by Thinus Ferreira
While the long-running American weekday soap Days of Our Lives is broadcast on e.tv in South Africa, NBC in America has commissioned a terrific-looking limited-series spinoff, Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem, absolutely filled with OG Salem superstars like Marlena, John, Billie and many more, men kissing, a drag queen impersonating Billy, and even clones, all wrapped in a spy-and-jewel mystery.
Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem will start on the American streaming service Peacock on 6 September with a daily new episode until Friday 10 September.
There's no word yet on whether the 5-episode series might be distributed internationally or whether e.tv might pick it up for its new eVOD streaming service or as a special weeklong primetime Days of Our Lives encore on e.tv.
The jaw-dropping trailer reveals that besides Marlena - still looking exactly the same as always - there is also Charles Shaughnessy, known as Mister Sheffield in The Nanny, reprising his role as Shane Donovan but just with slightly greyer hair. Shaughnessy became widely known for playing the character on Days of our Lives from 1984 to 1992.
In a hilarious scene, Jackie Cox from RuPaul's Drag Race, the iconic Canadian drag queen famously known for her Lisa Rinna impersonation, will also guest star in the show.
In Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem, over a long weekend, John and Marlena once again travel internationally to solve a mystery as they've done together so many times before.
This time they travel to Zurich, while Ben and Ciara have a romantic getaway in New Orleans, Chad visits some old friends in Phoenix, and Abe, Paulina, Lani, and Eli vacation in Miami.
All find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving stolen jewels (Peacock! wink, wink!) which, in the wrong hands, could cause dire consequences for Salem.
It's a race against time for ISA agent Billie Reed as she crosses the globe in search of this missing treasure, together with Salem super couples.
The Days of our Lives limited series is packed with the soap's who's-who: From now Real Housewives star Lisa Rinna back as Billie Reed, to Deidre Hall as Dr Marlena Evans, Drake Hogestyn as John Black, Jackée Harry as Paulina Price, James Reynolds as Abe Carver, Victoria Konefal as Ciara Brady, Robert Scott Wilson as Ben Weston, Billy Flynn as Chad DiMera, Lamon Archey as Eli Grant and Sal Stowers as Lani Price.
Not enough you say? Eileen Davidson is also set to appear and all we can say is: Nun-outfit and bad teeth.
Thaao Penghlis is back as Tony DiMera, Leann Hunley is Anna DiMera, Christie Clark is Carrie Brady, Austin Peck is back as Austin Reed, Greg Rikaart is there Leo Stark, and viewers can watch Chandler Massey as Will Horton, Zachary Atticus Tinker as Sonny Kiriakis and Peter Porte as Kyle Graham who all join the hunt of stolen jewels across the globe.
Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem is produced by Corday Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television with Ken Corday as the executive producer with co-executive producer Albert Alarr.
