Salem isn't where it used to be. For nearly sixty years, you could find the Hortons, the Bradys, and whatever demonic possession Marlena Evans was dealing with just by flipping to NBC at 1:00 PM. Then, everything changed. In 2022, the cord was cut. NBC Days of our Lives packed its bags and moved exclusively to Peacock, marking the end of an era for broadcast television and a massive gamble for Corday Productions.
It was a shock.
If you grew up watching the hourglass turn while eating lunch, the shift felt like losing a neighbor. But looking back from 2026, the move wasn't just about chasing "the future of digital." It was a survival tactic. Linear TV ratings for soaps had been cratering for a decade. By moving to a streaming-only model, the show escaped the constant threat of preemption for breaking news or political rallies. It found a way to stay alive when its siblings on other networks were being canceled left and right.
The Peacock Transition: Why the Move Happened
Money. Honestly, that’s the short answer. Network television relies on a specific type of advertising revenue that just doesn't work the way it used to. NBC saw an opportunity to use a legacy brand with a fiercely loyal (and surprisingly tech-savvy) audience to drive subscriptions for its fledgling streaming service, Peacock.
They weren't wrong.
While some older viewers struggled with the tech at first, the "Days" fan base proved they’d follow Stefano DiMera to the ends of the earth—or at least to a $5.99 monthly subscription. This shift allowed the writers more freedom. You might have noticed the episodes got a bit longer. The production values stayed steady, and occasionally, the dialogue got a little "spicier" than what the FCC allowed on broadcast airwaves.
There’s a common misconception that the show was "demoted." If you talk to industry experts like Michael Logan or the folks at Soap Opera Digest, they’ll tell you the opposite. Being the flagship scripted content for a streamer gives a show more leverage than being the lowest-rated hour on a broadcast schedule.
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What the 2026 Landscape Looks Like for Salem
The show is currently thriving in a way it couldn't on NBC. Because Peacock doesn't have to worry about local affiliate time slots, the show can experiment. We’ve seen the return of massive icons like Bo and Hope, played by Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso, in limited arcs that felt more like "prestige TV" than a daily grind.
Days of Our Lives has always been the "weird" soap. It’s the one that does time jumps. It’s the one with the clones, the masks, and the underground bunkers.
On streaming, that weirdness works.
Understanding the Multi-Generational Appeal
The Horton family remains the backbone. Alice and Tom are gone, but that living room remains the North Star of the series. However, the show has survived by pivoting to the younger generations—the kids of Belle, Shawn, and Chad.
- Legacy Characters: The show keeps veterans like Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn front and center.
- The "Beyond Salem" Effect: We saw limited-series spinoffs that proved the brand could live outside the 250-episode-a-year format.
- Diverse Storylines: In recent years, the show has leaned into more inclusive casting and LGBTQ+ storylines that have resonated with a younger, streaming-first demographic.
The Logic of the Time Jump
One of the boldest moves in modern soap history was the one-year time jump that happened before the move to Peacock. It was a brilliant narrative reset. Suddenly, characters were in prison, babies were born, and marriages had dissolved without the audience seeing the "middle."
It forced people to keep watching to fill in the blanks.
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Ken Corday, the executive producer, has often mentioned that the show must evolve or die. By jumping ahead, they cleared out stale plotlines. They made the show feel faster. In the 1980s, a conversation in the Brady Pub could take three days. Now? Information moves at the speed of a Twitter feed.
Is Streaming Actually Better for Soap Operas?
There is a trade-off.
The biggest loss is the "watercooler effect." When everyone watched at 1:00 PM, you could talk about it at 2:00 PM. Now, people watch whenever they want—at midnight, on their lunch break, or during a weekend binge. This has fragmented the community a bit, but it has increased the "total minutes viewed," which is the only metric Peacock actually cares about.
NBC Days of our Lives isn't just a show anymore; it's a data point. If the data shows that users are staying subscribed specifically for the soap, the show stays safe. So far, the data looks good.
Common Myths Debunked
- "The show is ending soon." People have been saying this since 1990. The move to Peacock actually extended its life by at least another decade because it’s no longer competing for the same advertisers as The Today Show.
- "It’s not the same show without the NBC logo." It’s literally the same crew, the same Burbank set, and the same writers. The only thing that changed is the "channel."
- "It’s too expensive." For the price of one latte, you get 20+ hours of content a month. Compared to buying digital episodes or DVDs, streaming is the most cost-effective way the show has ever been distributed.
How to Stay Current With Salem Without Getting Lost
If you’re a returning viewer who hasn't watched since the NBC days, jumping back in can be dizzying. The easiest way to catch up isn't by watching 500 missed episodes.
Start with the "Day of Days" fan events or the official Peacock recaps. The show is designed to be "jump-in-able." Within three episodes, you'll figure out who is dating whom and who is currently "dead" but clearly coming back in six months.
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Check out the Days of Our Lives YouTube channel for "The Week in Review." It saves you about four hours of viewing time if you're in a rush.
Steps to Take If You’re Missing the Action
If you want to dive back into the drama, here is the most efficient way to do it without wasting time.
Get the Right Tier
You don't need the most expensive Peacock plan to watch. The base "Premium" tier includes the daily episodes. Just make sure you have a device that supports the app—smart TVs, Rokus, and even gaming consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X work perfectly.
Use the Search Function for "Extras"
Don't just watch the main show. Look for the Beyond Salem chapters. These are higher-budget, shorter stories that bring back legendary characters for specific missions. It's some of the best content the franchise has produced in years.
Follow the Cast on Social Media
Soap actors are notoriously accessible. Following Robert Scott Wilson or Victoria Konefal on Instagram gives you behind-the-scenes looks that make the viewing experience feel more personal. It helps bridge the gap between the old-school TV feel and the new digital reality.
Set a Notification
New episodes usually drop at 6:00 AM ET. If you're a morning person, you can watch it before work, which is a luxury the old NBC schedule never allowed. Setting a reminder on your phone ensures you don't get spoiled by Facebook groups or Twitter threads later in the day.
The reality is that Salem has changed, but the heart of the show—the sprawling families, the ridiculous plot twists, and the undying romance—remains exactly as it was when it first aired in 1965. It’s just moved to a different screen.