through the hourglass

Entire Days of Our Lives Cast Released From Their Contracts, Which Seems Ominous

Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

Well, this doesn’t seem like good news. TVLine reports that the entire cast of Days of Our Lives have been released from their contracts. The long, long-running soap opera has not been canceled, mind you. All the people who act in it just don’t technically work for the show anymore, and it’s been put on an indefinite hiatus. According to the report, NBC wants to keep making Days, but the contracts go through the company Corday Productions. Neither the TV network nor Sony, which also produces it, commented on the news, but one insider had some insights about what might be up. “It’s actually a shrewd — if cynical — business move,” says the source. “If Days gets picked up, [Corday] can offer the actors new contacts at a reduced rate and with a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude. Worst-case scenario, they lose half their cast. Best-case scenario [for Corday], everyone agrees to return at a lower salary.”

Ratings for Days — and for soap operas generally — are struggling, but if you’re a fan of the series, it sounds like there is still hope. Your show is not canceled. It just … has no actors at the moment and no timeline for when it might go back into production. The cast did recently wrap the next season, however, and it will air next summer. So, new episodes are still on the way.

Entire Days of Our Lives Cast Released From Their Contracts