“Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” The longest-running series on NBC is not going anytime soon. NBC has renewed the multi-Emmy-winning daytime soap Days of Our Lives for a record 55th season.

“With writing that manages to weave together Salem’s iconic characters with current realities, Ken Corday and his team have ushered the show’s legacy into a new era that resonates with both longtime and new viewers,” said Bruce Evans, Executive Vice President, Current Programming, NBC Entertainment. “The actors and crew have such a tremendous respect for ‘Days’ and what it means to fans. We believe that level of commitment shows through and touches our audience year after year.”

The show continues to be a solid ratings draw. The 53rd season (September 2017-September 2018) saw a 4% increase in total viewers (2.55 million vs. 2.45 million in live + 7 per Nielsen Media Research) vs. the previous season.

“It’s a great day in Salem! The sands in the hourglass will continue to flow for yet another year,” said executive producer Ken Corday. “We’re grateful to NBC and Sony for their continued support of the show and, of course, to our dedicated and passionate fans, we owe it all to you. Thank you for taking us through our 55th season. We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store.”

Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television, added: “Ken Corday and his cast and crew continue to build on the strong legacy of dynamic storytelling and intriguing characters in ‘Days of our Lives.’ We are proud that audiences both in the U.S. and around the world will get to enjoy this award-winning series for another year.”

Days of our Lives, which aired its 13,500th episode in 2018, first premiered as a half-hour drama in 1965 and expanded to an hour 10 years later. The show has garnered 57 Emmy Awards, including most recently 2015 and 2018’s Outstanding Daytime Drama, and 323 nominations, as well as multiple People’s Choice Awards, GLAAD Media Awards and Prism Awards.

Days lost two of its longtime stars who died last year, Peggy McKay, who played Caroline Brady for 35 years on the show, and Frank Parker, who recurred for a quarter century as Grandpa Brady. In addition, Daytime Emmy-nominated Marci Miller, who played Abigail Deveraux, exited the show in May.

Set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem, Days of our Lives airs nationally on NBC in the United States and in more than 25 countries internationally. The core families are the Bradys, Hortons and DiMeras, and the multi-layered storylines involve elements of romance, adventure, mystery, comedy and drama.

Days of our Lives is produced by Corday Productions, Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television. Ken Corday is the executive producer with co-executive producers Greg Meng and Albert Alarr. Ron Carlivati is the head writer.