‘DOOL’ Head Writer Teases More Jaw-Dropping Drama & Surprises
The 2023 writer’s strike wreaked havoc on daytime and primetime scripted TV shows. DOOL head writer Ron Carlivati promises more drama, more surprises and more romance once his scripts are airing amid the writer’s strike. Keep reading for more about what to expect.
Writer’s Strike Impact On TV
In May 2023, members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Many of the scripted shows for the spring TV season had already been written and filmed ahead of the season finales. However, daytime soap operas run year-round. As the strike dragged out, the networks brought in temporary writers, known as “scabs.”
After 148 days days, the strike finally ended in September 2023. While the writers were back in the writing room, many networks were forced to push back their primetime shows until January 2024 due to lack of scripts.
NBC’s Days of Our Lives was among the scripted shows affected by the strike.
DOOL Head Writer Talks Nicole & Sloan
Ron Carlivati has been the head writer at DOOL since 2017. He recently spoke to Soap Digest about how the strike affected what viewers have seen unfold on-screen this year. As many fans know, the daytime soap films up to six months in advance. Carlivati made it clear that he had no hand in what is currently airing.
He said that the scab writers tried not to make any drastic storyline shifts, but had to as the strike dragged on so long. “From January to May, those were not my stories,” the head writer said. “I had nothing to do with those.”
However, he and the rest of the writing team went back to work in October 2023. The scripts they wrote and storylines they crafted will begin airing next week. One storyline dominating the show is the baby switch involving Sloan (Jessica Serfaty,) Nicole (Ari Zucker,) Eric (Greg Vaughan,) and E.J. (Dan Feuerriegel.)
Ron Carlivati teased even more secrets coming out in the future regarding the baby switch. He also wants to pen another Sloan vs. Nicole showdown.
Xander & Alex Learn True Parentage
Another storyline he is excited to write is who is really Victor’s (the late John Aniston) son – Xander (Paul Telfer) or Alex (Robert Scott Wilson.)
The head writer also confirmed the rumor that Gabi Hernandez is getting out of prison and heading back to Salem. And no, Camila Banus won’t be reprising the role, though he didn’t give more details.
Honoring Bill Hayes
Ron Carlivati returned to the writer’s room in time to write Doug Williams off the show after Bill Hayes’ passing earlier this year. The soap invited several former cast members back in the star-studded send off, including Kristian Alfonso as Hope and Melissa Reeves as Jennifer.
“We worked hard to honor Bill and Doug and also use it as a way to celebrate the show and celebrate this milestone,” he said, about November’s 15,000th episode.
Are you glad Ron Carlivati is back at the helm in the DOOL writer’s room? Sound off in the comments.
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