The weird shooting schedule at “Days of our Lives” may pay off for the wrong reasons.
The NBC soap shoots almost six months in advance, so they are well set with new episodes through the fall of 2020. There have often been complaints that the show can’t respond to audience reaction like the other soaps, which shoot about six weeks ahead of airtime.
But now that irksome schedule may come in handy. Turns out the two CBS soaps, “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” will air their last new episodes on Thursday. Yes, this Thursday. So whatever is going on on those shows will freeze in time until the shows can return to their studios.
Similarly, ABC’s “General Hospital” will reach the end of the line in mid to late May. They’ve been padding out shows with big flashback sequences to try and stretch out what’s left of their inventory.
Starting Monday, the CBS shows will air theme weeks taken from their enormous histories. Cast members will film interstitial bits commenting on the old episodes. It should be fun to see the hairstyles and make up from the 80s, 90s, and so on.
All of this should boost “Days of our Lives” if they’re the only soap with new material. And wouldn’t that be a twist worthy of a soap? No one saw that coming. If only “Days” looked better. It’s got terrible lighting and even worse sets. Characters meet on the same set over and over, redressed to look like it’s different from another scene. But that’s another story.
