Is there actual 'action' in this show, or is it just talking?

It's about 95% talking in living rooms or hospital sets. When there is 'action' (like a kidnapping or a fight), it's usually very low-budget and staged like theater. Don't expect Marvel-style stunts.

My kid saw a clip of someone being possessed by a demon. Is this a horror show?

No, but Days is famous for 'supernatural' arcs that come out of nowhere. They are handled with the same soap-opera tone as a divorce trial, so they're more weird than actually scary.

Is it okay to let a younger teen watch this for the 'camp' factor?

Sure, if they find it funny. The TV-14 rating is mostly for the complex adult themes and suggestive situations, not for gore or trauma. It's mostly just silly to a modern 14-year-old.

Do I need to know 60 years of history to understand what's happening?

Surprisingly, no. Soap operas are designed to be joined at any time. They repeat the plot points so often that you'll be caught up on the last decade of drama within a week of watching.

Days of Our Lives

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

show1965

32%

WISE Score

5.3

IMDb

The hourglass has been turning since 1965, but unless your kid is into vintage melodrama and evil twins, this Salem soap is a total skip.

5.3/10

→

Days of Our Lives

show

TV-14, 1965

32%

WISE Score

5.3

IMDb

The hourglass has been turning since 1965, but unless your kid is into vintage melodrama and evil twins, this Salem soap is a total skip.

5.3

Jump to

Also rated on

5.3/10

View →

Where to Watch

Loading streaming options...

Where-to-watch data byJustWatch

Screenwise Verdict

Days of Our Lives is the ultimate 'grandma's house' background noise. It's been running for over 14,000 episodes for a reason, but that reason isn't quality storytelling—it's habit and high-octane drama.

For a modern kid or teen, the production values look like a stage play and the acting is dialed to eleven. Unless your teen is doing a deep dive into the history of the American soap opera, there is almost zero reason to put this on. It's not 'bad' for them in a dangerous way, it's just a waste of a screen.

Age Fit

This is strictly for the 14+ crowd, and even then, mostly for those with a high tolerance for camp and slow-burn melodrama. There's nothing here for kids, and most teens will find it incredibly boring compared to modern streaming dramas.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The show is built on a foundation of infidelity, betrayal, and high-stakes melodrama. While it centers on family legacy, the behaviors modeled are rarely 'wholesome' in a traditional sense.

Imaginative

While the plotlines occasionally venture into the bizarre (possession, cryogenic freezing, evil twins), it mostly relies on well-worn soap opera tropes and formulaic dialogue.

Safe

Generally follows TV-14 standards with suggestive dialogue and non-explicit sexual situations. The danger is more psychological/emotional than graphic violence.

Enriching

This is pure escapist 'junk food' television. It offers little in the way of cognitive or ethical growth, though it is a masterclass in narrative endurance.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Generational legacy provides a unique look at how TV storytelling has evolved (or stayed exactly the same) over six decades.
Campy plot twists like demonic possession or secret underground bunkers can be unintentionally hilarious for older teens to MST3K-style riff on.
Long-form narrative is actually impressive; characters have histories that span longer than most viewers have been alive.

⚠

What to Watch For

The pacing is glacial and repetitive, designed for a 1960s audience that might miss three days of episodes and need to catch up.
Themes of infidelity and manipulation are the primary drivers of every plot, which can get exhausting or confusing for younger viewers.
It recently moved exclusively to Peacock, so it's no longer just 'on in the background' via broadcast TV unless you're seeking it out.

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think characters in soaps keep secrets that would be solved by a 30-second conversation?"
"Do you think the way people date and marry in Salem reflects real life, or is it just for drama?"
"If you had to write a soap opera plot for our family, who would be the 'evil twin'?"

Deep Dive

The Salem Time Warp

Watching Days of Our Lives in 2026 feels like visiting a museum of 20th-century tropes that somehow refused to close. The show has survived the death of the midday soap era by moving to Peacock, but it hasn't really changed its DNA. You still have the Hortons and the Bradys circling each other in a version of the Midwest that seems to have a higher-than-average concentration of international terrorists and amnesiacs.

From a media literacy perspective, it's a fascinating artifact. It uses a 'multi-camera' setup that feels claustrophobic and dated compared to the cinematic look of shows like Stranger Things or The Last of Us. For a kid raised on YouTube shorts and fast-paced gaming, the three-minute scenes of two people staring intensely at each other before a commercial break will feel like an eternity.

If your kid stumbles onto it, the biggest 'risk' is that they'll be exposed to a very skewed version of adult relationships where everyone is perpetually one cocktail away from a life-ruining affair. It's not educational, it's not particularly imaginative, and it's certainly not wholesome. It's just a very long, very loud story about people who never seem to have actual jobs despite living in massive mansions.