Days of our Lives spoilers reveal the celebration of Bill Hayes’ 50th anniversary on the NBC show will involve a dramatic and emotional story during February sweeps.
According to Soap Central, head-writer, Ron Carlivati has penned a story that will pay tribute to Bill and his onscreen alter ego.
“I think it’s important to honor the actor and the character and the longevity, and also for the fans that have watched that person for so many years,” Ron shared about honoring the actor and character that have profoundly impacted the daytime drama.
Bill Hayes 50th anniversary storyline
Fans should be prepared for a rollercoaster ride full of emotions as Days honors Bill. Details are being kept under wraps, but Ron expressed Doug will take a trip down memory, as he reminisces about his life. Several flashbacks will feature the half a century that Doug and Bill have spent in Salem.
Although details of the story arc are being kept secretive, Ron did confirm an unexpected family death is going to kick off the tribute to Bill. The most logical candidate for the Horton family member that dies is JJ Deveraux, since his portrayer, Casey Moss is exiting the NBC daytime drama.
Another candidate could be Doug’s wife Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes), which would be an excellent story, but she is likely not the person. The show just did a story involving Julie’s life hanging in the balance after a heart attack.
There is a slim chance Baby Mickey is the lost family member. However, the odds of it being her are low. The soap opera is gearing up to tell a baby switch story with Mickey, who is really the daughter of Brady (Eric Martsolf) and Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) not Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) and Eric (Greg Vaughan).
Doug’s time in Salem
Bill first debuted as Doug Williams in February 1970 as a white-collar criminal sharing a jail-cell with Bill Horton (Edward Mallory). After learning all about Salem from Bill, Doug accepted an offer from Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) to seduce Julie, who at the time was involved with Scott Banning (Mike Ferrell/Robert Hogan).
The scam turned into true love when Doug fell head over heels for Julie. She eventually fell for him too. They have had a rollercoaster romance, but are still genuinely in love. Although his life with Julie has always been front and center on the show, Doug has been featured in plenty of other storylines.
He survived a heart attack, as well as the Salem Stalker. Plus, his relationship with his daughter Hope (Kristian Alfonso) has given viewers plenty to watch onscreen. There is so much history with Doug, and now fans will get to relive some of it via flashbacks.
Billy Hayes is celebrating 50 years as Doug Williams on Days of our Lives. The soap opera has big plans to pay tribute to both men in the upcoming weeks.
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC.