Soap Opera Digest is reporting that Mary Beth Evans (Kayla) and Stephen Nichols (Steve), who returned to DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 2006, have been let go. "It's like they're getting rid of everyone over 40," sighs a setside source.Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John) were fired in November, and Thaao Penghlis (Tony) was fired last week.
In an inteview with Digest back in November, Executive Producer Ken Corday explained that NBC renewed the show, but at a "greatly reduced" fee that necessitates major cuts. He said at the time: "The state of NBC and DAYS is not the same as it was six months ago. We're lucky that we're still on the air for 20 months, with possibly another year after that."
Penghlis wrote in his website earlier this week: "At least I'm in good company and I did live through the best of DAYS."
Bless 'em. They'll apparently end up eviscerated at DOOL.
ReplyDeleteThe silver lining is this: With such a bare, spare canvas, they DO have the freedom to re-invent. The show almost becomes like a Days spinoff (Days: The Next Generation). Maybe that will be something fresh and worthwhile.
It remains worth noting, in all this carnage, that Days is showing ratings growth. Someone is liking this shift in the canvas.
I am not happy about the firings but DOOL has never re-captured the magic with the 80s characters the second time around.
ReplyDeleteOn the last day that we see Steve and Kayla on screen that will be my very last day of EVER watching Days again! They have other actors who in my personal opinion bring nothing to the show and could easily be let go but instead they choose to fire the core characters that made this show the icon that it was in the 1980's.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the least bit interested in a Days The Next Generation. That would be too much like a 90210situation and I couldn't stomach it.