With so many comings and goings over the years, changes in direction and theme, a lot of characters get lost in the shuffle, never to be seen again.

Who were some characters that you were surprised to see again, considering so many are forgotten?

I'd have to say Guiding Light bringing back Meta Bauer after more than 20 years was a big surprise, considering that the Bauers were no longer the leading family and she was pretty much unknown to most viewers, as well as being an older character,at a time when the emphasis was on youth.

Edited November 22, 20214 yr by Paul Raven

Nicole on Days. I thought of her as a failed one time character in her initial run but somehow she came back years later to be one of the top leads of the 00s and 10s.

15 minutes ago, Darn said:

Nicole on Days. I thought of her as a failed one time character in her initial run but somehow she came back years later to be one of the top leads of the 00s and 10s.

Really good example!  I’d say she’s by far and large Dena Higley’s greatest success story.  That brief renaissance “Days” enjoyed in 2009/10 basically was because of her (and CC/Carly………. lol).  Speaking of, Carly, Lawerence, and Vivian Alamain were characters I thought we’d never, ever see again on “Days.”

Steve on Days was a surprise to me. He was gone a long time.

Jesse and Angie, for sure. By the time they returned to AMC, they'd been established as a super important but bygone part of the show's legacy - then, next thing you know, they're leading characters on the show again for three solid years plus the reboot.

It's also surprising when you think back to Tom and Mark's appearances in 2004-2005, and it's criminal that they were never kept around on a more regular basis (yes, I know I know, thank god they weren't because they would have been destroyed etc etc, that's besides the point I'm trying to make).

I feel like Days might own this thread

Diana Coleville-so random and only the same character in name

Orpheus- hadn't been mentioned in like 20 years before he reappeared

Larry Welch

Valerie Grant-use of history I never thought would happen

Sarah Horton-someone who had not been mentioned in like 30 years before a reappearance

Carly Manning-I definitely thought her coming back to days was interesting.  She was barely mentioned in the intervening years after leading the show.

 

 

I would add Anna, who was basically erased from history under JER's first reign. And following her, Calliope as well.

Y&R:

Phillip Chancellor III: simply because of Thom Bierdz’s chaotic offscreen life, Y&R’s historical reluctance to do those types of back-from-the-dead stories, and because he’d been “dead” for so many years. I also figured if they were going to undo the “Cane is P3” story, they’d simply keep P3 dead. P3’s excuse for faking his death was ridiculous, of course.

OLTL:

Victor Lord: For that absurd “Heart of a Lord” story. I’m too young to have seen the original  Victor alive and well, but his death in the ‘70s loomed over Michael Malone’s first HW tenure, when I started watching. Sad to see him undo the great story he’d written.

AMC:

Billy Clyde Tuggle and Dimitri Marick in the online revival

Edited November 22, 20214 yr by Faulkner

Days: Rex, Bonnie, Mimi, Diana Colville 

GH: Frank and Jennifer Smith, Richard Simmons 😂😂

3 hours ago, Faulkner said:

OLTL:

Victor Lord: For that absurd “Heart of a Lord” story. I’m too young to have seen the original  Victor alive and well, but his death in the ‘70s loomed over Michael Malone’s first HW tenure, when I started watching. Sad to see him undo the great story he’d written.

I think they backtracked that one eventually, Dorian implied it wasn't really Victor or something. I wish it had been more explicit because it was INCREDIBLY stupid.

General Hospital: HEATHER WEBBER in 2004! Damn that was one of the most unusual and surprising comebacks of all time back then after that whole 2002-2003 mess where the show lost Stefan Cassadine and Laura Spencer.

Felicia Jones in 2012 on GH.. That came off as a big surprise. I have tried to stay away from spoilers between 2010-2012 as much as possible and didn't knew that Kristina Wagner would return.

It's a different show but does Amber Moore count? I mean she left in 2005 on B&B just to be brought over to Y&R in 2006.. That was a big surprise.

Taylor Hayes in 1994 on B&B after a 6 month break where everyone thought she died during a plane crash and became that Princess.. That was shocking and a welcome surprise!

Sheila Carter on B & B in 2017..that came out of left field..and even 2021 was a surprise.

Liza Colby on AMC in 1995..and later in 2009.

Carly Tenney on ATWT in 1997

Dina Abbott on Y&R in 2017.

Really thought the ship had sailed on her after years of absence and plenty of times when she could have been brought back eg John and Katherine's funerals.

Even though it was ultimately a waste of that character, they got several years of story from her return.

After her initial 1983-1986 run, Dina came back in 1991, 1996, 2008 for brief periods. Dina's 2017 return was what the Abbott family needed at that time and she really should've been set up to be Y&R's new grand dame.

Y&R: Leslie, Lorie, Dina, Nina

B&B: Sheila