NBC Renews ‘Days of Our Lives’ Through 2016

The daytime soap will continue for an additional two years

Susan Seaforth Hayes and Bill Hayes at "Days" Universal Fan Event. (Vivian Zink/NBC)

NBC has ordered two more years of daytime drama, “Days of Our Lives.” It will continue through September 2016.

The Emmy-winning daytime drama will celebrate its 50th year in television in November 2015.

“‘Days’ has shown year-to-year increases in key female demographics and remains both relevant and fresh creatively due to the hard work of the producers, writers, cast and crew who have worked tirelessly to make ‘Days’ the ratings success it is today,” NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said in a statement.

See video: Alison Sweeney Leaving ‘Days of Our Lives’: I ‘Have Worked So Much’

The current season of “Days of our Lives” is delivering its best season in the Women 18-49 demographic in three years and its biggest season in total viewers in four years.

“We are thrilled to continue being a part of the NBC family and to have the support of our incredible network and studio executives who work tirelessly to allow us to continue telling our stories and share the ‘Days’ legacy with our devoted family of fans,’ said the shows’s executive producer Ken Corday.

Corday follows in the tradition of his parents, Betty and Ted Corday, who co-created “Days of our Lives” and helmed the series for many years. The soap first premiered as a half-hour drama in 1965 and expanded to an hour 10 years later.

Also read: Daytime Ratings Milestones: ‘The Talk’ Hits Series High, ‘Days of our Lives’ Hits 2-Year High

Produced by Corday Productions Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television, “Days of our Lives” has earned 232 Daytime Emmy nominations and 36 wins, including a recent Emmy win for Outstanding Daytime Drama.

“Having won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama, ‘Days of our Lives’ continues to deliver on its legacy of quality storytelling,” said Sony TV’s senior executive vice president of programming, Steve Kent.

Set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem, “Days” follows the lives of its core families — the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras. It currently stars Shawn Christian, Judi Evans, Alison Sweeney, Mary Beth Evans and Eric Martsolf, among others.

NBC’s renewal is a unique show of confidence for its daytime drama as the pickup arrives amid a difficult time for daytime dramas in general. Former ABC soaps “One Life to Live” and “All My Children” have had a tough time in their transition to online only with Prospect Park. They continue to struggle to regain their audience and have been tied up in labor and legal issues.

Also read: ‘Days of our Lives’ New Will Horton Speaks: First Interview With Guy Wilson (Exclusive)

SoapNet — the Disney-owned cable channel that broadcast current and past soap operas, and prime time dramas — ceased operations on Jan. 1. The shutter was due in part to a general decline in the soap opera genre as a whole and the increasing use of video on demand services.

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