Do You Recall: Days of our Lives’ Second Foray Into Primetime

Believe it or not, there was a time in soap opera history when your favorite daytime dramas — like Days of our Lives — were not constricted by their morning to late afternoon timeslots, and they did, in fact, extend their sudsy offerings into primetime television hours.

Stunning revelations, shocking murders, and wild cliffhangers dominated these special episodes that producers hoped would entice viewers who otherwise never watched a soap to tune in the next weekday and follow the story in the show’s regular timeslot.

After the unqualified success of their first nighttime outing, the producers behind NBC’s Days of our Lives quickly plotted a sequel. Below is your handy guide to all the steamy, stinging goings-on that transpired during that fateful special.

Days of our Lives: Night Sins

Airdate: February 26, 1993
Teaser: Prominent citizens gather at a reception on an everyday night in Salem — one full of scandal, intrigue, and passion.

The Build-Up: When forced to choose between her son and the man she loves, Carly Manning handed Bo Brady back his engagement, and now she readies herself to flee the country with little Nicky – lest he remembers, or anyone else in Salem discovers, that he’s repressed the memory of accidentally killing Lisanne Gardner.

Marlena Evans Brady is a woman torn between two great loves: Roman Brady, the husband that fate – and Stefano DiMera – cruelly ripped from her arms, and John Black, the rugged amnesiac whom she’d been conned into believing was a returned Roman.

Jack Deveraux and Billie Reed have to recoup the $100,000 in dirty money that the former used to purchase The Spectator and that the latter was supposed to keep safely hidden away. She thinks their best shot is convincing publishing czar Victor Kiriakis to accept In the Midnight Hour, the romance novel that Jack penned. The rub? Jack discovered the manuscript inside a trunk in his home’s attic and slapped his name on the cover page!

Sami Brady has fallen head over heels in love with a blue-eyed angel who’s got a jawline for days, and she is desperate to win his affection – if only she knew his actual name.

Austin Reed thought he’d put his less than reputable past behind him, but an old foe is determined to get his reputation back and is armed with a bottle of hydrochloric acid.

DOOL: The Episode

Victor is celebrating the launch of Bella, his new glossy magazine, with a black-tie gala and the added gimmick of selecting two beautiful attendees to compete for the moniker, Face of the ’90s.

Despite her best efforts to convince Roman to join her, Marlena arrives at the event solo – though she’s quickly spotted by a lovelorn John; she entreats him to leave her be, but John struggles to comply.

In the meantime, Carly bids Bo a terse adieu and heads for the airport. Upon arrival, she’s greeted by the sight of her former lover, Lawrence Alamain, and informed that he’d be joining mother and son on their journey. When Carly protests the apparent ambush, Lawrence comments that she can either board the craft or say goodbye to Nicky.

Back at Titan headquarters, Billie, with an unintended assist from Jennifer Deveraux, manages to slip a copy of In the Midnight Hour into Kate Roberts’s filing cabinet – much to Jack’s chagrin.

In the building’s great room, Carrie is named one of the contest’s participants, and she enthusiastically thanks Austin, the man who put her in the running. The couple then crosses paths with Sami, who’s utterly embarrassed to learn that her crush and her sister’s beau are one and the same.

One floor below, Marlena curses herself for her inability to shake her love for John; he happens upon her and offers to leave her to her own devices, but she doesn’t want that. They seal themselves inside the conference room and give in to their passion for one another. Unbeknownst to the pair, someone cracks open the door and spies on their amorous activity.

Outside, Carrie and Austin bask in the glow of the evening. Swept up in the moment, Austin gathers Carrie into his arms and playfully spins her about. Out of the darkness charges the acid-wielding villain – but it isn’t Austin’s face that winds up scarred…it’s Carrie’s!

Days of our Lives: Night Sins Trivia

* Like One Stormy Night, Night Sins preceded that year’s awards ceremony from a soap magazine.

* According to Nielsen, Night Sins managed a 7.9 rating, and a 13 share, down 2.6 and 5 points respectively from the previous year’s effort.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.