Overview
Salem Shadows is an energetic vertical micro-drama rooted in the world of Days of Our Lives. This high-stakes hospital thriller is crafted for today’s younger, mobile-first audiences — TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Peacock Shorts — with each episode running 60–90 seconds and ending on a sharp cliffhanger.
Its binge-engineered episodes flow seamlessly into arcs of 10–15 minutes, creating snackable yet highly addictive drama that can both live on its own and drive new viewers back to Days of Our Lives. The story begins at the new satellite of Salem University Hospital, tied directly to the DiMera Foundation and their funding. Beneath this sterile institution lies an empire of organ trafficking, bio-chemical research, and power.
When Dr. Elena Simone — Shane Donovan’s secret daughter — joins the hospital staff, her undercover mission threatens to expose an intricate network of conspiracies that spans from the Foundation’s boardroom to the city morgue. The question isn’t just who’s running the operation… it’s how far each of them will go to hide it.
Value
Expands IP Footprint
Salem Shadows keeps Days alive, pulling in a new digital audience. Each micro-drama connects organically back to the universe of Days of Our Lives, bridging generations through familiar faces and fresh storylines.
Low Cost | High Engagement
Existing sets and LED walls, coupled with smaller, elite crews, provide efficient, intimate coverage and cost-effective premium output. Vertical format ensures higher engagement and trending potential.
Franchise Growth
The series opens the door for future arcs — legal drama, media manipulation, luxury development — all connected to the Days universe. It builds brand extension without taxing the flagship production.
Why Vertical
Young audiences live on their phones — most video consumption now happens vertically on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Vertical dramas meet them where they already are, transforming the scroll into an immersive, cinematic experience.
Made for the Way Gen Z Consumes Content
Teens are twice as likely to watch on phones versus TV. Only 50% of Gen Z viewers watch broadcast television weekly — down from 76% in 2018 — and that number keeps falling.
Bite-Sized, Binge-able Storytelling
Attention spans have shortened. Audiences crave short, high-impact episodes — 1–3 minutes that can be consumed between classes, during lunch, or on commutes. It’s prestige content in snackable form.
Immersive and Intimate Storytelling
The vertical frame changes how stories feel. Close-ups feel closer, emotions hit harder, and viewers feel part of the moment rather than distant observers.
Platform Algorithms Help Them Trend
Short-form, native vertical stories perform better on modern platforms. Vertical dramas are optimized for discovery — they spread faster, easier, and cheaper than traditional media.
Settings
A modern world of glass, steel, and secrets. Each location reflects the duality of healing and harm — the perfect aesthetic for a vertical noir thriller.
Satellite of Salem University Hospital
The gleaming new wing of Salem University Hospital — a front for organ trafficking, bioweapon testing, and forbidden desire. Every corridor hums with conspiracy beneath its sterile perfection.
DiMera Foundation Apartment
Luxurious, high above the city. A penthouse of secrets where Vivian Slate and Dr. Kline blur business and pleasure while plotting the Foundation’s next move.
Liam’s Hospital Room
A sterile isolation chamber doubling as an experimental trial site. Liam’s fight for life exposes the moral rot in the Foundation’s miracle cures.
Elena’s Home Office
Once Shane Donovan’s cabin and ISA safe-house, now Elena’s command center — equal parts sanctuary and evidence board.
The Morgue
Forensic pathologist George Amsel’s hidden playground. A pristine lab concealing grotesque curiosities, where autopsies become experiments.
French Convent
A quiet European refuge where Olivia Simone hides from her past — and the toxins consuming her. A sanctuary of faith and fatal revelations.
Core Characters
Dr. Elena Simone
Oxford-trained trauma surgeon and Shane Donovan’s secret daughter. Brilliant, methodical, and driven by truth. Arc: From healer to hunter; learns to weaponize care against corruption.
Jordan Blake, RN
Basque-American prodigy nurse recruited by the DiMera Foundation. Equal parts empathy and manipulation. Arc: Becomes Elena’s lover while secretly feeding intel to the Foundation.
Dr. Blaine Marcus
Immaculate chief of surgery with a God complex. Outwardly charming, inwardly ruthless. Arc: Puppet-master undone by his own design.
Vivian Slate
CEO of the DiMera Foundation — philanthropist in public, predator in private. Arc: Expands power through organ and bio-weapon trade while masking as Salem’s angel.
Detective Mariah Chen
Salem PD detective and devoted sister to Liam. Relentless moral center fighting systemic corruption. Arc: Justice at any cost — even family.
Det. Daniel Vega
Mariah’s partner; secretly blackmailed and obsessed with her. Arc: Ally turned betrayer as love curdles to stalking and self-preservation.
Dr. Gabriel Kline
Chief of Medicine and Vivian’s lover. Brilliant mentor whose ambition outpaces his morals. Arc: Trapped between legacy and lust.
Jenna Lopez, RN
Idealistic nurse and whistleblower who provides Elena with evidence — then vanishes. Arc: Truth-teller who pays the ultimate price.
Liam Chen
Mariah’s brother and clinical trial patient. His mysterious illness mirrors Olivia’s, tying science to sin. Arc: From victim to catalyst for exposure.
Olivia Simone
Former ISA agent and Elena’s mother. Poisoned and hiding in France, plotting one last mission to destroy the Foundation. Arc: Victim to vigilante.
George Amsel
Forensic pathologist with a sterile smile and a sociopath’s soul. Arc: Precision without conscience; the Foundation’s coldest tool.
Episodes 101–110
Each vertical chapter runs 60–90 seconds—snackable, addictive, and emotionally relentless. Together they form the first ten movements of the Salem Shadows saga.
EP 101 — Arrival at Salem
Dr. Elena Simone arrives at the newly christened Salem University Hospital Satellite. A bronze plaque bears the DiMera Foundation’s name. Her “fresh start” is cover for a covert mission to expose the syndicate. A video call to her ailing mother, Olivia, confirms the danger: *they* still own these halls.
EP 102 — Meeting Marcus
Chaos in the OR. Elena saves a patient while Chief Surgeon Blaine Marcus barks orders. Nurse Jordan Blake moves in perfect rhythm with her. Later, Blaine meets Dr. Kline and Vivian Slate by video call—both furious that “the transfer” survived. Something meant to disappear didn’t.
EP 103 — The Mystery Patient
In recovery, Elena and Nurse Jenna Lopez examine a man with impossible vitals. Coroner George Amsel bursts in—confused that his morgue delivery is still breathing. Jordan watches from the hallway, calculating where her loyalties should lie.
EP 104 — Blaine’s Office
Blaine locks the door on Jordan. Their argument over the failed “transfer” turns into something else entirely. He asserts control; she enjoys testing it. When it’s over, he tells her to watch the new doctor — closely. *Too closely.*
EP 105 — What a Day One
Dr. Kline congratulates Elena on her first shift, urging her to “learn from Marcus.” She deflects gracefully while Nurse Jenna hands her a flash drive labeled “Case 43.” Inside are patients who never checked out. The hunt has begun.
EP 106 — Dad’s Cabin
Elena drives into the woods to a forgotten safehouse—Shane Donovan’s. She phones Olivia, who grows weaker by the hour. Old ISA photos and encrypted files cover the walls. In one folder: blueprints for “Sub-Basement 3 — Morgue Annex.”
EP 107 — The Lab
Mariah Chen arrives to check on her brother Liam’s trial treatment. Dr. Kline dodges her questions. When Elena intervenes, Mariah spots a shared enemy. They exchange numbers—both now targets.
EP 108 — Silencing Your Partner
Vivian Slate and Dr. Kline entwine in her apartment. He confesses a detective is sniffing around. She smiles, already calling Det. Vega: “Clean your mess. Start with her.” Mariah gets a warning text from an unknown number: *They know.*
EP 109 — A New Plan
Kline orders Blaine to investigate the new doctor. Jordan volunteers, her eyes sparkling: “She already trusts me.” Blaine pretends to approve — but knows seduction has its price.
EP 110 — Date Night
Post-surgery adrenaline bleeds into desire. Jordan and Elena share a drink that turns into a kiss, then a confession. Neither realizes their night is being streamed to Vivian’s private server. Every beat is a weapon.
Character Arc Overview
Emotional and strategic trajectories of our principal players — mapped as premium micro-drama turns.
Elena Simone
Healer → Hunter → Whistleblower → Leader
Arrives to heal; discovers rot; weaponizes care; chooses justice over safety and love.
Jordan Blake
Asset → Lover → Double Agent → Redeemed
Recruited by the Foundation; falls for Elena; torn between control and connection; chooses truth at a cost.
Dr. Blaine Marcus
Puppet-Master → Exposed → Cornered → Collapse
Runs the elegant machine; Elena’s probe reveals cracks; his empire eats itself.
Vivian Slate
Angel Face → Strategist → Architect of Harm
Philanthropist veneer; moves pieces without fingerprints; expands the Foundation’s reach.
Mariah Chen
Detective → Sister → Crusader → Whistleblower
Case becomes personal via Liam; partners with Elena; risks career for truth.
Olivia Simone
Victim → Keeper of Keys → Avenger
Poisoned ISA legend; her classified past unlocks the morgue annex conspiracy; returns for the final play.
Relationship Map
Alliances, betrayals, romances, and ISA ties — a living web under immaculate lights.
Elena
LeadJordan
Lover · AssetBlaine
Chief SurgeonVivian
CEO, FoundationMariah
DetectiveVega
Partner · ObsessedKline
Chief of Med.Olivia
ISA · MotherGeorge
CoronerLiam
PatientJenna
WhistleblowerTextual Relationship Map
- Elena ↔ Jordan: Romance complicated by Jordan’s Foundation ties; later ally.
- Jordan ↔ Blaine: Past affair; leverage and control.
- Blaine ↔ Vivian: Executive alliance running the machine.
- Blaine ↔ Kline: Mentor/mentee; power pipeline.
- Elena ↔ Mariah: Investigative allies.
- Mariah ↔ Vega: Partners; his obsession = conflict.
- Elena ↔ Olivia: ISA legacy and family mission.
- Kline ↔ Vivian: Affair and strategic conspiracy.
- George ↔ Blaine: Cover-ups in the morgue.
- Liam ↔ Mariah: Siblings; his illness drives her crusade.
- Jenna ↔ Elena: Whistleblower feeding critical intel.
Tone & Visual System
Luxury-Noir medicine: sterile beauty, warm gold highlights, cold passion under immaculate light.
Visual Palette
Clean surgical blues; champagne warmth; gilt accents for prestige; gradients for shimmer-life.
Cinematic Language
Vertical intimacy, close-up precision, reflections in glass, sterile corridors, whispered conspiracies. Music: cold strings, heartbeat percussion, negative space between breaths.
ISA Connection
Legacy hooks to the Days of Our Lives universe: Shane Donovan’s shadow ops, Olivia’s classified missions, and the DiMera Foundation’s philanthropic façade. Canon-friendly expansion without retcon.
Core Themes
- Care vs. Control: Who gets healed, who gets harvested, and who decides?
- Shadows in White Rooms: Immaculate spaces hiding moral decay.
- Bloodlines & Loyalties: Family and institutions entangled — ISA pasts, DiMera futures.
- Intimacy as Leverage: Desire weaponized; trust becomes currency.
- Truth as an Invasive Procedure: Exposure hurts before it heals.
Next Steps
Preview the full cluster roadmap, casting wish-list, and production approach. We’ll share the extended bibles and scripts.
Request Full Deck & BiblesOVERVIEW
Beneath the shimmering facade of Salem University Hospital lies a labyrinth of secrets. Salem Shadows is a limited micro-drama series exploring power, desire, and the unseen forces that shape the city’s soul. Every episode peels back another layer of the institution’s pristine surface to reveal the corruption—and humanity—within.