DAYS of Our Lives,
Foxtel Arena,
Weekdays, 12.45pm
TELEVISION was still an evolving market 50 years ago, and soap operas were king but no-one back then could have predicted that a show about the Horton Family which debuted back then would still be going today.
A lot has changed since then, but somehow Days of Our Lives has survived – though the once monolith of afternoon television has undergone some changes and ups and downs.
The biggest change for DOOL in this country was a change of venue a few years back.
Once the show that university and high school students and housewives flocked to, it went through a down-turn a few years ago.
The result was its move from its long-time traditional home on Channel Nine across to pay tv (following its long-time nine stablemate The Young and The Restless over to Arena).
But though its venue has changed, it still has a core following some of which have been with the show, set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem.
To celebrate it’s 50th anniversary DOOL has been continuing a special murder mystery and welcoming back many fan favourites as well as releasing an official photo book – proving there is still life in the old girl!
Also to celebrate the milestone, winner of the Foxtel Search for A Star competition Alexander Bruszt made his debut on the show last week.
The established Australian actor is playing the role of Fynn, a handsome, rugged Australian doctor who arrives in Salem to do his residency, specifically to gain skills as a surgeon, working under the supervision of Doctor Jonas, played by Shawn Christian.
The show has changed a lot and a little over the years, with more families being added and a cavalcade of actors passing through the ranks.
It now follows the lives of three core families; the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras with “captivating storylines of romance, adventure, mystery, comedy and drama bring audiences back time and time again”.
With 43 Daytime Emmy Awards, including most recently 2013 and 2015 Outstanding Daytime Drama, it still airs in more than 25 countries.
And while the hey day of afternoon soaps has probably passed, there would be very few of us that haven’t tuned into this long-term and heard those words “Like sands through the hourglass – so are the days of our lives.”
