Excerpt: Over the past couple of weeks, fans of Days of our Lives have been dealing with unfortunate news regarding the departure of several cast members. Following reports that veterans Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) and Drake Hogestyn (John Black) have been let go from the NBC soap, rumors have surged that at least five other names are on their way out. The most recent ousting news involved Blake Berris, who is expected to leave his character Nick in next month.

In spite of everything, Peter Reckell, who plays Bo Brady on the soap, remains optimistic about the future direction of Days of our Lives.

"Over the last couple of months, I have had writing that I was like, 'Wow, this isn't like daytime. It's like people talking,'" Reckell told Soap Opera Digest.