Confession: I’m obsessed with “Days of our Lives.”
I started watching the hit NBC soap back in 1980 — I was 5 years old — with my grandma, who lived with us. I was completely riveted by the glamorous characters, the crazy story lines, the cliffhangers after each episode.
“Days” had everything: love triangles, amnesia, serial killers, kidnapping, baby swapping, rape, murder, even demonic possessions.
No wonder it’s the longest-running scripted television program in the world. (The first show aired on Nov. 8, 1965.)
I can’t get enough!
A lot of people are shocked that I still keep up with the show, which, let’s be honest, isn’t staffed by the best cadre of serious thespians. But it’s fun, it’s light, it’s interesting — and it never ends.
I can go for months without seeing a single episode — not even reading synopses online — and turn on NBC at 1 p.m. and follow along. Most of the characters are the same — the newbies are usually the kids of the older characters — and the plot lines are fairly easy to understand. There’s always a bad guy — these days, the DiMeras — and a complicated love triangle that typically involves people in other relationships. It’s brainless stuff.
I can’t explain why I still have a nostalgic soft spot for “Days.” Even A-lister Julia Roberts loves the show. (See the clip below.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE6p5m8UYsE
Back in 1996, “Days” won the People’s Choice Award for Best Daytime Drama — and at the end of this clip, Julia Roberts, one of the biggest movie stars at the time, gets on stage and gushes about her favorite soap. For real.
See? I’m not just not alone — I’m in pretty good company!
Anyone else still tuning into daytime dramas? Or have you replaced your favorite soap with “The Real Housewives of New York City”?
