Best Soap Opera of 2019: Days of our Lives

Like any soap opera, there was good and bad on Days of our Lives in 2019, but the good definitely outweighed the bad and this little soap that could — NBC’s lone sudser — delivered on what soaps are supposed to do — entertain.

Days of our Lives: Pure Soap

While we didn’t love Jack’s run for mayor, we were thrilled that the year started with his return, along with wicked Eve. Seeing Jack (Matthew Ashford) and Jennifer (Melisssa Reeves) again, even if he didn’t remember her, warmed our hearts.

Almost a full year later when he did remember her, our hearts were on fire. When they married, oh how wonderful. And when she woke from her coma and Jack told her she’d been asleep for a year, our heart stopped.

Giddy Gabi

Speaking of stopped hearts, Gabi (Camila Banus) was the character to watch in 2019. She started the year wanting to exact revenge on Stefan (Brandon Barash) for framing her for Andre’s murder, which effectively ruined her life and dreams. She ended the year (her Salem year and our viewing year) mourning Stefan’s loss after falling in love with him.

And when Stefan died, she really lost it. She let Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) have his heart, but then made sure she could blow up her pacemaker with an app and hold that over Lani’s head (cause Lani accidentally killed Stefan), resulting in a blackmailed Lani (Sal Stowers) leaving Eli (Lamon Archey) at the altar.

Kristen as Nicole

But wait! There’s more. Nicole returned, except she wasn’t Nicole. She was Kristen in a Nicole mask, Brady made love to her and didn’t notice ‘differences’ that had nothing to do with her face. He also didn’t notice he was kissing latex. But watching Arianne Zucker play Kristen in one scene and then Stacy Haiduk play Kristen in the next scene made it worth it.

The Kristen reveal at Doug’s Place with John (Drake Hogestyn) lunging for her once he realized what was going on will be remembered forever.

Time Hopping

All of this is to say that Days of our Lives was not afraid to take chances. And it took the biggest chance of all time hopping to November 2020 (SH still wants election spoilers) and pretty much telling the story backward.

Wait, Will is in jail and Ben (who killed him, but didn’t) is his cellmate? Lani and Kristen are nuns? Adrienne (Judi Evans) is dead and Justin (Wally Kurth) is with Kayla? And something weird besides cancer is going on with Baby Mickey, but what is it? We are sure we’ll find out in flashbacks and we can’t wait. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.