Ron Carlivati is exiting “Days of our Lives” as head writer after more than seven and a half years at the helm, Deadline reported on Friday.
Due to the show’s advanced tape-to-dair schedule, which has recently been hovering at eight to nine months, Carlivati’s name will appear in the credits through at least April 2025. He is being replaced by co-head writers Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford, effective immediately.
”Days of our Lives” Corday Productions, Inc.
“We look forward to approaching our 60th Anniversary next year with Paula and Jeanne Marie at the helm and fresh, exciting stories that we know the fans will embrace,” said executive producer Ken Corday in a statement. “We wish Ron nothing but the best and thank him for his dedication and the respect he has shown to me, the cast, and the show’s legacy.”
Carlivati first joined the “Days of our Lives” writing team in January 2017 when it was announced he would replace the team led by co-head writers Dena Higley and Ryan Quan. At the time, Higley, one of the show’s veteran writers, exited altogether, while Quan was given the title of creative consultant, a role he shared with another veteran writer at the show, Sheri Anderson. Scripts bearing Carlivati’s name first appeared with the July 19, 2017 episode, making news of his exit a sentimental one.
During his tenure as head writer, “Days of our Lives” won the Writers Guild Award for Daytime Drama for four consecutive years, including 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Team in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Carlivati previously served as head writer at “General Hospital” and “One Life to Live,” the latter of which won him his first-ever Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Team in 2008. During his “General Hospital” run (2012-2015), the show won the Writers Guild Award for Daytime Drama for two consecutive years, winning in 2014 and 2015 – the show also won the years following his exit.
As for Cwikly and Ford, they are known to the “Days of our Lives” audience. Cwikly previously served as both an associate head writer and co-head writer at the show in the early-to-mid 2000s, and Ford has been part of the writing staff since the 1990s, serving in various capacities, including as recently as associate head writer.
Before working alongside Peter Brash from 2002-2003 as co-head writers at “Days of our Lives,” Cwikly had been an associate head writer at “Sunset Beach” during the show’s final year on NBC. Later, Cwikly joined the writing team at “As The World Turns” from 2004-2006, followed by “The Young and the Restless” from 2006-2013. Meanwhile, Ford has spent brief periods at other soaps when not part of the “Days of our Lives’ writing team, having served as a scriptwriter at both “As The World Turns” (2007) and “One Life to Live” (2008) for short runs.
At press time, there were no additional writing changes in play at “Days of our Lives,” although that could change as news of Carlivati’s exit continues to circulate.
Ron Carlivati is exiting “Days of our Lives” as head writer after more than seven and a half years at the helm, Deadline reported on Friday.
Due to the show’s advanced tape-to-dair schedule, which has recently been hovering at eight to nine months, Carlivati’s name will appear in the credits through at least April 2025. He is being replaced by co-head writers Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford, effective immediately.
Corday Productions, Inc.
“We look forward to approaching our 60th Anniversary next year with Paula and Jeanne Marie at the helm and fresh, exciting stories that we know the fans will embrace,” said executive producer Ken Corday in a statement. “We wish Ron nothing but the best and thank him for his dedication and the respect he has shown to me, the cast, and the show’s legacy.”
Carlivati first joined the “Days of our Lives” writing team in January 2017 when it was announced he would replace the team led by co-head writers Dena Higley and Ryan Quan. At the time, Higley, one of the show’s veteran writers, exited altogether, while Quan was given the title of creative consultant, a role he shared with another veteran writer at the show, Sheri Anderson. Scripts bearing Carlivati’s name first appeared with the July 19, 2017 episode, making news of his exit a sentimental one.
During his tenure as head writer, “Days of our Lives” won the Writers Guild Award for Daytime Drama for four consecutive years, including 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Team in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Carlivati previously served as head writer at “General Hospital” and “One Life to Live,” the latter of which won him his first-ever Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Team in 2008. During his “General Hospital” run (2012-2015), the show won the Writers Guild Award for Daytime Drama for two consecutive years, winning in 2014 and 2015 – the show also won the years following his exit.
As for Cwikly and Ford, they are known to the “Days of our Lives” audience. Cwikly previously served as both an associate head writer and co-head writer at the show in the early-to-mid 2000s, and Ford has been part of the writing staff since the 1990s, serving in various capacities, including as recently as associate head writer.
Before working alongside Peter Brash from 2002-2003 as co-head writers at “Days of our Lives,” Cwikly had been an associate head writer at “Sunset Beach” during the show’s final year on NBC. Later, Cwikly joined the writing team at “As The World Turns” from 2004-2006, followed by “The Young and the Restless” from 2006-2013. Meanwhile, Ford has spent brief periods at other soaps when not part of the “Days of our Lives’ writing team, having served as a scriptwriter at both “As The World Turns” (2007) and “One Life to Live” (2008) for short runs.
At press time, there were no additional writing changes in play at “Days of our Lives,” although that could change as news of Carlivati’s exit continues to circulate.
Note: The post Ron Carlivati Exiting ‘Days of our Lives’ As Head Writer, Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford Named Co-Head Writers appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.
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