Thanks to the Writers Guild of America's strike last year and the unique filming schedule of "Days of our Lives," Ron Carlivati's fresh material will finally take flight on May 31. Unlike most soap operas, which are filmed weeks ahead of their broadcast dates, this Peacock-aired drama is filmed seven months ahead of time. Hence, when Carlivati and his team resumed their official duties in October, the scripts were already well into 2024. Carlivati shared, "Other shows managed to put the strike behind them more quickly. But for me, as we speak now, the material written by the replacement writers is still airing, and it's been quite challenging. I'm eagerly anticipating the moment our own stories take center stage again."
When the strike commenced in May 2023, Carlivati and his team had scripted episodes up to Thanksgiving. He clarified, "Some people might assume that I left a roadmap for the replacement writers to follow, but that's not the case. Initially, they benefited from the holidays, which allowed them to tread water a bit until December, focusing on Christmas specials without advancing the main storylines too much. To the show's credit, they tried to progress things slowly, hoping the strike would end soon and respecting the direction of my storylines. However, as the strike dragged on, I understand that the show had to make its own narrative decisions. From January to May, those weren't my stories; I had no involvement in them."
Having been the head writer of "One Life to Live" during the previous WGA strike, Carlivati had learned valuable lessons from that transition. He recalled, "I experienced a strike in 2008, and during that time, numerous episodes of 'One Life to Live' were written without me. When I returned, I had to adapt to the new narrative and quickly steer the show back to my vision. I'm attempting to do the same here. I'm blowing up old plots, discarding anything I don't like, and returning to a show that I understand, enjoy, and can tell stories through. Some story threads will take longer to resolve than others, while certain elements will be dropped promptly. We've jumped right into our own material, doing our best to make it as captivating as possible."
After perusing the 120 episodes he had missed, Carlivati was delighted to discover that some of the narratives he had initiated remained unresolved. Specifically, the tale of Sloan (Jessica Serfaty) secretly raising Eric (Greg Vaughan) and Nicole's (Arianne Zucker) child, and the revelation that Alex (Robert Scott Wilson), not Xander (Paul Telfer), was named Victor's (John Aniston) heir, were still looming large. "I was hoping that the major plotlines we had set in motion would be the ones I would get to explore upon my return," he elaborated. "And fortunately, I've been able to do so, albeit with the Nicole baby secret starting to unravel as you're watching now. Alas, I didn't get to play out the entire narrative, but I did get to depict Eric's discovery of his paternal role, and a confrontation between Sloan and Nicole, which, oddly, had never occurred on-screen despite their tense relationship. Additionally, Xander remains unaware of his true parentage, Alex remains oblivious to his non-paternal status, and Theresa [Emily O'Brien]'s secret is yet to be revealed. These are the big moments I'm eagerly anticipating to bring to life."
Look for subtle nods to the audience in Carlivati's inaugural episode back. "I wanted to make it abundantly clear that this marked a new era, with the original writers' return bringing about a shift in the narrative," he teased. "There will be a couple of subtle references to what transpired during the interim, and I believe astute viewers will easily pick up on them. Thankfully, from a story perspective, several key events were already brewing. The upcoming wedding of Maggie [Suzanne Rogers] and Konstantin [John Kapelos], the looming revelation about Theresa, and the aforementioned Sloan-Nicole confrontation are just some of the highlights. And then the journey to Eric's revelation about the baby's identity begins. Will EJ [Dan Feuerriegel] be revealed as knowing the truth or not? What consequences will that have? The interim writers did make progress on the Li Shin [Remington Hoffman] murder case and set the wheels in motion for Gabi's [last played by Camila Banus] release from prison, which was always part of our plan. I've been able to seamlessly pick up the narrative, so expect plenty of twists, turns, and new drama as Gabi's return shakes things up - I think it's going to be really exciting."
There are also several monumental events looming large on the horizon, with the writers' focus firmly set on the end of this year and into the next. "We're already scripting episodes for the show's 60th anniversary in 2025," Carlivati revealed, "but in the meantime, we have a monumental milestone approaching - the 15,000th episode, which will air in November. It was one of our first priorities when we returned. As everyone knows, Bill Hayes passed away earlier this year [in January 2024], and it was inevitable that we would have to write Doug Williams' passing into the show. I decided to center our 15,000th episode around this poignant moment. We worked tirelessly to honor Bill and Doug, while also celebrating the show and this remarkable milestone. I believe it's exactly what Bill would have wanted, and I know it's what Susan [Seaforth Hayes, his wife and Julie Williams on the show] desired. So, it's not just a tribute to one actor and his character but a celebration that extends beyond, as we've brought back many familiar faces to commemorate Doug's legacy."
With so much happening both on and off-screen, Carlivati expressed his elation at being back at the helm of the show he first joined in 2017. "I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our loyal fans who have stuck with the show through thick and thin, especially during our transition to Peacock," he concluded. "I'm thrilled to be back, and there's so much exciting story ahead. If you're already tuning in, keep watching, and if you've taken a brief hiatus, now is the perfect time to jump back in and rejoin the adventure."
