One of the biggest complaints that soap opera fans have had over the years is that storylines tend to drag on... seemingly forever. For some soap fans, though, time -- four years, to be exact -- is going to zoom on two of their favorite soaps.

Australian fans of Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless are currently seeing episodes from back in 2000. Due to licensing agreements and scheduling conflicts, the shows have been pushed back so far that fans are four years behind their American counterparts. That will all change later this month when The Nine Network, the channel that airs DAYS and Y&R in Australia, condenses four years of show history into two one-hour specials.

"The specials have specifically been filmed by the Nine Network direct from the set of the two long-running soaps," Nine said in a statement. "Each special will tie up old storylines, introduce new characters and cover all the major events leading up to the brand new episodes."

Both Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless have aired in Australia for more than 30 years. However, the network's aggressive coverage of cricket has apparently caused numerous preemptions to the point where soap fans have become outraged. The specials are designed to bring viewers up-to-date, though it will be impossible for four years of history to be conveyed to viewers in such a short period of time.

"With Nine's massive coverage of cricket dragging DAYS back further and further each summer, the sudden upgrade was seen as the only solution," the magazine said in a special catch-up supplement.

Days of our Lives has aired in Australia for more than 30 years. "Days of Our Lives - A New Day" will go to air on Monday, September 13, at 1pm (Melbourne time) before the new episodes begin at 2pm that day.

The Young and the Restless has been on air since 1974. Its special, "The Young and the Restless - The Next Chapter," will air on Tuesday, September 14, at 1pm, with a new episode to follow.

For fans that want more than just a cursory history lesson on Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless, Soap Central offers comprehensive daily recaps of both shows in our Daily Recaps Archives section. Fans can read daily summaries from the past seven years - including all the episodes that will be skipped when The Nine Network fast-forwards through time. In addition the Daily Recaps, fans can also read up on up-to-date character profiles to learn the new faces on each soap -- and to find out who's married, divorced and cheated on who over the past four years.

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