Susan Flannery Reveals What It Was Like Returning to The Bold and the Beautiful

The legendary Susan Flannery, an original cast member of The Bold and the Beautiful, dropped in on her former colleagues on Tuesday, October 20, where she reunited with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy) and other longtime co-stars. “It was just lovely to be back and see everybody,” she beamed.

Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Return to B&B Set

Flannery played fiery matriarch Stephanie Forrester from 1987 until 2012 and won three Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work on the show, bringing her total number of statuettes to four (she won her first Lead Actress prize in 1975, while playing Laura Horton on Days of our Lives).

The actress’ 25-year run on The Bold and the Beautiful came to an end when she decided to retire from acting. On air, Stephanie passed away from lung cancer in Brooke’s arms on November 26, 2012.

Of her visit, Flannery mused, “It’s definitely like coming home in a way, even though it’s not the same studio.” After filming for 38 years at CBS Television City, B&B moved its production to Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood, CA in August 2025.

“It’s really lovely to see old faces and old faces with new faces. It takes you back mentally. You start remembering what it was like back then, even things like how much your feet would ache at the end of the day from wearing six-inch heels.”

Also on hand for Flannery’s homecoming? Alley Mills, who joined the B&B cast as Stephanie’s sister, Pam Douglas, in 2006. Mills last appeared on the show in 2024, but a rep for the show confirms to Soap Opera Digest that she will be reprising Pam in an upcoming episode.

Mills is also slated to return to her other daytime role, General Hospital‘s Heather Webber, starting with the Thursday, November 5 episode.

Joining Flannery on her trip to her old stomping grounds was fellow B&B alum Ian Buchanan (ex-James Warwick), one of her closest real-life friends.

Buchanan portrayed B&B psychiatrist James from 1993 through 1999, and returned for multiple short-term visits between 2004 and 2017. He won the 1997 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his work on the show.

Buchanan is also well-known to soap opera fans for playing the dashing Duke Lavery on General Hospital and the dastardly Greg Madden on All My Children.

“It’s a mind trip,” Buchanan said. “When I was sitting looking at the big Forrester set, it was like stepping back in time, almost. It takes you back mentally, and you start remembering what it was like when you were here before.

“It’s lovely to see all these people again, even if you don’t know everybody,” he continued. “There’s something really special about coming back and seeing the show and the people who have been part of it for so long.”