Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Ken Corday: "The Show I Was Looking At Was No Longer 'Days of our Lives' To Me"

The new issue of Soap Opera Digest features an interesting interview with Days of our Lives executive producer Ken Corday, who explains why the show made behind the scenes changes, and teased what's coming up.

When asked why Days switched head writers in February, Corday explains it was "because the show I was looking at was no longer recognizable as Days of our Lives to me."

"With all due respect to the writers who are no longer there, and who did win us an Emmy award, and GLAAD awards and many other kudos, there comes a time when they're just burned out, and they were not getting it done. It was time to make a switch. I felt like the car was headed for the edge of the cliff."

Head Writers Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell were replaced by Dena Higley and Josh Griffith.

Corday says the mood on set was not positive.

"More than anything, the atmosphere of negativity and complacency at the studio was overwhelming," he admits. "In light of the fact that we were coming up on our most important production year ever, I felt like I had to grab the reins and pull back and change horses."

Days of our Lives is renewed by NBC through September 2016. A leaked December 2013 email from Sony Pictures Television's Jeff Frost made the show's future seem in question.

"The big obstacle has been Ted Harbert who really wants to move to low cost info/talk shows instead of DOOL after next season," Frost wrote. "Despite this (and Harbert’s objection), NBC will agree to two more years of DOOL at $775K next season and $750K the following season, provided we go up from our current proposal of $4.25m to settle the Community issue to $4.50m. How do you feel about $4.50m? Given Harbert’s strong push for alternative programming after the next season, I think we’re better off locking in 2 years of DOOL now and paying the additional $250K."

Corday says Days will not make a habit of bringing characters back from the dead going forward.

[SPOILER ALERT]

"There comes a point where, as will be the case with Thaao Penghlis' return [as a presumed-dead Andre], you have to bend the rules," he reveals, when asked about the possible return of Matthew Ashford as Jack Deveraux. "That's not to say Matt won't come back some day, but you have to watch it with the audience that they don't say, 'Oh, our trust is ruined, Ken. You keep killing people and they keep returning. What are we supposed to believe?' So in this case, from September 1 on, when someone dies, they are dead."

Corday is looking forward to the show's 50th anniversary in November.

"I wanted to see Doug and Julie active. I wanted to see Victor, Maggie, Caroline and Stefano active again, running things, doing things, not just in the background," he says.

"Storywise, it started with, what can we do that is a special event for the 50th?" Corday teases. "And I came up with the idea that it would be Salem's bicentennial celebration."

Corday believes the best is yet to come for Days.

"The show is going to be the best it's ever been and I defy anyone to prove me wrong."

RELATED:
- We Love Soaps Interview Archive: Ken Corday
- Daniel Cosgrove Leaving 'Days of our Lives'?
- True O'Brien Leaving 'Days of our Lives'
- Peter Reckell and Stephen Nichols Returning to 'Days of our Lives'
- James Lastovic Joins 'Days of our Lives' as Joey Johnson
- Alexander Bruszt Wins 'Days of our Lives' Australian "Search for a Star" Competition
- Sneak Peek: First Footage from Upcoming Janet Iacobuzio & Nelson Aspen Series Released

13 comments:

  1. The new, new, new plan to save DAYS.

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    1. Indeed. Plans to save DAYS are almost as prolific as returns of Stefano DiMera from the dead!

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  2. I will cancel my cable cause Days is the only reason I have cable..I know alot of other people that feel the same way. NBC has only a few things that are worth watching but one thing worth making u keep ur cable. Days is the only good thing all day long!!
    People have grown up with their Grandparents and moms watching Days of Our Lives and now people are talk or thinking about taking it away from us? It didn't do anything wrong! and it has been here for so long!!!

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    1. If they ever replace it with a talk show I certainly won't be watching it.

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  3. And who, exactly, was in charge of those writers who were writing this unrecognizable show?
    You only have yourself to blame!!

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    1. I was thinking the same thing! Has Ken been asleep at the wheel this whole time? How do you just up and "realize" one day the show you're supposedly RUNNING has become unrecognizable?

      Anyway, I hope the new, new, new plan works because if it doesn't, Days will be finished sooner rather than later - and nobody wants that.

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  4. Not another stupid talk show! What they need to realize is there are enough talk shows on ands Days is actually refreshing compared to all of those silly shows! If Days goes so does my cable. They are the only reason we're paying for cable now. Days needs to go back to writing romance and their ratings will skyrocket!

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  5. We don't need another talk show are relativity show. I have come back to DOOL because of Will and Sonny storyline. I really give DOOL props for doing a gay couple and having more than one or two gays on. I really hope you continue this storyline if you do, I will stay and bring more viewers.

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  6. This reminds me of the semi-annual Digest covers with The Plan to Save DAYS! Always the same bit from Corday: the writers are awful, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, we had to do something, so we did this!

    Lather, rinse, repeat in six more months - when he can get ANOTHER SOD cover.

    IF DAYS is still on by then....

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  7. They have enough talk shows now. No more talk shows! Just keep writing good storylines for DOOL with believable plots and originality (instead of recycling old plots and inserting different faces) and give us ROMANCE & MYSTERY and exciting adventures. Not elephants and unplanned pregnancy stories. Keep the characters we have now instead of firing newbies & hiring more newbies. Keep writing for all couples (gay and straight). Keep the writing consistent and make sure the characters and their histories are consistent. This show has a problem with continuity and does not seem to focus on prior history. They just make things fit the plot whether it makes sense or not.

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  8. We are SICK of talk shows. The Chew, The View, The Sick, The Joke, who cares! You can't toss away 50 years of audiences. Generations of audiences, it's us, the families who fill in the gaps for the next generation. I bet if you had a kick start to keep DOOL running, you would probably be funded as well.

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  9. The show is getting more and more stupid . We are ready to quit it .

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  10. DOOL is the ONLY talk show that I watch. I have enjoyed it up until recently when so many favorite, established characters have been killed off, one after another after another. Who are all of these new people ?!!? I feel no connection to them, and most of the ones that I was connected to are gone. I will most probably not be watching for much longer...

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