The Writers Guild of America is on strike, and with no end in sight, Days of our Lives fans are asking what that means for the Peacock soap opera.
It’s the third week of the writers’ strike that shut down talk shows immediately and has put the daytime industry in jeopardy.
Last week the Daytime Emmy Awards, set to take place on Friday, June 16 were postponed until after the writers’ strike is resolved.
The move was just another reminder to soap opera fans that the four remaining shows soon may be in reruns.
Variety revealed that the strike could go well into the summer months.
That news has brought up the question of whether or not Days will air new episodes throughout the strike.
When will Days of our Lives run out of new episodes?
There’s good news for Days of our Lives fans, the strike would have to go well into the fall before the Peacock show would run out of new episodes. Unlike The Young and the Restless and other soaps that are filmed four to six weeks in advance, Days films months in advance.
During the COVID-pandemic, Days of our Lives was the only soap opera that didn’t have to air reruns because it had nearly eight months’ worth of episodes in the can. The show now films roughly six months in advance meaning it would not run out of new episodes until November.
Days will soon be heading into a few weeks of an annual summer vacation break and that will also help amid this strike.
As of this writing, there has been no mention of production shutting down and that likely means business as usual for now.
Here’s how Days of our Lives can film new episodes amid the writers’ strike
Even if Days blows through the new episodes, the show has in the bank that doesn’t mean it’s rerun time. The powers that be could hire non-union writers to help keep the show running right along, as well as scabs, writers who cross the picket line.
Another option is WGA writers can opt to go Financial Core, meaning a writer still pays dues but has no voting privileges and can’t compete in awards.
None of these seem like great options so let’s hope that the writers’ strike gets resolved before the fall. Unfortunately, right now talks have stalled and are not expected to resume until July at the earliest.
In the meantime, Days fans can enjoy all the juicy entertainment going on like Megan (Miranda Wilson) gearing up to wreak havoc in Salem.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on Peacock.
