Ken Corday On Killing Will: “We Got Burned… Now, We’re Fixing It”

Soap stories cause fan outrage seemingly every day, but there are some plot decisions that have viewers reeling for years–and with good reason. One such decision came two years ago when Days of Our Lives (DOOL) chose to kill Will.

Killing off the character of Will enraged fans not just because he was a popular character. He was also a legacy character, meaning he was a member of the show’s two core families–the Hortons and the Bradys.

In addition, most longtime fans remember the character’s birth, and DAYS did a rare soap thing by letting Will grow up in real time and not in SORAS time.

And, it gets even worse. Will wasn’t just killed in a random car accident that goes by in a flash. He was gruesomely strangled, and we had to watch the entire incident from Will’s own point of view. We saw his eyes close–and the screen go black.

Alison Sweeney made no secret of her distaste for the story, despite making a brief return so Sami could say goodbye to her son. But, now it turns out Will is alive–and Executive Producer Ken Corday finally admits killing him was a mistake.

“This is such 20/20 hindsight,” Corday said in the November 13 issue of Soap Opera Digest. “We got burned by it. People hated the fact that we killed Will. Now, we’re fixing it.

“Do I regret it? Yeah, but now he’s back in all his Chandler Massey glory and it’s going to be great to see him.”

Corday credits Head Writer Ron Carlivati with revitalizing the show in recent months by digging into the show’s past, bringing back old characters, and using ones that were there waiting for a story, like Bryan Dattilo’s Lucas.

With Will returning, Lucas was ripe for the front burner and it’s been paying off. Now, when Lucas finally reunites with his son, that will be something to see.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.