It would mostly depend on how big a role they had when they were on.

AW-Mary McKinnon and Reginald Love

Someone already mentioned Cassandra Rawlings on Y&R but I second that.

I don't know if I can every say that he was front burner but in the early years of B&B Rocco was on quite a bit as the object of affection for Katie Logan, while Rocco, of course, had eyes for Donna. When was the last time anyone mentioned him?

As sad as it is, Andy Dixon kind of became a footnote on ATWT in the last years of the show. In the late 80s through the mid to late 90s would anyone have predicted that Paul Ryan, a character that had been recasted, I don't know how many times, would have greater longevity than a character that was the offspring of two longtime characters, Kim Hughes and John Dixon? Yet Andy, his first wife Courtney, his daughter Hope that he had with Cassandra-- all of those characters- a viewer tuning in during ATWT's last decade might not know such characters ever existed on this show.

There are many characters that viewers only watching ATWT in the last decade would never know about-- the McColl's, Andropolous clan, Heather Dalton, that Jessica lived with a Det. Roy Franklin before Duncan McKechnie and she also had family.

Rocco did have a brief return a few years ago, so...I guess he can always treasure that.

Rocco did have a brief return a few years ago, so...I guess he can always treasure that.

Whoops, that must have been my B&B 'Tune Out' years. I'll have to look that up on YT, if I can remember (or care).

DAYS: Peter Blake

Fingers crossed, Clyde Weston in a few months...

Fingers crossed, Clyde Weston in a few months...

What is this? Sounds like a brand of jeans.

Gloria from All My Children was very frontburner during her time on the show, married one of the leading men yet after she left it was as if she never existed. They didn't ever even reference her. Which I always found weird because Gloria seemed to be a pretty successful character? I was young (so I fell for whatever the show spoonfed me) but her pairing with Adam seemed to go over well with viewers. And I liked her! And wild mane of hair!

Gloria always creeped me out. And I knew exactly where things were going when they started having her, Tad and the kids chase each other around with squirt guns. I never understood how her big-haired ass ended up with Dimitri at his lowest point. I'd skulk out of town, too.

Twenty million people tuned into Steve and Betsy's wedding on ATWT in 1983 but by decade's end it was who? Kirk and Sam drove stories for years until both literally disappeared. After the search was called off neither was ever mentioned again.

I'd add Carly Manning on Days and Abby Bauer on GL to the list. Both were leading ladies with hugely hyped storylines and both became footnotes not long after. Even though Carly did return her eventually and surprisingly return the second run was mostly forgettable unfortunately.

Y&R definitely has had quite a few in its more recent history(post 1982 of course!) such as Cole, Brittany Hodges(remember 2003-2005?), JT and Mac, Raul and tragically Olivia.

Days definitely owns this thread. Every few years they bring on someone who eats the show only to not mention them again when they're gone.

GH

Kristina Corinthos Davis. Other than one throwaway sentence every 6 months no one really talks about her. And she's been MIA for 2 years.

You guys already said Nick Marone on B&B. But I also feel this way about Bridgette. She was the show for a while there. Especially with Jennifer Finnigan in the role. I don't watch B&B regularly but do they even mention her.

Rocco did have a brief return a few years ago, so...I guess he can always treasure that.

What was the purpose of his return

I would add the character of Cecile from Another World to the list. Played by both Susan Keith and Nancy Frangione, she drove story for years with her triangle with Sandy and Jamie, trying to drive Blaine crazy with Alma Rudder, getting involved with Cass, Felicia, Wallingford, etc. Frangione left AW in 1984 to make highly touted returns in 1986, 1989, and 1993. By 1995, Frangione looked as if she was ready to return to AW full time, yet she appeared on the show for almost a year as a recurring character, saddled with a ridiculous story that had her lying that Cass was Maggie's father- when Cass wasn't even on the show when Maggie's paternity came into question originally, then she was unceremoniously dropped by JFP in the summer of 1996- never to be seen or rarely mentioned until the show left the air.