The cast and crew of ‘Days of our Lives’ has another reason to celebrate: not only will the last remaining NBC soap be celebrating its 45th anniversary in November, the network also picked it up for another season. The Hollywood Reporter announced on March 19 that NBC’s sole soap opera will stay on the air until 2011.

The chairman of NBC Entertainment, Marc Graboff, said that show is still a fan favorite. “…we are thrilled to keep it going through its 45th season. ‘Days’ has shown year-to-year increases in key female demographics and remains both relevant and fresh creatively.”

‘Days of our Lives’ has shown a surge in ratings recently, in the wake of the demise of other soap operas, including CBS’ ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘As the World Turns.’ It’s believed the show’s recent success is due in part by ending the contracts of such veteran (and higher-priced) actors as Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn and implementing newer, younger characters. The show will see continued success if ABC pulls the plug on ‘One Life to Live,’ which has been lagging in viewers recent months.

Written by: Karen Benardello