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This is the last Days of Our Lives Soapbox of the year, so I figured it was time to look back at 2024… and ahead to 2025!

To say it has been a long, strange year would be an understatement. Around this time last year, the Writers’ Strike material started airing — months after the strike had ended. And it went on, thanks to Days of Our Lives’ unique shooting schedule, until after Memorial Day.

For those counting, that was six months of wildly swinging content. I remember being unexpectedly excited in the beginning of the material, because it felt like we were getting more character beats, instead of plot points. But somewhere along the way things took a turn. Maybe it was around that freak snowstorm that just hit the Horton cabin, culminating in a radioactive Paulina. Maybe it was Johnny and Chanel’s rushed pregnancy. (Yeah, that was this year. Now we’ve got the Joy scandal.)

By the time the show’s writers returned to put Konstantin six feet under, I was thrilled with what we were getting. And meeting Xander’s mum? Man, I loved Serena Scott Thomas. Then she mowed down Sarah and framed Brady and it seemed Days of Our Lives did everything it could to not like Fiona. But at least before Fiona left, we got some great performances from everyone in the story.

Then there’s Body and Soul. That just seemed to be a reason to lump a bunch of characters the show couldn’t figure out directions for into the same storyline. Rather than being an occasional burst of silliness, it took over week after week and just felt like an escape valve for the writers to talk about behind the scenes shenanigans. On the plus side, it has somehow managed to make me like Alex more! The tradeoff is it’s doing it by pushing me to like Johnny less…

We were teased with Abigail’s return, told it was a fake-out, then ended the story with more teasing about Abby still being alive. Clyde took over just about everything. Whenever anything bad happened, Clyde was behind it. Remember the Horton house burning down? Yeah, we hardly do either. But apparently Clyde was even responsible for that. We think. Does it really matter?

The house was repaired in record time, no one seems to care who set the fire and the time capsule they found just became another plot point to introduce Doug III. As heartwarming as it initially was to finally meet the part of Doug’s family that vanished decades ago, new Doug’s got a ways to go before folks will warm up to him. Here’s hoping that in the coming year, new characters — especially new legacy characters — aren’t introduced in a way that makes us hate them from the start.

And speaking of characters we’re meant to hate, how about we get some new villains in 2025? Or at least old ones who haven’t been touched in awhile? It seems like Orpheus and Clyde have dominated the villain sphere in recent years and we’re happy that it looks like they’re finally being given a chance to rest. (In Clyde’s case, he’s resting in a coma.)

I know John’s going to die, but I also know they wanted to leave the possibility of a return open in case Drake Hogestyn recovered. And that probably means they won’t find a body. So I’m hoping that down the line, they do find John’s body and can lay him to rest properly. It can be like Abigail’s time capsule burial, which was touching, except that none of us believe she’s actually dead now. In John’s case, it would be a second, perhaps more intimate funeral to let us truly mourn him.

The new writers’ material should start in the spring. A few folks have already cheered on the change, like Susan Seaforth Haye (Julie) and Deidre Hall (Marlena) who let us know Body and Soul is gone soon, wacky hijinks are toned down and the new writers are getting back to the show’s roots. Thaao Penghlis, who under the previous regime sounded like he’d never return, is back and sounds thrilled about the new material.

And really, that’s what I want. Yes, life in Salem has always been a bit wilder than other soap towns, but at its beating heart has always been family and romance. As for that second part, please, in the coming year, let couples grow and breathe before we split them. I feel like my head’s constantly spinning from how fast folks get together and break up in Salem. It has been feeling a bit better lately, but really, this used to be the show that churned out super couples and it can be that way again!Next year is the show’s 60th anniversary, and there’s so much to look forward to coming up. Belle and Shawn are back (though doing their own thing), Sami’s returning, Bo and Hope are finally getting their happy reunion and EJ’s shooting looks like it’ll be dredging up a whole lot of the show’s dark past. This past year had it’s ups and downs, but man, am I excited about the soap’s future. So here’s to hoping 2025 gives us a Days of Our Lives we all can find reason to love!