It’s Over: NBC Moves Days Of Our Lives To Streaming Platform
Beginning next month, NBC’s last remaining soap opera, Days Of Our Lives, is moving to the barely watched streaming platform Peacock, which marks the end of daytime drama for the network. NBC’s first soap, These Are My Children, aired briefly in 1949, and Days began its 57-year run in 1965. Now, for the first time in nearly 75 years, the network won’t be airing any soaps.
The news was confirmed by TVLine today:
Days Of Our Lives will stream exclusively on Peacock beginning on Monday, Sept. 12, ending its 57-year run on NBC, TVLine has confirmed.
“This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers,” Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, says in a statement.
While the move to Peacock isn’t necessarily a nail in the coffin, moving to an obscure streaming network obviously isn’t a good sign. Days was renewed for two seasons late last year, so it’ll definitely stream on Peacock until at least April of 2023.
Being a soap fan has been brutal for the last few decades (the first tragedy for me was in 1993, when NBC canceled the greatest soap opera of all time, Santa Barbara), as there are now only three remaining daytime dramas on TV: ABC’s General Hospital, CBS’ The Young And The Restless, and CBS’ The Bold And The Beautiful. The kind of American life in the 1950’s that gave birth to soaps (which were buoyed by advertisements reflective of an entirely different culture) ended a long time ago, so while it shouldn’t be a surprise that viewership has declined, it still hurts (especially for gays like me who grew up in the late 80’s and 90’s when, IMHO, most soaps peaked).
From Vivian burying Carly alive, Princess Gina, Sami/Austin/Carrie/Lucas, Marlena’s possessions, and the iconic Kristen/Susan/John/Marlena storyline of 1997, most of Days’ best days are of course behind it now, but hopefully they’ll go out on a high note once the Peacock run inevitably ends within the next couple years.
