TV ON TV TUESDAY - DOOL RULES!

Time to de-Zonk another TV show which gets mentioned an awful lot in other TV shows.  So I've chosen the soap opera powerhouse 'Days Of Our Lives', mostly because of this scene in my favorite new sitcom...... 

'GREAT NEWS'

"WAR IS HELL"

Marlena Evans:

So by pretending to like Sylvester,
I will trick Belle into breaking up with him.

Kate Roberts:

Great plan.  Except....

[Kate pulls off her face to reveal who she really is.]

Marlena:

Sylvester! 

From Wikipedia:

"Days Of Our Lives" (also stylized as "Days of our Lives"; often abbreviated to DOOL or "Days") is an American 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 since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around the world. Until the network's closure in 2013, Soapnet rebroadcast episodes of "Days" on a same-day basis each weeknight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time). The series was created by husband-and-wife team Ted Corday and Betty Corday. Irna Phillips was a story editor for "Days of Our Lives" and many of the show's earliest storylines were written by William J. Bell.

"Days of Our Lives" aired its 10,000th episode on February 21, 2005, and its 12,000th episode aired on January 11, 2013. The soap was given the title of most daring drama in the seventies due to covering topics other soaps would not dare to do. The show's executive producer is Ken Corday, and co-executive producers are Greg Meng and Albert Alarr. "Days of Our Lives" is the most widely distributed soap opera in the United States.

'Days Of Our Lives' was a long-established TV show within the TV Universe (not just the main Toobworld) well before we saw this scene play out in the episode.  And that's even though the characters of DOOL exist in the same TV dimension as those talking about it.

And it's not just references to the soap opera; we even got to see characters watching the show, actual scenes from the show and not just faked scenes like the one above.

Amazing Stories:
The Sitter (1986)
Mrs. Abbot watches the series on television.

Dawson's Creek:
Detention (1998)
Mrs. Tringle is watching this in her office

Friends: 

The One That Could Have Been: Part 1 (2000)
Rachel watches an episode of the show which co-stars Kristian Alfonso as Hope Brady.

Scrubs:
My Mentor (2001)
My Fifteen Minutes (2001)
Watched on TV in both episodes.

Friends: 

The One Where Rachel Has a Baby: Part 1 (2002)
The show comes on the television in Cliff's hospital room.

American Dreams:
Old Enough to Fight (2004)
Several clips from the series are shown.

Supernatural:
The French Mistake (2011)
Sam and Dean watch a clip from "Days of Our Lives" starring Jensen Ackles.
(That may have occurred in an alternate dimension.)

To add to the Zonky festivities, it can work both ways....

30 Rock:
Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001 (2009)
Bo and Hope watch footage of Liz on their TV.

A lot of TV shows have mentioned the show over the years:

Probably the most recognizable factor about this soap opera that set it apart from others was the opening narration:

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

And a lot of characters in other shows betrayed the fact that they watched the show by quoting that.

Sanford and Son:
Fred & Carol and Fred & Donna (1972)
Fred recites the opening words to this soap opera, mentioning MacDonald Carey.

O'BSERVATION: Until his death, MacDonald Carey was the narrator and provided this extra line:

"This is Macdonald Carey, and these are the 'Days Of Our Lives."

But upon his death, it was retired for the sake of his family.  But that's why Carey was mentioned by Fred.

So here are the other examples of TV characters who knew that opening narration:

The Nanny: 
The Will (1995)
Fran recites the show's opening credits monologue.

Night Court:
The Blizzard (1984)
"These are the days of our lives."

Night Court:
Puppy Love (1991)
"Like sand through an hourglass so are the days of our lives."

Frasier:
Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2002)
'Like sands through the hourglass..." is quoted by Martin.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:
As the Will Turns (1995)
Will :"Who knows if I wind up living out the days of my life"

3rd Rock from the Sun:
Happy New Dick! (1998)
Dick says, "Like bread in the fondue pot, so are the days of our lives."

Gilmore Girls:
The Bracebridge Dinner (2001)
Lorelai says, "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Gilmores of our lives."

Will & Grace:
Homo for the Holidays (1999)
Will: "This is like watching Gays of our Lives."

Hot in Cleveland:
Dancing Queens (2011)
Victoria: "These are the gays of our lives!"

Excused:
Hurray for Harut (2011)
Iliza says, "And this concludes another episode of 'Days of Our Saliva'."

There were plenty of other simple mentions of 'Days Of Our Lives':

The Facts of Life:
Graduation: Part 2 (1983)

Cheers:
An American Family (1984)

Shameless:
I'll Light a Candle for You Every Day (2012)

House:
Gut Check (2012)

Glee:
Props (2012)

Suits:
The Choice (2012)

Revolution:
No Quarter (2012)

Wonderfalls:
Lying Pig (2004)

How I Met Your Mother:
Third Wheel (2007)

Greek:
Formally Yours (2008)

Degrassi: The Next Generation:
Didn't We Almost Have It All (2008)

Criminal Minds: 

Memoriam (2008)

Supernatural:
Unforgiven (2011)

Marlena Evans:

So if I lock Justin and Greg in a room and I throw firecrackers at them, 

people will think that I am crazy.

That way, I won't have to go to South Sudan, 

and nobody will ever know that I was afraid.

Belle Black:

Great plan, except.... 

[Belle removes her face to reveal who she really is.]

Marlena:

Oh! Sylvester! 

BCnU!