Days of Our Lives is a daytime soap opera that adults have been watching on their days off for years. It was more popular decades ago, but it is still playing on NBC today. The daytime drama is one of the longest-running scripted TV shows in the world and has had about 14,000 episodes since it first aired on November 8, 1965. It even beat the long-time animated show, The Simpsons, who has been on TV since 1989 and has had about 700 episodes.
It’s surprising that the soap opera has lasted this long since it’s lost viewers over the years, but people still seem to love the dramatic stories the show’s writers come up with. Let’s take a look at some of the most dramatic and iconic moments on Days of Our Lives.
10 Jack Saved His Daughter
Jack is one of the many characters that “died and came back to life.” Everyone thought he passed away after he saved his daughter, Abigail, from an elevator accident. “Picture it, an autism fundraiser was held in honor of Lexie Carver, and after a great explosion, the banquet hall where the event had been taking place was rocked. Abigail was locked in an elevator, and as Jack pushed his way into it to save her, the cables began to crack. He ended up pushing her out of the elevator just before the doors closed and the entire thing came to a crash,” according to Fame10. Even though he ended up being okay, he was still a hero.
9 Hope Shot Stefano
Stefano is another character that comes back from the dead, but fans really thought he was gone for good when she got shot. “Hope would end up shooting Stefano DiMera in early 2016, and with actor Joseph Mascolo announcing his retirement, DOOL fans naturally thought that the show was looking for some finality around the character. Stefano being shot at—point-blank—seemed so impossible, on so many levels, so the entire seen not only took fans aback, but also seemed so surreal,” according to Fame10. Fans turned out to be right and Stefano came back twice later on.
8 Bo Rescued Hope From A Horrible Marriage
Days of Our Lives has a record of dramatic wedding stoppers and Bo stopping Hope’s wedding is one of the most dramatic ones of all. According to Fame10, “In the 1980s, as the love of his life Hope was about to marry the sleaze-ball Larry Welch, Bo (on his motorcycle and all) rode on in to save the day, stopped the wedding, and rescued Hope from a life of misery. It was a tad over-the-top, but back then everything was over-the-top.”
7 Carrie Punched Sami
Sami caused a lot of drama on the show and always wanted to have her sister’s boyfriend, Austin. She almost got him until Carrie punched her and stopped her wedding. According to Fame10, “Sami was obsessed with Austin Reed, but his heart always belonged to Carrie; however, Sami persisted and was even about to marry Austin (for the 2nd time) at one point. To the delight of many, Sami did not get away with marriage number two, and in the end, Carrie not only stopped the wedding, but was able to smack her sister in the process! She then stepped in Sami’s place at the altar, and married Austin herself!”
6 Julie And Doug Got Married On The Show Two Years After They Got Married In Real Life
Julie and Doug were the first couple on a daytime drama show to actually fall in love and get married in real life. Their real names are Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes. “The wedding took place in 1976, the very same year that Bill and Susan Hayes splashed on the cover of Time Magazine—the first and last time any characters from the land of soaps would be granted this honor,” according to Fame10. Although their fictional wedding was in 1976 on the show, they actually got married before then in 1974 while their behind-the-scenes romance was blossoming.
5 Will Revealed He Was Gay
This was one of the most iconic moments in Days of Our Lives history. When Will Horton revealed he was gay, it became a huge milestone for the LGBTQ+ community and led to more representation of the community on TV shows. According to Fame10, “Will and Sonny Kiriakis had a beautiful romance that defied gender stereotypes. It also broke down barriers and proved to soap opera audiences everywhere, that same-sex relationships go through the same drama as heterosexual ones.”
4 Marlena Was (Almost) A Serial Killer
Pretty much every drama show has to have someone being murdered. “Amidst lower ratings in the early 2000s, DOOL writers decided to stir the pot with an interesting storyline that saw many long-time and beloved characters get axed. Who could the serial killer be? Fans were shocked to learn that it was Marlena Evans, DOOL’s resident heroine,” according to Fame10. Even after fans were convinced that Marlena killed some of the characters, the show’s writers added another twist and all of the missing characters ended up being on an island that Stefano had sent them to.
3 Marlena Was Possessed
Nobody can forget this moment on the Days of Our Lives. Dr. Marlena became possessed by the Devil in one of the episodes and had to have an exorcism performed on her. According to Fame10, “She was possessed by him at one point in time, but thankfully love interest John Black was once a priest, so he was able to rid her of her demonic woes.” Soap operas will do anything to keep viewers.
2 Carly Was Buried Alive
The daytime drama wanted to bring more people’s nightmares to life and bury one of their characters alive. “Vivian Alamain was so desperate for revenge that she plotted a scheme where she was able to convince Salem that Carly had passed on. While she was still alive, Carly had a funeral and was buried in the ground. Alamain made sure to somehow place a radio transmitter in the box, to allow her to communicate with Carly during her so-called last hours of life,” according to Fame10. Carly was rescued in the end and karma came back for Vivian years later when she got trapped in a sarcophagus.
1 Time Jump
The most recent iconic moment is the time jump. Days of Our Lives is known for having strange and dramatic episodes, but in 2019, the show did something other daytime TV shows haven’t done before—the timeline jumped a whole year in one episode. According to the Days of Our Lives Wiki, “The time jump was done through the eyes of Jennifer Deveraux, who slipped into a coma after being pushed off of the balcony by her cousin Hope Williams Brady (brainwashed into thinking she's Princess Gina Von Amberg again). Jennifer awoke a year later to find that things had changed significantly during the time jump. The events of Jennifer's missing year would be described in dialogue and shown in flashbacks.” It’s definitely one of the most interesting episodes in the 56-year-long series and is one people will remember for a long time.