The Young and the Restless
Daytime Comings and Goings Week of May 11: A Soap Legend Steps Outside Her Lane, Old Favorites Stroll Back In, and the Door Will Not Sit Still
A soap legend takes a detour, old favorites stroll back in, and a few faces fans wished would stay gone are back anyway this week of May 11.
DAYTIME’S DOOR IS SWINGING HARD AND NOBODY CAN KEEP UP
TL;DR: A soap legend is taking a brief detour outside her usual zip code, a will reading is bringing back legacy faces who have not been seen in ages, a beloved actress steps back into a freshly resurrected role, a fresh face turns up at a fashion house, and a name fans had hoped to never see again is walking right back through the door. Daytime is loaded the week of May 11.
The Lead
This week of May 11 is the kind of week that makes a casting tracker cry. Returns, recasts, newcomers, and a handful of faces nobody was begging to see again are all squeezing through the same revolving door at the same time. One of them is a soap icon stepping into a part she has never played before, on a network she does not usually call home, in a role attached to one of the longest character runs in daytime history.
It is a lot. It is exactly why fans show up.
Got a take on which return has you most fired up this week, or who you are dying to see walk back through the door next? Send your hottest takes to [email protected] and we might publish them right here on the page!
Days of Our Lives: A Will Reading That Brought the Legends Back
Salem leads the casting week. Thaao Penghlis reprises Tony DiMera on Monday, May 11, walking straight into the continued reading of Stefano’s will and sharing scenes with Conner Floyd‘s Chad DiMera, Cherie Jimenez‘s Gabi DiMera, and assorted DiMeras whose blood pressure was already through the roof before he showed up. A Tony return is never quiet. At a will reading, it is something else entirely.
Penghlis is not the only legacy face stepping back into Salem. Nikki Crawford is featured prominently as the new and newly risen Lexie Carver, sharing scenes with James Reynolds‘ Abe Carver, Dan Feuerriegel‘s EJ DiMera, and Tyler Joseph Andrews‘ Theo Carver as the will reading rolls forward. The implications of Lexie being alive will ripple through every DiMera and Carver storyline currently airing.
Also back Monday is Richard Wharton as the deliciously diabolical Wilhelm Rolf, interacting with Feuerriegel’s EJ and Stacy Haiduk‘s Kristen DiMera. When Rolf shows up at a DiMera will reading, “back from the dead” stops being a metaphor and becomes a job description.
The Young and the Restless: A Daytime Icon Tries Something New
The headline for Y&R this week is not airing yet, but it is big enough to lead with anyway. Lauren Koslow, the longtime Days of Our Lives leading lady best known for her decades-long run as Kate Roberts, will step in as Jill Abbott on Y&Rbeginning June 25, filling in while Jess Walton sits out a story arc she was unavailable to film. Walton, who has played Jill since 1987, returns afterward. Watching Koslow step into Genoa City for a brief run while keeping her main address in Salem is the kind of crossover catnip soap fans live for.
Closer to the present, Vivica A. Fox will be back as Dr. Stephanie Simmons, recently revealed as Holden Novak‘s mother, in a meaty storyline this week.
General Hospital: Quiet Week on the Casting Front
Port Charles is taking a breather. General Hospital has no notable comings or goings on the casting front during the week of May 11. The drama, of course, is not taking the week off. It rarely does.
The Bold and the Beautiful: A New Face at Forrester Creations
A small but fresh face at Forrester this week. Daniel Sean Smith appears as Jesse on Tuesday, May 12. Jesse is an employee at Forrester Creations, which means he is walking into a building where Brooke Logan is currently mid-coup against Steffy Forrester. Welcome aboard, Jesse. Watch your step.
Beyond the Gates: A Disgraced Lawyer Comes Back and the Belleclaires Square Off
Fairmont Crest is not pulling any punches this week. Pierce Lackey returns Tuesday, May 12, reprising the role of Mike Davis, Bill Hamilton‘s former law firm partner who got fired after sexually harassing multiple women at the firm. Bill has not laid eyes on Mike in a year, and the reunion is not going to be the warm kind.
Tuesday also brings police chief Elon Hawthorne back in the form of Malachi Malik, who steps in to help Chelsea Hamilton and Madison Montgomery. Madison’s return means Kenjah is back as well. Robert Christopher Rileycontinues his roll as Carlton Fitzgerald, making moves with Nicole Dupree Richardson.
Wednesday, May 13 puts Alex Alegria‘s Tomas Navarro in the orbit of Mike Manning‘s Smitty Smith, a pairing fans have been waiting to see expand.
Thursday, May 14 is the heaviest day on the BTG calendar. Anita Dupree and Vernon sit down with Anita’s oncologist, Dr. Bauer. That brings Ivan Moore into scenes opposite Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis, and given everything Anita has been carrying, this appointment is going to leave a mark.
Thursday also brings the Belleclaires into direct conflict with Nicole and Najah Jackson‘s Samantha Richardson. Timeca M. Seretti is back as the matriarch Anastasia and Madison Alsobrook returns as Francesca. Two Belleclaires squaring off against two Richardsons is exactly the kind of power play Beyond the Gates does best.
Whose return are you most excited about this week, and who do you most want to see walk through the door next? Sound off below!
WATCH THIS: Who should come back from the dead next?
@soapoperamag One Dead Soap Character Gets to Come Back. YOU Pick Who. Nine characters. Five shows. All dead. But only ONE gets resurrected. Do you bring back #StefanDiMera or #AbigailDeveraux on #DAYS? #CesarFaison or #MorganCorinthos on #GH? #LunaNozawa or #AlyForrester on #BB? #SageWarner or #JordanHoward on #YR? Or #DougMcBride on #BTG? Choose wisely. #BoldandBeautiful #GeneralHospital #DaysofOurLives #YoungandtheRestless #BeyondtheGates ♬ original sound – Soap Opera Magazine
