Characters that we gone too long and should've been on canvas

[MissLlanviewPA]

I still say that as Don went to mail that letter, an unknown assailant ran up and bludgeoned him to death with the mailbox. The citizens of Salem were so devastated by the actions of the Mailbox Killer, that they can never bring themselves to bring up Don's name again. People say his spirit still haunts the Salem Post Office.

...Yeah, I'm clearly a sick person.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

I think Anjelica Deveraux could have worked with the current Days, had Sonny been Alexander. She have the ties to Victor, Justin, and Adrienne. She could have come to town to take over the spectator and tie into story with Jenn & Jack.

With the recurring character Anne on the show now, the writers could have connected her Susan Martin-Peters

[Cheap21]

Days, Kristen. Im glad she is finally back but she should have been brought back ages ago. I did fully support Tracy Melchior taking over after I saw her on SuBe

Likewise, Peter should have been brought back too. Two recasts I could have seen were Trevor St. John and William deVry

[Dr Neil Curtis]

William deVry would have been great!!

Tracey as a recast Kristen would have been good as well I love her take on Kelly Cramer and Kristen Forrester.

[NothinButAttitude]

Guiding Light

Quint/Nola - I think that these two (along with their son, J) could've created story for Vanessa and the Bauers.

Rita - Should've brought her back along with a son that could've been either Ed's or Alan's

Holly & Ed - Though they popped up in the end, these two characters should've never been written off to begin with. Holly, instead of Reva, should've been made the main female matriarch

As The World Turns

John Dixon - Larry Bryggman was too great of an actor to let slip out of their hands. ATWT should've coughed up whatever to bring him back

Young and the Restless

Keemo - Even though he didn't make a big splash, this character should be brought back and now is the perfect time when Abbotts are dropping like flies. He'd be a perfect love interest for either Phyllis or Sharon and perfect rival for Adam & Nick, thus creating a new generation of the Abbott/Newman feud

Bold and the Beautiful

Kristen & Zende - Kristen (with Maura West in the role) should've been brought back when Brad Bell seemed like he was going to have Thorne try and get control of FC. However, it was dropped. And Zende should be on the canvas rather than that dud known as Marcus. Ugh.

Alexandria - Again, another character that's been gone too long and would be a perfect addition at this moment. With Steffy and Thomas "running" FC and Taylor having nothing to do, now is the time for Alexandria to come back and wreak havoc for Taylor and her Tay-tots

[Melroser]

I never understood how in the last several years of AW Jake's family was never around. The McKinnons were such a big part of the show in the 80's and then went away except for Jake.

Probably the only two that I would not have recast are kathleen (as Julie Osburn was too identified with that character) and Mary (Denise Alexander).

But MJ? Cheryl? Ben? All of those characters could have been brought into story and recast without much resistance providing the story was good. Even Vince with the right actor could have been in the mix for Felicia? Rachel? Donna?

Ben could have taken up the slack when Jamie was written out and been "the good cousin" vs "the bad cousin" and Cheryl should have been in the mix with Vicky and Paulina as possibly a rival.

.

[DRW50]

I'll never forget reading a soap magazine from 1995 or so and someone wrote in asking where MJ McKinnon was living now. AW's response was, "We don't know." That kind of tells you about their interest in the family.

[Paul Raven]

Add Nancy McGowan to the AW list.

Rachel's sister,Ada's daughter,20 something age group,friend of Marley , no major romances or previous story to deal with yet AW completely dropped her from 87 till 99.

[tune_in_tomorrow]

I was also going to mention Nancy McGowan and Ben McKinnon. I never could understand why Ben was dropped so early on during the eatblishment of the McKinnon family. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but my recollection is that he was written out before Jake's arrival in '85. I'm sure he was gone before Mary was introduced. The character might have been written as too saintly but they could've givem him more edges if he and Jake were rivals for Marley and Vicky. The disappearance of Nancy also baffled me. I liked Jane Cameron in that role and not sure if she left on her own, but I don't think she would have been irreplaceable. As Paul Raven mentioned, she could have been integral in future storylines because of her family and friend connections.

Anna Brady DiMera was also mentioned early on. Leann Hunley is great and a bit underrated IMO. However, by the time she left in '86 she was pretty much comic relief with Calliope. I think the edge she had in '83-'84 -- smart, conniving, greedy -- would have played well for a long time. She wasn't the evil villian she was early on, which I think was a good thing, but her friendship with Calliope took away those edges and I think would have boxed her in a corner. Having said that, I tuned back in for her return 20 years later.

[Khan]

Although good luck getting an Asian actor to portray him.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

GH

Stephanie E. Williams' Simone Ravelle Hardy and Tom Hardy (whichever actor)

[juniorz1]

I always thought of Mike Horton as the Jamie Frame of Days of our Lives (or vice versa).

[watson71]

With regards to Another World, the show could have used Jamie Frame in its later years, as well as a return of Sandy and Blaine Cory. Their son, Alexander, could have mixed it up with the younger set.

Also, the show should have never gotten rid of Cecile in 1996. The show needed a pot-stirrer. If not Cecile, then Iris should have been released from jail to seek revenge in Bay City.

Another big blunder was killing off the popular Sally Frame. The show could have easily revived her like they did Kathleen McKinnon by saying she was in a witness protection program. Her son, Kevin Thatcher, was forgotten. And having her on the scene would have kept Aunt Liz on the scene, especially after the death of Ada.

The show even stated that Nancy McGowan dated Joe Carlino in high school. A Nancy/Joe/Paulina triangle could have easily developed especially after Paulina didn't lose her baby weight- Joe has an affair with Nancy.

The show also did not need an African-American family that was replaced every few years- the Edwards, the Lawrences, and the Burrells. They should have returned the Todds- Carter, Thomasina, and their son to the show. Carter and Thomasina were all linked to Marley/Vicky, Nancy, and Jake. Also, Tyrone Montgomery could have easily been introduced as the lost lost son of Lily Mason during her days as a prostitute. Returning Lily to the show could have also given Felicia and Cass another friend on the canvas. Think of the possibilities of a Felicia/Marshall Kramer/Lily triangle.

[carolineg]

I think Simone and Tom's son (Tommy? I believe) and Serena Baldwin would be much more useful to the cast than Trey and Starr. And of course, Lucas Jones should return.

[tune_in_tomorrow]

I like all of this post. I have a soft spot for that "teen scene" of the mid 80s of Nancy, Thomasina, Carter, Marley, Ben, Julia, Perry, and Dee who came in a little later since those characters were supposed to be my age. Except for Marley, none of them lasted very long. Perry and Julia were both killed and most of the others just seemed to vanish. I also agree killing off Sally was a mistake but that period in the 80s was terrible in terms of the number of characters killed off. Unlike most soaps, the deaths seemed to stick (except for Kathleen's).