Key Insights
- Longevity: Days of Our Lives has been airing for 60 years.
- Episode Count: The series has reached over 15,000 episodes.
- Character Survival: Deidre Hall’s character, Dr. Marlena Evans, has been a central figure for 49 years.
- Guest Stars: Notable actors like Dick Van Dyke have appeared on the show and received accolades.
Days of Our Lives has been on for 60 years.
For those counting, that’s 21,900 days. And while there haven’t been quite that many episodes of the enduring NBC soap opera—which made the move to Peacock in 2022—the sands of the hourglass have signaled the passage of 15,000 episodes and counting.
Which means that fictional Salem, Ill., has seen more than its fair share of drama, with love affairs, weddings and babies vying for time with feuds, comas, serial killers and all variety of backstabbing. Yet, wouldn’t you know, people keep coming to town.
Deidre Hall, whose Dr. Marlena Evans has survived so much, remains at the center of the drama after 49 years, but the show’s stalwart cast has welcomed quite the revolving door of familiar faces, as well, many of whom went on to become household names.
Or were already legends when they happened to pop up on daytime TV for the first time and walk away with a Guest Actor Emmy, as Dick Van Dyke did at the 2024 ceremony.
