For over half a century, a beloved daytime soap opera has captivated audiences across generations.

However, the creators of “Days of Our Lives” now face a pressing challenge: preserving the show’s legacy amidst the loss and retirement of its senior actors.

Having premiered on NBC in 1965, the show recently marked its 60th anniversary, boasting a roster filled with actors who have been staples for over three decades.

Yet, the advancing age of its cherished cast has become a growing concern for the show’s producers, affecting continuity and viewer connection.

“The departure of so many beloved characters inevitably impacts viewership and ratings,” a source from the network confided to the Daily Mail.

In the past several years the show has said goodbye to long-term cast favorites such as John Aniston, who played Victor Kiriakas and died in 2022 aged 89. Ninety-eight-year-old Bill Hayes, who played Doug Williams; Wayne Northrop, 77, who played Detective Roman Brady and Drake Hogestyn, 70, who played John Black all died last year.

Days of Our Lives producers are desperate to save the show amid concerns for elderly cast members who are dying off or retiring

Drake Hogestyn who played John Black died, aged 70, last year

Other stars who have died in recent years include Peggy McKay (Caroline Brady), Joseph Mascolo (Stefano DiMera) and family matriarch Frances Reid (Alice Horton).

Another show favorite, actress Suzanne Rogers, who joined the cast in 1973 and plays Maggie Horton, recently announced she was being treated for stage 2 colon cancer. But after undergoing months of chemotherapy and radiation, she returned to the show this week.

‘When Days first began, the two main families were the Brady’s and the Horton’s,’ said a source. ‘Bo Brady, played by Peter Reckle and his wife, Hope Brady, played by 62-year-old Kristin Alfonso, both signed on 1993, and have been on and off the show since then. And the fans are not happy the star crossed lovers are not given more screen time.’

They also pointed to Alison Sweeney, and Bryan Dattilo, who also joined in 1993, and play Sami Brady and Lucas Horton, respectively. Bosses brought the two families together in 1995 when they welcomed their son, Will Horton. ‘But their story line is currently on the back burner,’ said our source.

Last year the show also lost Arianne Zucker, 51, who had played Nicole Walker for more than two decades. The actresses contract was not renewed after she filed a lawsuit against director and executive producer Albert Alarr. She accused him of sexual harassment and discrimination, claiming he would ‘frequently grab and tightly hug’ her, ‘purposely pushing her breasts onto his chest, while moaning “Oh Ari!”‘

Alarr lost his job and they settled last month. He denied the allegations.

Some fans feel that moving the show to NBC-owned Peacock in 2022 was a mistake. Although it was the streamer’s second most watched show of 2024, the format is not proving too popular for some.

‘While it might be convenient for some people to binge watch the show, part of the appeal of soaps is you tune in every day to see what’s happening,’ said one fan. ‘Then you call your best pal and say, “hey, did you see what happened today?”‘

Suzanne Rogers, who joined the cast in 1973 and plays Maggie Horton, recently announced she was being treated for stage 2 colon cancer (pictured) 

Paul Telfer, who plays Xander Kiriakis, opened up about life on the set of Days (pictured with his costar Deidre Hall)

‘But when you stream the show, you can no longer call your friends and discuss the story because they don’t want you to ruin it for them when they haven’t had a chance to watch.

‘Also, you could always count on a Friday cliffhanger. And you couldn’t wait to tune in on Monday to see the rest of the story. This created buzz, and by moving the show to Peacock, they did away with a lot of the opportunity to stir up the buzz.’

For many long-time older fans, the added $10.99 – $16.99 a month is not within their budget.

‘I began watching with my grandmother when I was about ten,’ said one viewer. ‘But now that I’m in my late 70’s, and am living on a tight budget, it’s just an expense I can’t afford.’

Co-head writers Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford took over in July 2024 and their scenes aired from April 2025. The duo have been well received by viewers – but the big concern now is investment.

Reddit threads are awash with pleading fans desperate for execs to increase the shows budget, claiming sets look cheap and tiny, dolls wrapped in blankets are used in place of real babies, and stock images are being used for outdoor shots. Paul Telfer, who plays Xander Kiriakis, told us the floors are so dirty he often has to film with his hands behind his back if he has shot scenes where he is working out. 

New staff are being directed by the network to go in a much younger direction. And the money seems to lie in bringing in Gen Z and Millennial viewers.

A spokesperson for the show insisted that there is a ‘continued focus on the legacy families,’ but said bringing in new talent and younger stars is important in maintaining ‘multi-generational’ casting.

New staff are being directed by the network to go in a much younger direction. And the money seems to lie in bringing in Gen Z and Millennial viewers 

Reddit threads are awash with pleading fans desperate for execs to increase the shows budget to feature lavish sets from yesteryear (pictured Doug Williams and Julie Anderson’s Wedding)

‘We’re constantly casting new talent,’ they said. ‘We’re constantly evolving, but the show has always been based on these four or five core families. And there’s so much to explore in those with next generations. So we truly have a multi-generational cast.

‘We’re talking preteens, teens, twenties, truly multi-generational. And that will continue one hundred percent.’

But according to our source, a push for younger casting has left ‘some faithful, older viewers unhappy’.

‘They want to see the stars they grew up following, not a group of kids they can’t relate to,’ they said. ‘And while these new younger kids are front and center, the older actors, who helped make the show popular, have been left behind.

‘The producers are now caught in between a rock and a hard place. They are desperate to save their long-running show, which has been picked up for another two years, and keep their viewers happy. But with elderly cast members passing on, and advertisers wanting younger viewers, one can’t help but wonder if they are going about it in the right way.’

Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Days of Our Lives for comment.