James E. Reilly
Encyclopedia
James E. Reilly was an American
soap opera
writer. Known for his work as the head writer
of NBC
's Days of our Lives
and creator/head writer of Passions
, Reilly won a Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Drama Series Writing
as co-head writer for Guiding Light
in 1993.
Reilly died suddenly in October 2008 while recovering from cardiac surgery
.
soap opera Passions in 1999, and served as the series' head writer until its cancellation in 2008. He was previously the head writer of Guiding Light
from 1990 to 1992, Days of our Lives from 1992 to 1997 and Sunset Beach
in 1998. Reilly also worked as a staff writer for other daytime dramas prior to that, including The Young and the Restless
and General Hospital
.
Though Passions was historically top-rated in key demographics
, the series was plagued since its inception by low overall Nielsen ratings
and the final episode aired on August 7, 2008.
During his run on Passions, Reilly returned to Days of our Lives as head writer from August 2003 until Spring 2006, and was succeeded by former As the World Turns
head writer Hogan Sheffer
.
Reilly was one of 20 writers who chose financial core
status with the Writers Guild of America
during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
; after the strike, the WGA wrote a letter releasing the names of these individuals, inviting accusations of blacklist
ing.
) is buried alive by villainess Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel) for weeks, and taunted through speakers. Reilly began what is arguably his most infamous storyline in 1995 when the show's central heroine, Marlena Evans
(Deidre Hall
), becomes possessed
by Satan
. The storyline played out for a year, with Marlena's lover finally exorcising
the demon, but not before garnering the show increased ratings — despite frequent interruptions by the O.J. Simpson murder trial
going on at the time, and the criticism of longtime fans upset by "liberties" Reilly took with the characters and continuity. Finally, in 1996 Reilly gave Eileen Davidson
, who had played Kristen Blake
since 1993, a second role as Kristen's lookalike Susan Banks
, and between 1997 and 1998 added three more — including a man — with Davidson ultimately receiving a Daytime Emmy
nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress
in 1998.
Reilly left Days of our Lives in 1997 and created Passions in 1999, freed of a pre-existing fan base to please. The series featured veteran actress Juliet Mills as Tabitha Lenox
, a 300-year-old witch (with a doll-come-to-life sidekick) using magic and manipulation to wreak havoc on the citizens of a New England
town. Standard soap opera melodrama was juxtaposed with sorcery, supernatural creatures and closet doors leading to Hell
.
With the ratings of Days of our Lives at an all time low and NBC threatening to cancel the series, Reilly was brought back as head writer in the summer of 2003 and given carte blanche to "fix" the show (while simultaneously remaining as head writer for Passions). What followed was a controversial and attention-getting storyline in which multiple long-running characters on the series are brutally murdered by a serial killer dubbed the Salem Stalker. The story grew increasingly graphic (and ironic) as recovering alcoholic Maggie Horton
is bludgeoned by a liquor bottle and original cast member and town matriarch Alice Horton
chokes to death on a donut, her culinary specialty, forced down her throat. The reveal that heroine Marlena Evans was somehow the killer made the February 3, 2004 cover of Soap Opera Digest
. Reilly left the series again in 2006.
Ken Corday
of Days of our Lives said of him, "The DAYS OF OUR LIVES family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of James E. Reilly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Jim was not only an ingenious storyteller who changed the landscape of daytime drama, but he celebrated life with passion, humor, and an appreciation for the best it has to offer. He was an inspiration for us all...and will be greatly missed." Passions Executive Producer Lisa de Cazotte
said, "Jim Reilly was not only a legend in our industry, but he was a great friend and mentor. His creativity, sense of humor and genius will be sorely missed. There will never be another like him and I am deeply grateful for the years we spent working together on PASSIONS and for the joy he brought to my life."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
writer. Known for his work as the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
and creator/head writer of Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
, Reilly won a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Outstanding Drama Series Writing
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team-2011, 38th Daytime Emmy Awards:*As the World Turns: Jean Passanante*The Bold and the Beautiful: Bradley Bell*Days of our Lives: Dena Higley...
as co-head writer for Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
in 1993.
Reilly died suddenly in October 2008 while recovering from cardiac surgery
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
.
Career
Reilly created the NBC DaytimeNBC Daytime
NBC Daytime is the schedule for the NBC television network's daytime television programming which consists of morning news program Today and soap opera Days of our Lives...
soap opera Passions in 1999, and served as the series' head writer until its cancellation in 2008. He was previously the head writer of Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
from 1990 to 1992, Days of our Lives from 1992 to 1997 and Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach (TV series)
Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...
in 1998. Reilly also worked as a staff writer for other daytime dramas prior to that, including The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
.
Though Passions was historically top-rated in key demographics
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
, the series was plagued since its inception by low overall Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and the final episode aired on August 7, 2008.
During his run on Passions, Reilly returned to Days of our Lives as head writer from August 2003 until Spring 2006, and was succeeded by former As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
head writer Hogan Sheffer
Hogan Sheffer
Hogan Sheffer is an American Daytime Emmy-winning screenwriter. During the WGA strike, he chose financial core status with the WGA and continued working.-Personal life:...
.
Reilly was one of 20 writers who chose financial core
Financial core
A 1963 United States Supreme Court ruling, NLRB v. General Motors, defined the term financial core as it applies to compulsory union membership. The term is frequently abbreviated to FiCore or Fi-Core.-Origin:...
status with the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
; after the strike, the WGA wrote a letter releasing the names of these individuals, inviting accusations of blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ing.
Departure from traditional story
In 1993, Reilly gained attention immediately after taking over as head writer on Days of our Lives for a storyline in which heroine Carly Manning (Crystal ChappellCrystal Chappell
Crystal Chappell is an American actress. She played Carly Manning on Days of our Lives from 1990 to 1993, Maggie Carpenter on One Life to Live from 1995 to 1997 and Olivia Spencer on Guiding Light from 1999 to 2009. On October 2, 2009, she began reprising the role of Carly Manning...
) is buried alive by villainess Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel) for weeks, and taunted through speakers. Reilly began what is arguably his most infamous storyline in 1995 when the show's central heroine, Marlena Evans
Marlena Evans
Dr. Marlena Evans Black is a long-running fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, Days of our Lives, a long running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She was played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, with a few minor breaks in between from 1987 to March 1991 and...
(Deidre Hall
Deidre Hall
Deidre Ann Hall is a dramatic American actress best known for her portrayal of Dr. Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama Days of our Lives, which she played for over 29 years, and is to return to the role this summer. The character is considered an icon to the soap, and has been experienced some of...
), becomes possessed
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
by Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. The storyline played out for a year, with Marlena's lover finally exorcising
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
the demon, but not before garnering the show increased ratings — despite frequent interruptions by the O.J. Simpson murder trial
O. J. Simpson murder case
The O. J. Simpson murder case was a criminal trial held in Los Angeles County, California Superior Court from January 29 to October 3, 1995. Former American football star and actor O. J...
going on at the time, and the criticism of longtime fans upset by "liberties" Reilly took with the characters and continuity. Finally, in 1996 Reilly gave Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson is an American film and soap opera actress. She is known for her role as Ashley Abbott on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful and for the multiple roles she portrayed on Days of our Lives....
, who had played Kristen Blake
Kristen Blake
Kristen Blake is a fictional villainess on the soap opera Days of our Lives. Although raised by villain Stefano DiMera after the death of her parents , Kristen and Peter were never legally adopted by him...
since 1993, a second role as Kristen's lookalike Susan Banks
Susan Banks
Susan Delilah Crumb is a fictional character on NBC's daytime drama Days of our Lives. She was played by Eileen Davidson from November 4, 1996 to April 8, 1998. In November 2011, it was announced that Brynn Thayer would take over the role of Susan, since Davidson is committed to The Young and the...
, and between 1997 and 1998 added three more — including a man — with Davidson ultimately receiving a Daytime Emmy
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
in 1998.
Reilly left Days of our Lives in 1997 and created Passions in 1999, freed of a pre-existing fan base to please. The series featured veteran actress Juliet Mills as Tabitha Lenox
Tabitha Lenox
Tabitha Lenox is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists from the NBC/DirecTV daytime drama Passions. Tabitha has been played by Juliet Mills since the show's debut in 1999. Mills continued in the role when the show moved from NBC to DirecTV's The 101 in September 2007...
, a 300-year-old witch (with a doll-come-to-life sidekick) using magic and manipulation to wreak havoc on the citizens of a New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
town. Standard soap opera melodrama was juxtaposed with sorcery, supernatural creatures and closet doors leading to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
With the ratings of Days of our Lives at an all time low and NBC threatening to cancel the series, Reilly was brought back as head writer in the summer of 2003 and given carte blanche to "fix" the show (while simultaneously remaining as head writer for Passions). What followed was a controversial and attention-getting storyline in which multiple long-running characters on the series are brutally murdered by a serial killer dubbed the Salem Stalker. The story grew increasingly graphic (and ironic) as recovering alcoholic Maggie Horton
Maggie Horton
Margaret "Maggie" Horton is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Salem. She has been portrayed by actress Suzanne Rogers continuously since 1973, though she left the show briefly in 1984 and...
is bludgeoned by a liquor bottle and original cast member and town matriarch Alice Horton
Alice Horton
Alice Horton is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, portrayed by Frances Reid from the show's debut on November 8, 1965 until December 26, 2007...
chokes to death on a donut, her culinary specialty, forced down her throat. The reveal that heroine Marlena Evans was somehow the killer made the February 3, 2004 cover of Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
. Reilly left the series again in 2006.
Death
After Reilly's October 2008 death, Executive ProducerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Ken Corday
Ken Corday
Ken Corday is an American television soap opera producer and music composer. He is the son of the late Ted and Betty Corday...
of Days of our Lives said of him, "The DAYS OF OUR LIVES family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of James E. Reilly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Jim was not only an ingenious storyteller who changed the landscape of daytime drama, but he celebrated life with passion, humor, and an appreciation for the best it has to offer. He was an inspiration for us all...and will be greatly missed." Passions Executive Producer Lisa de Cazotte
Lisa de Cazotte
Lisa de Cazotte is an American soap opera producer.-Biography:A graduate of Fordham University, de Cazotte was previously known as Lisa S. Hesser before her marriage to French documentary producer Antoine de Cazotte....
said, "Jim Reilly was not only a legend in our industry, but he was a great friend and mentor. His creativity, sense of humor and genius will be sorely missed. There will never be another like him and I am deeply grateful for the years we spent working together on PASSIONS and for the joy he brought to my life."