James E. Reilly (July 29, 1948 – October 12, 2008) was an American

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

writer. He was the

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. In fictional comedy o ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'' and creator/head writer of ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...

''. Reilly won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for Outstanding Drama Series Writing as co-head writer for ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' in 1993. Reilly died in October 2008 while recovering from

cardiac surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...

Career

Reilly created the

NBC Daytime NBC Daytime was the daytime programming block of NBC. It historically featured many soap operas, game shows, and talk shows. Its main competitors were CBS Daytime and ABC Daytime. Game shows were discontinued from NBC Daytime's lineup in 1994 a ...

soap opera ''Passions'' in 1999, and served as the series' head writer until its cancellation in 2008. He was previously the co-head writer of ''

'' from 1990 to 1992 and ''Days of our Lives'' from 1992 to 1997. 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'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' and ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

''. Though ''Passions'' was historically top-rated in key

demographics Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

, the series was plagued since its inception by low overall

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

and the final episode aired on August 7, 2008.''Passions'' recap (8/7/08) - SoapOperaDigest.com
/ref> During his run on ''Passions'', Reilly returned to ''Days of our Lives'' as head writer from August 18, 2003 until August 9, 2006, and was succeeded by former ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' head writer

Hogan Sheffer Hogan Sheffer (June 12, 1958 – September 28, 2019) was an American screenwriter. Personal life Sheffer was born in York, Pennsylvania. His full birth name was Mark Wayne Sheffer; he received his nickname of Hogan from younger brother Craig, who ...

. Reilly was one of 20 writers who chose

financial core Financial Core (also known as FiCore or Fi-Core) refers to a legal carve out that permits workers opposed to participating in a labor union to be employed under the benefits of a union's contracts without compelling them to be a member of that unio ...

status with the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

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 Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

ing. James E. Reilly had a triple major in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

social anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Departure from traditional stories

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 Chappell Crystal Elizabeth Chappell (born August 4, 1965) is an American actress who played Carly Manning on ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1990 to 1993, Maggie Carpenter on ''One Life to Live'' from 1995–97 and Olivia Spencer on ''Guiding Light'' from ...

) is buried alive by villainess Vivian Alamain (

Louise Sorel Louise Jacqueline Sorel (née Cohen, born August 6, 1940) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vivian Alamain in '' Days of Our Lives'' from 1992 to 2000, 2009 to 2011, 2017 to 2018, and 2020, Augusta Wainwright on '' ...

) for weeks, and taunted through speakers.Reilly would later revive this device twice on ''Passions'' for storylines involving

Sheridan Crane Sheridan Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera ''Passions''. She has been portrayed by McKenzie Westmore since the series began in 1999. She was briefly portrayed by Shannon Sturges when Westmore was out sick in 2005. Addi ...

(

McKenzie Westmore McKenzie Kate Westmore (born April 26, 1977) is an American actress and singer most popular for having played the role of Sheridan Crane Lopez-Fitzgerald on the television soap opera ''Passions'' from 1999 to 2008. Early life Westmore was born A ...

) and Jessica Bennett ( Danica Stewart). Reilly began what is arguably his most infamous storyline in 1995 when the show's central heroine,

Marlena Evans Marlena Evans is a 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 has been played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, but the character was absent fr ...

(

Deidre Hall Deidre Ann Hall is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama ''Days of Our Lives'', whom she has played for over 45 years. Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including ...

), becomes

possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

. 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 ''The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson'' was a criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court starting in 1994, in which O. J. Simpson, a former National Football League (NFL) player, broadcaster and actor, was tr ...

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 Marie Davidson is an American actress, author, television personality and former model. Davidson is best known for her roles in soap operas as Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks on NBC's ''Days of Our Lives'' and Ashley Abbott on CBS's ''Th ...

, who had played

Kristen Blake Kristen DiMera is a fictional character and currently the main antagonist from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. The role was originally portrayed by Eileen Davidson. Davidson joined the cast of ''Days of Our Live ...

since 1993, a second role as Kristen's lookalike

Susan Banks Susan Banks 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, and again in 2014 and 2017. Susan is the eccentric mother of Elvis "EJ" DiMera, and on ...

, and between 1997 and 1998 added three more — including a man — with Davidson ultimately receiving a

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

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 Juliet Maryon Mills (born 21 November 1941) is an English-American actress. She is the daughter of actor Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and the eldest of three siblings; her younger siblings are actress Hayley Mills and director Jonathan ...

Tabitha Lenox ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...

, 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 is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

town. Standard soap opera melodrama was juxtaposed with sorcery, supernatural creatures and closet doors leading to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. In an attempt to boost ratings, Reilly was asked to return to ''Days of our Lives'' as head writer in the summer of 2003. Days executive producers gave Reilly ''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 is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network, played by actress Suzanne Rogers since 1973. The character was created by scriptwriter William J. Bell and producer Betty Corday as a r ...

is bludgeoned by a liquor bottle and original cast member and town matriarch

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. In her role as matriarch of the Horton family, Alice's storylines focus ...

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'' 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 in ...

''. This was not all; shortly after Marlena died after being exposed as the killer, all the victims were discovered alive on the island of Melaswen (New Salem backwards), which revealed that Marlena had in fact been mind controlled to believe she was the killer. Reilly left the series again in 2006.

Death

After Reilly's October 2008 death,

Executive Producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

Ken Corday Kenneth Robert Corday (born June 16, 1950) is an American television soap opera producer and music composer. He is the son of Ted Corday and Betty Corday, the co-creators of ''Days of Our Lives''. His production company Corday Productions owns 1 ...

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 (November 2, 1961 – December 7, 2019) was an American soap opera producer. Biography Born Lisa Smith in Westchester, New York, de Cazotte was the daughter of Charles and Beatrice Smith and grew up in Dobbs Ferry, New York. A ...

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."

Positions held

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

'' *Associate Head writer: 1982 ''

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...

'' *Associate Head writer: May 1984 - February 1985 ''

'' *Outline Writer: 1985 - 1988 ''

'' *Script Writer: 1990 ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...

'' *Consultant: April 24 – August 22, 1990 ''

'' *Co-Head writer: 1990 - 1992 ''

'' *Head writer: December 21, 1992 - January 5, 1998; August 11, 2003 - August 9, 2006 *Associate Head writer: 1989 '' Sunset Beach'' *Executive Story Consultant: 1997 - 1998 ''

'' *Creator *Head writer: 1999 - 2008 *Consulting Producer: 1999 - 2008

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

WINS *(1993; Best Writing; ''Guiding Light'') NOMINATIONS *(1986; Best Writing; ''General Hospital'') *(1991; Best Writing; ''The Young and the Restless'') *(1992; Best Writing; ''Guiding Light'') *(1994, 1997 & 1998; Best Writing; ''Days of Our Lives'') *(2001, 2002 & 2003; Best Writing; ''Passions'')

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

WINS *(1992 season; ''Guiding Light'') NOMINATIONS *(1994 season; ''Days of Our Lives'') *(2001 season; ''Passions'')

Head writing tenure

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, James E. 1948 births 2008 deaths American soap opera writers Daytime Emmy Award winners Place of death missing Soap opera producers Writers from Utah Writers Guild of America Award winners People from Bountiful, Utah Screenwriters from Utah 20th-century American screenwriters