History Series / DaysOfOurLives

* InstrumentalThemeTune: Pretty much the definitive daytime soap theme, with lush strings and melodramatic flourishes, written by, of all people, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the songwriting duo who went onto write a bunch of songs for Music/TheMonkees, with arranger Charles Albertine fleshing it out and getting a co-writing credit as well (Albertine specifically added the famous opening arpeggio that serves as the bed for "Like sands through the hourglass..."). The main instruction the writers got from the Cordays was to make the song [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong Suspiciously Similar]] to [[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof "Sunrise, Sunset"]]. Hart says he based the melody on his memories of the SoapOperaOrganScore of his mother's favorite radio soaps when he was growing up.

** Lexie, Meghan, Chad, Benjy, Tony, EJ, and Jake are the responsible to Kristen, Renee, Peter, and Andre's foolish

* BadassBaritone: John, Roman, Steve, Victor, Steve, Bo, EJ…

* InstrumentalThemeTune: Pretty much the definitive daytime soap theme, with lush strings and melodramatic flourishes, written by, of all people, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the songwriting duo who went onto write a bunch of songs for Music/TheMonkees, with arranger Charles Albertine fleshing it out and getting a co-writing credit as well (Albertine specifically added the famous opening arpeggio that serves as the bed for "Like sands through the hourglass..."). The main instruction the writers got from the Cordays was to make the song [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong Suspiciously Similar]] to [[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof "Sunrise, Sunset"]].

-->--The epitaph, spoken by Macdonald Carey, that opens every episode

''Days of Our Lives'' is a [[LongRunners long-running]] American daytime SoapOpera which debuted in November 1965, rivaling ''Series/CoronationStreet'' for popularity and longevity. It's the second-oldest of the current crop of American soaps (two years younger than ''Series/GeneralHospital''). By TheNewTwenties, it was the only thing left on the Creator/{{NBC}} daytime schedule that wasn't ''{{Series/Today}}''. Created by the husband and wife team of Ted and Betty Corday (whose son, Ken, has served as showrunner since Betty passed away in 1986),[[note]]Ted Corday died in 1966, less than a year into the show's run, leaving Betty (credited as "Mrs. Ted Corday" during her tenure as executive producer for unknown reasons) as primary showrunner until she passed the reins to Ken.[[/note]] the show centers on the lives (and love lives) of the denizens of Salem, a mid-sized city in an [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield unspecified Midwestern state]].

!!This series provides examples of:

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: A tragic case happened in 1982. Lee [=DuMonde=], played by Brenda Benet (ex-wife of Creator/BillBixby), a rival for Doug's affections during one of his separations from Julie, was PutOnABus after her latest storyline ended, but not long after finishing her scenes, Benet, whose young son had died tragically from a rare illness a year earlier, and whose personal life was a shambles, committed suicide. As a result, Lee was permanently written off the show. In her joint memoir with Bill Hayes (Doug), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) noted that it almost seemed like Benet timed her suicide so it wouldn't inconvenience the show very much.

* BrotherChuck: Numerous characters have just disappeared with no explanation.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: A tragic case happened in 1982. Lee [=DuMonde=], played by Brenda Benet (ex-wife of Creator/BillBixby), a rival for Doug's affections during one of his separations from Julie, was PutOnABus after her latest storyline ended, but not long after finishing her scenes, Benet, whose young son had died tragically from a rare illness a year earlier, and whose personal life was a shambles, committed suicide. As a result, Lee was permanently written off the show. In her joint memoir with Bill Hayes (Doug), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) noted that it almost seemed like Benet timed her suicide for the moment when her death would be the least inconvenient for the show to deal with.

* MeddlingParents: Kate Roberts, to a ''psychotic'' degree. Her antics reached the point where her son, Lucas, eventually renounced his mother's surname to identify by his Horton lineage, and for a time, practically disowned her.

''Days of Our Lives'' is a [[LongRunners long-running]] American daytime SoapOpera which debuted in November 1965, rivaling ''Series/CoronationStreet'' for popularity and longevity. It's the second-oldest of the current crop of American soaps (two years younger than ''Series/GeneralHospital''). By TheNewTwenties, it was the only thing left on the Creator/{{NBC}} daytime schedule that wasn't ''{{Series/Today}}''. Created by the husband and wife team of Ted and Betty Corday (whose son, Ken, has served as showrunner since Betty passed away in 1986),[[note]]Ted Corday died in 1966, less than a year into the show's run, leaving Betty (credited as "Mrs. Ted Corday" during her tenure as executive producer for unknown reasons) as primary showrunner until she passed the reigns to Ken.[[/note]] the show centers on the lives (and love lives) of the denizens of Salem, a mid-sized city in an [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield unspecified Midwestern state]].

* IWantMyLoveToBeHappy:

* Latex Perfection: Kristen pretended to be Nicole by using a latex mask.

* InstrumentalThemeTune: Pretty much the definitive daytime soap theme, with lush strings and melodramatic flourishes, written by, of all people, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the songwriting duo who went onto write a bunch of songs for Music/TheMonkees, with arranger Charles Albertine fleshing it out and getting a co-writing credit as well. The main instruction the writers got from the Cordays was to make the song [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong Suspiciously Similar]] to [[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof "Sunrise, Sunset"]].

-->--The epitaph, spoken by Macdonald Carey, which opens every episode

-->--The epitaph which opens every episode

** Nick Fallon starts out as a nice guy and a {{Nerd}}, only to become a drug-addicted murderer and stalker, and after a difficult stint in prison, a blackmailer, homophobe and would-be rapist.

In September 2021, Creator/{{Peacock}} released a limited spin-off series, ''Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem'', which focuses on both current and former cast members of the main show as they travel to various places outside Salem, as the title indicates. Peacock will also release a feature film, ''Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas'', slated to be released on December 16, 2021. On September 12, 2022, the main series itself will also transfer from NBC to Peacock, ending NBC's daytime scripted programming.

''Days'' is unusual among daytime soap operas in that, to help maintain familiarity with longtime viewers, it has kept on a large number of "legacy" characters dating as far back as the show's first decade on the air in its canvas. Several characters [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim died along with their actors]], such as Frances Reid who played the loving matriarch Alice Horton from the show's debut up until 2007; she remained on contract until her death at age 95 in 2010. [=McDonald=] Carey, the announcer heard during the iconic hourglass title sequence, also played Tom Horton from 1965 until shortly before his death from cancer in 1994. Peggy [=McCay=] played Brady family matriarch Caroline in 1983, then again from 1985 to 2016. Each remained a cornerstone of the series well into their 40s and older, creating a counterbalance with newer characters who have been added to ''Days''' canvas over its 50-year+ history. This remained the case even after an edict instituted by NBC's daytime division in the late 1990s to have its soaps [[YoungerAndHipper focus more on younger characters]] (both in and outside of their core families) to attract the young adult demographic -- a decision which contributed to the cancellation of daytime stablemate ''Series/AnotherWorld'' in 1999 in favor of keeping the younger-skewing but lower-rated ''Series/SunsetBeach'' (which ended in December 1999, after a three-year run) and adding the NBC-produced serial ''Series/{{Passions}}''[[note]]which, by having the late James E. Reilly as its creator and head writer, incorporated supernatural storyline themes similar to those crafted by Reilly during his two stints as head writer of ''Days'' (1992-97 and 2003-06, the latter having him write for both soaps)[[/note]] (which moved to [=DirecTV=]'s The 101 for what would be its ninth and final season in September 2007, after NBC cancelled it to make room for a fourth-hour extension of ''Series/{{Today}}'').

* InstrumentalThemeTune: Pretty much the definitive daytime soap theme, with lush strings and melodramatic flourishes, written by, of all people, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the songwriting duo who went onto write a bunch of songs for Music/TheMonkees, with arranger Charles Albertine fleshing it out and getting a co-writing credit as well.

''Days of Our Lives'' is a [[LongRunners long-running]] American daytime SoapOpera which debuted in November 1965, rivaling ''Series/CoronationStreet'' for popularity and longevity. It's also the only thing left on the Creator/{{NBC}} daytime schedule which isn't ''{{Series/Today}}''. Created by the husband and wife team of Ted and Betty Corday (whose son, Ken, has served as showrunner since Betty passed away in 1986),[[note]]Ted Corday died in 1966, less than a year into the show's run, leaving Betty (credited as "Mrs. Ted Corday" during her tenure as executive producer for unknown reasons) as primary showrunner until she passed the reigns to Ken.[[/note]] the show centers on the lives (and love lives) of the denizens of Salem, a mid-sized city in an [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield unspecified Midwestern state]].

In September 2021, Creator/{{Peacock}} released a limited spin-off series, ''Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem'', which focuses on both current and former cast members of the main show as they travel to various places outside Salem, as the title indicates. Peacock will also release a feature film, ''Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas'', slated to be released on December 16, 2021.