Who’s Coming

Bold and Beautiful

Aaron D. Spears (Justin Barber): Ridge (Thorsten Kaye), Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Eric (John McCook) are in need of Justin’s advice after what happened with Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor).

Lisa Yamada (Luna Nozawa): Bill (Don Diamont) pays a visit to the young woman he was led to believe was his daughter with Poppy (Romy Park). Yamada’s character, who was carted off to jail in August, was last seen in November.

Days of our Lives

Kristian Alfonso (Hope Williams Brady): Doug’s daughter will be back again this week, dealing with the loss of her beloved father. She was last seen in 2023 after learning Bo (Peter Reckell) was still alive, but he then was rendered comatose after he was shot by their son, Shawn (Brandon Beemer), who was mistakenly trying to protect Hope. You can see what Alfonso has to say about her return here.

Lamon Archey (Eli Grant): Look for Julie’s (Susan Seaforth Hayes) grandson to be by her side as they say good-bye to the patriarch of their family.

Matthew Ashford (Jack Deveraux): JJ’s (Casey Moss) dad and Chad’s (Billy Flynn) father-in-law will be with the family during this difficult time.

Zyair and Zamir Ashford (Carver Grant): Lani (Sal Stowers) and Eli’s son will be seen this week.

Brandon Beemer (Shawn Brady): Shawn will continue this week to support his mom, Hope, and he will also see Belle (Martha Madison).

Maree Cheatham (Marie Horton): Julie’s aunt will be back in town to support her during this trying time and will run into a familiar face or two. A member of the original cast, Cheatham first played the role from 1965-74, and she has returned for visits from time to time.

Bryan R. Dattilo (Lucas Horton): Lucas is back to support his family as they pay tribute to Doug.

Victoria Konefal (Ciara Brady Weston): Bo and Hope’s daughter is back this week to say good-bye to her beloved grandfather. The actress took over the role in 2017 and was last seen as Ciara in 2023.

Peyton Meyer (Doug Williams III): The new DAYS hire will be bringing Doug Williams’s (Bill Hayes) grandson to Salem.

Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton Deveraux): Jennifer will be on hand to support the family but is also aware of what Chad, Cat (AnnaLynne McCord) and JJ are up to as they try to catch Clyde (James Read). This is her first time back in the role, which she first began playing back in 1985, since 2021.

Stephen Schnetzer (Steve Olson): The character is back to help his sister, Julie, through the sad loss of her husband. Schnetzer played the role from 1978-80 before moving on to One Life To Live as Marcello Salta (1980-82) and Cass Winthrop on Another World (1982-99), As The World Turns (1999-2002; 2005; 2006) and Guiding Light (2002). You can find out what the beloved actor thought of his return to his first daytime role here.

Sal Stowers (Lani Price Grant): Lani returned to spend the holidays with Paulina (Jackée Harry) and Abe (James Reynolds) but now is a key source of support for Eli as he says good-bye to his grandfather Doug. Check out what Stowers had to say about her comeback here.

Dion and Raegen Yancy (Jules Grant): The twins are back to play the role of Lani and Eli’s daughter.

Gloria Loring (Liz Chandler): Songstress Liz is back in Salem this week to pay tribute to Doug, her longtime friend. Her original DAYS stint was from 1980-86. She opened up about her return to the show to Digest here.

General Hospital

Asher Antonzyn (Danny Morgan): Look for Danny to share scenes with his father, Jason (Steve Burton), and Carly (Laura Wright).

Finn Carr (Rocco Falconeri): With the return of his mother, Lulu (Alexa Havins), the young man will hae a lot to be grateful for this holiday season.

Eileen Fogarty (Judge Chan): The judge is a key figure in the courtroom as Ava’s (Maura West) trial concludes this week.

Parry Shen (Brad Cooper): Brad gets wind of some interesting information about Lucas (Van Hansis) this week.

Young and Restless

Lauralee Bell (Christine Blair Williams): Christine will be interacting with Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) this week.

Colleen Zenk (Jordan): The town troublemaker will be in disguise as she tries to get information for her partner-in-crime Ian (Ray Wise) but runs into her great-niece, Claire (Hayley Erin) and Kyle (Michael Mealor).

 

Casting About

Kin Shriner, whose GH alter ego, Scott Baldwin, skipped town in August, was asked by a fan when he is returning to the show and he responded on X (formerly Twitter), “No plans” while another person asked if he was returning and he replied: “No.” However, Shriner has posted before saying he was done with GH and then returned for more episodes…. Jackée Harry (Paulina, DAYS) promoted her new film on her Instagram account, “Press day! I love working with my girl @msvfoxand you’ll love our new film #MakeOrBakeChristmas! 12/1 on @lifetimetv 💖”

 

Industry News

Fans of the CBS nighttime soap Knots Landing got an early Christmas present. All 14 seasons are now available to stream on Amazon Prime. The show was recently available to watch (you had to catch it live) on Plex, but it wasn’t on-demand. Now you can watch the lives of Karen (Michele Lee), Mack (Kevin Dobson), Gary (Ted Shackleford), Val (Joan Van Ark), Abby (Donna Mills) and the rest whenever you want.

Real-Life Status

Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, Y&R) gave a health update on his Instagram account in a reel captioning it, “Cancer free!!!! YESSSSS!” It was back in August 2o23 that the actor first revealed he had recovered from bladder cancer. He said in a Facebook Live, “I had my last cystoscopy two days ago. That’s when they thread a camera into your bladder. And I’m cancer-free. They couldn’t find a damn thing. So I thank you for all of the good thoughts, all of your prayers.”

Danny Pintauro (ex-Paul Ryan, As The World Turns) was involved in a scooter crash on Thanksgiving Day and revealed on his official social media accounts that two days later, he began to experience excruciating pain in his chest, stomach and shoulders. His husband, Wil Tabares, took him to the hospital, where diagnostic tests revealed that the actor was suffering from what he described as “an infection in my bloodstream due to a tear in my stomach lining — air and stomach acid, etc, were escaping into my abdomen.” Pintauro underwent emergency surgery to repair the tear and is now on the mend. He wrote to his followers, “They always say this but it’s very true, if I had waited any longer, I could have died. My body was the one who told me something was absolutely wrong.” Read his full account here.

In Memoriam

Wayne Northrop (above, ex-Roman Brady/ex-Dr. Alex North, DAYS; ex-Rex Stanton, Port Charles; ex-Michael Culhane, Dynasty) passed away on November 27 from early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 77. The actor had been married to fellow thespian Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe, GH) since May 9, 1981. Former DAYS co-star and on-screen daughter Alison Sweeney (Sami) wrote on her official X (formerly Twitter) account, “Sending much love to @TheLynnHerring and the whole Northrup family today. My first scenes as Sami were with Wayne – I remember him helping me understand how to pretend to break into the Brady house with a bobby-pin. He was a wonderful, kind man, a talented, generous actor and a beloved member of the Days family. I learned so much from working with Wayne and will treasure the memories with him. Rest in peace, Wayne.” Former on-screen brother Peter Reckell (Bo Brady) wrote on his X account, “Bo’s relationship with his brother was the first relationship that showed who Bo is on the show. Working with him was effortless, his sense of humor was wicked 🤣Wayne was my brother and my heart goes out to Lynn.🙏.” On-screen Salem PD partner James Reynolds (Abe Carver) wrote on Instagram, “Wayne was my friend my brother, my TV partner. We shared so many laughs and conversations. I am so grateful to have walked our section of life’s highway with Wayne.” Catherine Mary Stewart, who originated the role of Roman’s sister Kayla, wrote on Instagram, “I am devastated by the deaths [sic] of Wayne Northrop. He played my big brother Roman on [DAYS], and in real life became one. I haven’t seen him in years but I will never forget how kind he was [to] me. He was a beautiful man. I’m terribly sad.” Martha Madison (Belle Black Brady) wrote on X, “I’m so sorry to hear of Wayne’s passing. I only worked with him briefly, but I remember him as being super funny & whip smart. Having lost my Mom to Alzheimer’s, I know the complicated grief that comes with a loss like this. Praying for peace and healing for those close to him.” Miranda Wilson (ex-Megan Hathaay) remembered Northrop on X as “Such a wonderful man and fabulous actor.” GH Executive Producer Frank Valentini posted on X, “I am so sorry to hear of Wayne Northrop’s passing. He and @TheLynnHerring were married for over 40 years and Wayne left his mark on Port Charles in more ways than one. On behalf of our entire @GeneralHospital family, I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to Lynn and their sons, Hank and Grady – along with their family and friends. They are all in our thoughts during this difficult time.”

Helen Gallagher (ex-Maeve Ryan, Ryan’s Hope) passed away on November 24 at the age of 98. The actress, who was an original cast member of the now-defunct ABC soap, stayed with the show through its entire run and won Daytime Emmys in the Outstanding Lead Actress category in 1976, 1977 and 1988. Former on-screen daughter Kate Mulgrew (ex-Mary Ryan Fenelli) paid tribute to her on her official Instagram, where she wrote, “Goodbye to my first and only and enduring television mother, the incomparable Helen Gallagher: she was tough, kind, talented, full of laughter, and a triple threat to boot. But always tender towards me. Rest in peace, dear Helen. 🍀” After RH went off the air, Gallagher also appeared in small roles on All My Children, Another World and Guiding Light.