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NBC
The rumors circulating this past weekend about Drake Hogestyn being fired from Day's of Our Lives apparently have some substance according to We Love Soaps. Everybody's favorite soaps blogging site reported this afternoon that Soap Opera Digest spoke to Day's Executive Producer Ken Corday about the situation in an interview set to be published in the next issue of SOD.
What we didn't hear over the weekend initially was that Deidre Hall (Marlena) will also be making an exit along with Hogestyn.
Day's of Our Lives has issued the following statement about the end of the veteran actors who have been such a huge draw for the audience for years:
Days of our Lives has decided to rest the characters of ‘John Black’ and ‘Marlena Evans.’ After a year of separation, ‘John’ and ‘Marlena’ will finally reunite before exiting the canvas in early 2009.”
If you read Internet soaps message boards, you will know that a significant number of vocal fans are seriously upset about the network's decision. Please share your thoughts here but do remember, both Hall and Hogestyn will ultimately be picked up by another show based on their talent and appeal if that is what the actors are seeking. It happens all the time and while NBC stated the characters are just resting, the actors are not necessarily doing the same.
Comments
Removing John and Marlena from the cast of Days would be a HUGE mistake. They are such an integral part of the show; I cannot imagine watching the show without them. As a matter of fact, without them, I won't be watching the show! How can you justify bringing in several new characters over the past year (whose salaries probably add up to the same as John & Marlena) and then let them go? This is a slap in the face to those of us who have watched the show for these years. They cannot be replaced; the new characters just won't do. Go back to the budget room and come up with another alternative!
Firing Deidre & Drake is the worst mistake Days could make. NBC should not have even picked the show up for another year and a half. The only reason I watch Days is because of these two. I only watch when they are on now and FF through the rest. And after promising us a love story for the past months after John was found to be alive and not delivering (they hardly had the characters on-screen at all) and now firing them; it is a major blow to the fans. I will no longer be watching when they leave. Hopefully they are picked up by another show because I will follow.
Hi Amanda: It's just a sad day for all soap opera fans even if you don't watch this show. With the way NBC has typically axed all it's daytime dramas except for Days, we all know this show doesn't have much time left. Y&R has managed to beautifully mesh the older veteran actors in with the new younger ones to largely deliver compelling and believable story lines. I am with you on your take that these two actors just can't be replaced.
Kelli - Thanks for the post. Days clearly let fans down with this decision. I think many fans feel like you do and once Hogestyn and Hall are gone, they will be tuning out of Days or switching to another show or abandoning the soaps genre all together. I hate to say it but NBC is contributing big time to the demise of all soaps.
I'm not sure I could continue with a story line without John & Marlena.I have watched for so many years & they have always been part of the story line. Their chemestry can't be replaced!
In the past, both Marlena and John have been killed off but we as fans knew that they would be coming back sooner or later, but now being pinked slipped means they will not be coming back at all...that is really sad...they just bought back Brady, Johns long lost son...guess they want to bring the younger people in..but to axe the older actors that really made the show for years...is a mistake..they are going to lose a lot of viewers.....I remember crying my eyes out one time when Marlena was killed off, her twin sister had a small part in it at that time...I been watching Days for years.....and I had watched Another World too for many years ..until it was taken off...soaps like anything else runs its course, eventually they run out of plots, but its worse when they take off the main characters. I wish them luck keeping up the ratings after this.
Hi Ange: Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I agree that John and Marlena's exit will leave a huge void in Salem. It's just a lousy situation for viewers.
Hi Mary: Thanks for weighing in. You raise a good point about the ratings. It will be interesting to see what happens sans John and Marlena. Days really hasn't struggled to much ratings wise over the years, so it will be very interesting to see how this decision plays out.
I have been watching DOOL since the say it started on Nov 4 or 9th,(can't remember). I was a stay at home mom at th time and planned my children's naps aroung the time DOOL came on, there was no VCR or TiVo back then. I am saddened by the turn of events, but the show has been going down hill over the past 10 years. Some of the story line were absolutely stupid.If there was every day life stories like the ones now, it could get better.
Without Marlena and John, the show is lacking that intangible thing called,
"spirit". I will seldom watch!!!
A "Days" without John and Marlena, is a "Days" not worth watching.
I have been watching since John was a no memory deliveryman and Marlena became his therapist. I have always been a huge fan of Days due to the "Super Couples", Steve & Kayla, Kim & Shayne, Bo & Hope, John & Marlena. Days had a chemistry with their couples that couldn't be found in abundance anywhere else. I have reprogrammed my DVR after watching last weeks episodes. The final for John and Marlena was by far disgusting. Yes, John got his memory back and they got married, yet I went to bed that night feeling empty and lost, as if I had lost my best friends. I cried along with Marlena when John died, my heart broke right along with hers. Someone should have fired Corday instead. I understand giving characters a rest, not a problem when you kind of run out of steam for a while, but fired? That's just plain idiocy.
Drake Hogestyn's last show on 1/23/09 was MY last time ever watching DAYS again. I miss Drake BUNCHES but do I miss DAYS? Hell no! Drake is too talented for that show anyway and I can't wait to see him in his next role. IMO NBC and Ken Corday are AGEIST.
I was shocked to see and hear that John and Marlena were not going to be in the show. Their love kept a bond on the show. They need some couples who have good strong romantic bonds. With all the struggles and challenges in life, we look to the soap to provide a romantic escape - we want to see some good romances even if it is a fantasy. Not providing that, causes the ratings to go down.
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