Why TV soaps Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless are so enduring
It's been six years since the iconic TV soaps Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless have been on free-to-air television, but that's about to change when the dramas return to the Nine Network on Monday, September 9.
Say what you want about TV soaps and their overly-dramatic storylines and characters that keep coming back to life from the dead — that's what makes these shows so addictive.
The formula is pretty simple — weddings, divorces, babies, death and affairs — but it's the satanic possessions, people buried alive and multiple serial killers that have cemented Days of Our Lives as a favourite.
"One of the craziest characters in Days of Our Lives has been Doctor Marlena Evans — she's been possessed by the devil, she had a twin sister that was strangled, and then she turned into the Salem stalker and killed everybody," TV commentator Andrew Mercado told A Current Affair. "But it's OK, everybody came back to life and forgave her, because this is Days of Our Lives."
On The Young and the Restless, the number one-rated daytime show for almost all of its 46-year history, one of the actress' real-life facelifts was written into the series, which made history.
"When actress Jeanne Cooper wanted a facelift in real life, they wrote it into the show for her character Katherine Chancellor," Mercado explained, "and that became the first facelift ever seen on American TV in 1984."
And let's not forget the enduring romances, from Days' Doug and Julie and Bo and Hope, the on-again, off-again, on-again couple who were finally torn apart when Bo died in her arms a few years ago.
But once again, don't forget the magic of TV soaps.
"When it comes to days of our lives, no one is ever really dead, so although Bo is dead, there is always rumours that the original actor Peter Reckell will return to that role and one day Bo and Hope will be reunited," said Mercado.
If you need a refresher before jumping back into Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless, 9Now has five catch-up episodes of each show to get you up to speed.
Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless will drop new episodes daily from Monday, September 9, on 9Gem and 9Now.