NBC picks up two more seasons of the daytime soap opera, while ABC orders a seventh season of the game show.
- Jan 23, 2014
AceShowbiz - "Days of Our Lives" gets two more years to live. NBC has renewed the long-running daytime soap opera for two seasons, ensuring that it will air at least until 2016. The renewal also brings the drama series to reach a milestone as it will celebrate its 50th anniversary in November 2015.
" 'Days of Our Lives' continues to be a fan favorite for the daytime audience, and we are thrilled to keep it going through its 50th season," says Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment. " 'Days' has shown year-to-year increases in key female demographics and remains both relevant and fresh creatively due to the hard work of the producers, writers, cast and crew who have worked tirelessly to make 'Days' the ratings success it is today."
Steve Kent, senior executive vp programming for Sony Pictures Television, adds, "Having won the Emmy Award for outstanding daytime drama, 'Days of Our Lives' continues to deliver on its legacy of quality storytelling. We appreciate NBC's continued support and are excited to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary with our generations of dedicated fans."
The renewal comes on the heels of Alison Sweeney's announcement that she would leave the show this year to spend more time with her family. The 37-year-old actress has starred on the awards-winning series for more than two decades, portraying Samantha "Sami" Brady since she was only 16.
Meanwhile, another network, ABC, has extended the run of its own show "Wipeout". The Alphabet has ordered a new season of the reality competition series, bringing it back for a seventh installment with a slight format tweak.
In the upcoming edition that will feature themed episodes, the game show will bring back winners from each episode for a "Tournament of Champions" at the end of the season to compete for the title of Ultimate Wipeout Champion.
"We are always looking for ways to keep the show fresh and exciting. This year, we are amping up the competition with a season-long tournament of champions, with the winner from each episode returning to compete against the other winners in an epic battle for the title of Wipeout Champion," says Matt Kunitz, creator and executive producer of "Wipeout".
