November Sweeps are officially in full swing on Daytime television, and it’s only going to get crazier from here. The Young and the Restless, Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives are not only kicking off the best storylines of the year with accelerated intensity, but with a sweep of returns and exits. The biggest returns of the year, Days’s Chandler Massey and GH‘s Steve Burton, have already been on the air for a bit, needing some extra time to build up the story. The rest of the month and remaining 2017 will drive headlong into suspense with several additions, and even a few surprising exits. If November leaves you dizzy, just you wait. There are already a few surprises in store for 2018. [Warning: Spoilers Ahead. Updates will be added as they come.]
Who’s In:
-Eileen Davidson (Days of Our Lives): The daytime diva won an Emmy for her work as Kristin DiMera. This time around she played not one, not two, but three characters! Susan Banks has been front and center with Will’s resurrection storyline, Kristen Dimera made her scary return to taunt the audience, and most surprising of all, Sister Mary Moira Banks also made a brief return to tend to Susan’s addled mind. How many decades has it been since we’ve seen the latter?
-Tamara Braun (General Hospital): The Emmy winner was the second actress to play Carly Corinthos, and boy did she make her mark on the role. As Laura Wright now occupies that role, Braun will take on the name Kim Nero. Though she plays a new character, Braun will interact with her closest costars in her new role as Oscar’s mom. It seems that has something to do with Oscar’s paternity being tied into the Tale of Two Jasons.
-Wes Ramsey (General Hospital): Laura Wright’s real life beau has taken up the role of Peter August, the man intended to run Aurora Media. Whether or not he’ll get the chance to may depend on the outcome of the Tale of Two Jasons, specifically if the media company he has interviewed with was illegally sold. Oh, how the effects of a twin storyline ripple out, even to unsuspecting strangers.
-Ingo Rademacher (The Bold and the Beautiful): Of all of the recasts to shock the soap world, Rademacher’s move to B&B takes the 2017 cake. Rademacher vacates his 20-year on-and-off role as Jasper “Jax” Jacks on General Hospital, to take over the role of Thorne Forrester, coincidentally played on-and-off by Winsor Harmon for 20 years as well. The recast seems to indicate that Thorne’s character is going to be taken in a new direction, one that may see him kick up a new sibling rivalry.
-Kassie DePaiva (Days of Our Lives): Eve Kiriakis (née Donovan) has made quite the splash in Salem. Deimos Kiriakis’s ‘grieving widow’ is taking back control of her life, starting with her place in the Kiriakis family. She’s made no friends in the process, save for her alibi for her husband’s murder, Chloe. Who knows what kind of mischief Eve will stir up now that she’s at the helm of Titan Industries.
-William deVry (General Hospital): No amount of despicable deeds, even holding a knife to his soul mate’s throat, can keep him down. Julian Jerome burned every bridge with everyone he loved last year, but his ex-wife Alexis still has hope for him. No matter how twisted their love is, as their daughter says, it’s “the kind of love that just is.” It’s going to take a long time for Julian to redeem himself. If the fans love the character enough to keep him on, then they seem to think the goal is worth the wait.
-Chris Van Etten (General Hospital): The ‘Ask Manlanders’ story takes a serious turn this month when real-life veteran Van Etten takes over the role of Amy Driscoll’s brother Chet. The character has been discussed at length in the last few months of this story. Now he is swept up in both the blog and current opioid stories. Putting the face of a former Marine who has experience to draw from for this role definitely gives the scenes more authenticity.
-Kimberly McCullough (General Hospital): No matter who Steve Burton turns out to be, he couldn’t return to GH without a reunion with McCullough. After all, who is Jason (or fake Jason) without Robin? What is a rebel without his moral compass?
Who’s Out:
-Arianne Zucker (Days of Our Lives): It’s been a joy to see the evolution of Nicole Walker, but her journey has come to an end. Nicole was blackmailed out of town by boyfriend Brady in a jealous, alcoholic rage when he found out she wanted to leave him for his brother, saintly Eric Brady. At least Nicole got part of a happy ending-the daughter she always dreamed of having. Nicole may or may not spend her life on the run depending on how things unfold.
-Laur Allen (The Young and the Restless): This is one exit that will stick. Allen’s time playing complicated homewrecker Juliet is over. The woman who played a key role in the breakup of fan favorite couple Cane and Lily died from complications of childbirth. Juliet leaves behind a son named Sam, in honor of Cane’s late sister.
-Ryan Ashton (The Young and the Restless): The good news is that the really bad bad guys, who have no ties to major characters on the canvas, usually get their comeuppance. Abby’s ex-boyfriend, who made is real fortune in sex trafficking, got what was coming to him at the hands of Tessa’s little sister Crystal. After being enslaved and abused, Crystal put Zack’s reign of terror to an end, and saved Abby and Scott in the process. Unfortunately, Zack’s use of a Newman brand to run his girls through has left the company in a legal and PR nightmare.
-Kimberlin Brown (The Young and the Restless): Though this hasn’t actually been confirmed, Brown’s recent announcement that she is running for a congressional seat suggest we’ve seen the last of Sheila Carter for awhile. Indeed, she just resurfaced trying to make amends. Of course, this being Sheila, she could just be waiting for the right time to strike.
Who’s Coming:
-Tyler Christopher (Days of Our Lives): Now this is another surprise I did not see coming. After 20 years in the role of brooding prince Nikolas Cassadine on General Hospital, Christopher has taken up residence in Salem. We know nothing of the brand new character he will be playing, other than he makes his debut on New Year’s Eve, is much more humorous than any Cassadine, and is somehow tied to Vivian Alamain. Normally, this would be the part where we beg Headwriter Ron Carlivati for the scoop, but I think we should just enjoy the surprise on this one.
-Louise Sorrel (Days of Our Lives): We have no idea what tricks Vivian Alamain has up her sleeve, but again, we’re excited to sit back and enjoy the ride.
-Greg Rikaart (Days of Our Lives): All we know of the longtime Y&R actor is that his new character will appear sometime next Spring. Still, you can hardly expect an Emmy winner like Rikaart to show up in Salem for anything less than a spectacular role?
-Lisa Rinna (Days of Our Lives): Billie Reed is coming home for another extended visit like her last appearance in 2012. Will it be to connect with Hope now that the love they shared has died, or is Billie coming for more professional reasons? Either way, Kate could use some support from at least one of her children.
-Victoria Konefal (Days of Our Lives): Meet the new face of Bo and Hope’s daughter Ciara. When last viewers saw Ciara, she’d had a hell of a few years. Between being raped by her stepbrother, the death of her father, and being rejected by the guy she liked, Ciara needed to get out of town for her own health. Her return will most likely be tied to best friend Theo’s shooting. Look for Konefal to debut in the next few weeks.
-Martha Madison (Days of Our Lives): Her daughter’s boyfriend was just shot in a police shooting. That’s reason enough to come home.
-Brandon Beemer (Days of Our Lives): His daughter’s boyfriend was just shot in a police shooting. That’s reason enough to come home.
-Annika Noelle (The Bold and the Beautiful): As all of her exes and her mother’s relationships have been chaotic in the last few months, now is the perfect time for Hope Logan to return. She’ll either bring calm to a number of building relationship dramas, or make them 1,000 times worse. Noelle makes her debut as the new Hope at the beginning of 2018.
-Thad Luckinbill (The Young and the Restless): J.T. Hellstrom is coming home to find that, well, not much has really changed. J.T. left with new wife Mackenzie and his son Reed (who has since returned to live with mom Victoria) back in 2010. Now he will reunite with his on-and-off-screen ex to check in on their son. There is no specific information at this time to suggest that J.T. will stay for more than a quick visit, but he might very well stick around if he sees (as many people on Y&R are right now) that Victoria is turning back into her Victor Newman 2.0.
-Jess Walton (The Young and the Restless): Really though, does Jill need an excuse to check in on her sons? Her surrogate son Cane is a newly single father of a newborn, and Billy is, well, he’s Billy.
-Denise Alexander (General Hospital): GH veteran Lesley Webber is coming home to Port Charles for the holidays! Luckily, this time it’s for good things. No one in her family is in crisis, no one in her family has died. In fact, the Webber/Spencer clan has much to be thankful for. Lesley will return to meet her new great-granddaughter, and presumably, to wish daughter Laura good wishes on her recent engagement to Dr. Kevin Collins.
-Travis Schuldt (General Hospital): This is a name that hasn’t been heard in daytime television for a very long time. One of the original cast members of the former NBC supernatural soap opera Passions is returning for a stint on GH. Schuldt originated the role of Ethan Winthrop on the now defunct soap. When the actor vacated the role in 2002, it went to Eric Martsolf (now Days‘ Brady Black). This is Schuldt’s first daytime role in 15 years, though the actor has kept very busy with appearances on a number of primetime shows, including Scrubs and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
-Jamie Lyn Bauer (Days of Our Lives): Bauer will make a brief appearance as Dr. Laura Horton sometime in 2018. Given Days’ shooting schedule, expect to see Bauer no sooner than May Sweeps.
-Kelly Thiebaud (General Hospital): Say it with me-the Britch is back! Or at least she soon will be. Dr. Britt Westbourne left quite the wreckage behind before skipping town with her psychopathic father. However, Britt still has family ties in town, namely mother Liesl Obrecht and brother Nathan West. Is Britt returning for a quick family visit, or does she have another hidden agenda?
-Jen Lilley (Days of Our Lives): 2018 may be the year of troublemakers, as Salem’s biggest one is coming home. To be fair, the trouble that swept Theresa Donovan away from her home was from a past she’d just as soon forget, but the alternative was letting the violence touch her man and her son. So, under a false story that she relapsed, Theresa left Salem to protect her family from a powerful man. Only her parents and Victor Kiriakis know the truth. It is ironic, given the history between the Donovans and Victor, that they may be the only ones who can help Theresa reclaim her life.
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