I read the word genre in print).

And, I hope that daytime will continue to search for BIPOC/LGBTQIA writers as part of their staff.

[Noel]

Deuces! Take the salad tongs and the crock pot yo' mama gave ya, Henny!

[dragonflies]

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[Noel]

WHITE CHICKS: YO MAMA

 

[Soaplovers]

I don't know all that much about Jamey... but didn't they create a show with a lot of potential, but poor execution?

[AbcNbc247]

Very poor execution.

For someone who constantly boasted about what a big soap fan he is, he seemed to have no understanding of what soap opera is. 

His ideas were lousy, his dialogue was atrocious, his character motivations were weak and he had no sense of story, character or pacing. He didn’t want to write Days of our Lives. He wanted to write The Real Housewives of Salem. And when a soap rips off something that came after it, it almost never works (see 1994 B&B)

Thank God he never made it anywhere near the head writer’s chair. I just hope he knows that, most likely, his lousy crap writing won’t be tolerated in prime time. 

[Faulkner]

I was watching Ambitions and it felt like a show from someone who learned all he knows about human behavior from watching soap operas and not from actually living a life. Not sure if that’s the case for Jamey but that’s the feeling I got. Even camp and artifice can feel “lived-in,” so to speak, but nothing rang true for me.

Edited April 24, 2023 by Faulkner

[AbcNbc247]

I never watched Ambitions, but if it was written like the way he wrote Days, then it’s no surprise that it got cancelled after one season

[vetsoapfan]

 

My mind is reeling with sarcastic replies.

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[te.]

This is a good summary of his faults as a writer - while yes, it's fun to watch Joan Collins' as Alexis deliver some juicy lines, it's the in-between parts that makes those lines interesting. He just isn't that interested in proper world building and exploring what makes these characters tick; he'd rather just watch those "Best of Dynasty" YouTube videos.

Edited April 25, 2023 by te.