2015

With Josh Griffith and Dena Higley‘s work officially hitting the screen beginning with the Wednesday, August 19 episode, fans of NBC’s “Days of our Lives” are in for a daring ride with the return of Stephen Nichols as Steve “Patch” Johnson and the beginning of a serial killer storyline. The first victim? Serena Mason (Melissa Archer). But did Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) have something to do with her death?

If you blinked, you probably missed a post on Twitter by “Days of our Lives” star Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) that shows the actress standing alongside co-star Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) in evening gowns during the upcoming New Year’s Eve episode of the daytime drama series. Yes, New Year’s Eve is happening in August…

“The Young and the Restless'” Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore) appeared on Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family” earlier this week and revealed some interesting tidbits about how she got her start in Hollywood, including that her first name wasn’t originally spelled with an “e” and that she didn’t always include her middle initial (which stands for Elizabeth) in her profession, and shares some of her “Days of our Lives” memories. Also part of her appearance, Bregman played the soap star name game with hosts Mark Steines and Cristina Ferrare, and talks about her new Manhattan Malibu clothing line.

After portraying Ryder Callahan for two years on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” actor Wilson Bethel has gone on to star in The CW’s now concluded southern drama “Hart of Dixie,” as reformed bad boy Wade Kinsella, and he most recently appeared in ABC’s summer run of “The Astronaut Wives Club.” Now according to Deadline, Bethel is ready to tackle “Blood & Oil” after snagging a recurring role in the upcoming Don Johnson (“Nash Bridges”) and Chace Crawford (“Gossip Girl”) led drama series about a young working-class couple who move to North Dakota following the biggest oil discovery in American history.

In the newest issue of Soap Opera Digest, on newsstands now, it’s revealed that Serena Mason will become the first victim of the upcoming serial killer storyline on NBC’s “Days of our Lives.” The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering the character was one of the first reported to be leaving Salem following the hiring of a new head writing regime earlier this year. In an interview with the magazine, portrayer Melissa Archer talks about how she found out about her character dying, what’s next in her career and how Serena meets her maker!

Four individuals connected by blood, friendship, sex, and love are dragged into the classic battle between good versus evil. No that’s not the description for an arc on ABC’s “General Hospital” or CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” but the online drama “Pride: The Series,” which features “GH’s” Ilene Kristen (Delia Ryan) and “As The World Turns'” actress Lauren B. Martin (ex-Camille Bennett) as special guest stars. Recently, the series became an official selection of Miami Web Fest, a 10-day festival that showcases the hottest new web series around the world. The festival begins Friday, September 25 and culminates on Sunday, October 4 with the Miami Web TV Awards.

Along with lighter fare and high-concept comedies, the broadcast networks are looking to correct course in development for the 2016-17 television buying season with more of a focus on soaps, reports Deadline.

While “General Hospital” seems to be collapsing before our eyes in the Nielsen ratings, CBS continues to succeed with its winning lineup of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Young and the Restless,” “The Price is Right,” “Let’s Make a Deal” and “The Talk.”

Ratings Report for the Week of August 10-14, 2015

With news that Pop will now air same-day rebroadcast episodes of NBC’s “Days of our Lives,” along with the already airing rebroadcasts of CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless,” one can only wonder if the the network may have plans of airing rebroadcasts of ABC’s “General Hospital” as well. Sadly, that’s not the case.