HOLLYWOOD—A new mystery is beginning to unfold on the NBC soap “Days of Our Lives.” Yes, many have been arguing for the past five years that the soap opera genre is dead, but I beg to differ. It’s all about storytelling. If you weave a good story, you are able to keep audiences tuned in for weeks, months or years to come.

Back in the early 2000s, ‘The Salem Stalker” was one of the most riveting storylines in soap history in my opinion and the series was not afraid to knock off some high profile characters from the series. That is what shocked so many fans. Lots of fan favorites were being killed off, and it was being done in such a violent and in your face-manner.

The revelation that Marlena was behind the mask left viewers reeling, but what turned such a solid story into comedic farce was the factoid that all of these supposedly ‘dead’ characters were very much alive on some secret island. Yeah, the soap forgot that believability is something viewers take quite seriously.

Well “Days” is looking to resurrect the serial killer storyline this week, as a new menace is on the horizon in Salem and from rumors floating on the internet a few fan favorites can be exiting the canvas as the series celebrates its 50th anniversary in November. Now this is welcome news, as a few characters should have exited the canvas months ago! If the writers are really looking to send shockwaves, which I expect they are, some big time names could exit Salem once and for all without the chance of a return.

News surfaced last week that the first casualty of the killer will be none other than Serena Mason (Melissa Archer) who met her demise this week, and Chad suspecting that he may be guilty of the crime. Of course we always have red herrings when it comes to pinpointing the killer, but things won’t be so easy this time around.

Serena’s death could be insightful in terms of who the possible killer could be based on motive, but then again, if you’re dealing with a serial killer anyone is fair game, which makes the excitement for who will exit the canvas next that much more entertaining. This woman made enemies out of Xander, Nicole, Eric, Daniel and a host of others, but what if Serena’s death was more so a warning to those who might have been close to her?

To make matters worse, the last person she was seen with Chad, can’t recall anything from the previous night. The duo shared some drinks and got into a bit of an argument that led to Serena slapping him. Could a Dimera be the guilty party? Not likely, Stefano without a doubt, but he’d have someone else do his dirty work if you ask me.

That might be more of the intention of our elusive killer, which viewers have yet to get a glimpse of. Audiences have known for weeks that Archer would be exiting the canvas, but never did they expect the news of her demise to actually be revealed a week before the actual exit.

I guess that is why so many soaps keep their twists hidden because once something leaks it’s impossible to deliver the same level of shock if the viewers had no idea it was coming. Whatever the writers of “Days of Our Lives” are planning the soap is sure to have audiences pandering the sociopath who are murdering residents of Salem. “Days” airs weekdays at 1 p.m. on NBC.