ALL: From Daytime to Primetime...and back again

[Paul Raven]

So many actors have daytime credits on their resume before moving on to various levels of success in primetime. 

But there are many, after building up primetime credits ,make their way back to the soaps.

Let's start a list and discuss their career moves.

Susan Flannery

After years on Days as Laura, she made the move and landed that role on Towering Inferno-a pretty impressive start.

That lead to TV movies, mini series and a role on Dallas. But the roles seemed to dry up and she was tempted back to daytime with the proposed 'Scruples' and then made a triumphant return on B&B.

Dennis Cole

Started on Paradise Bay in the mid 60's. Then primetime leads on Felony Squad, Bracken's World and Bearcats. He was a regular guest star in the 70's, and married Jaclyn Smith, whose career eclipsed his, but by 81 was back on the soaps as Lance on Y&R.

Who can you add to the list?

[Khan]

Maybe Jack Wagner?  From GH and SANTA BARBARA to MELROSE PLACE, then back to daytime with B&B.

[kalbir]

Michael Zaslow: Guiding Light to guest starring roles (Love Boat, Falcon Crest), short-lived ABC primetime soap Kings Crossing, then back to daytime w/ One Life to Live, then return to Guiding Light.

John McCook: Y&R to guest starring roles (Love Boat, Dynasty, Hotel; Magnum, P.I.; Murder, She Wrote to name a few), short-lived NBC action show Code Name: Foxfire, then back to daytime w/ B&B.

Jaime Lyn Bauer: Y&R to short-lived NBC primetime soap Bare Essence, guest starring roles (Fantasy Island, Love Boat, Hotel, Knots Landing to name a few), then back to daytime w/ Days.

Deborah Adair: Y&R to Dynasty, Finder of Lost Loves, Melrose Place, then back to daytime w/ Days.

Christian LeBlanc: As the World Turns to In the Heat of the Night, then back to daytime w/ Y&R.

Eileen Davidson: Y&R to short-lived CBS action show Broken Badges, then back to daytime w/ Santa Barbara and Days, then return to Y&R.

Edited December 19, 2023 by kalbir

[Paul Raven]

 A couple of those eg JLB and Eileen D didn't really have much success in nightime so a return to soaps seemed inevitable.

Ted Shackelford 

Ray Gordon on AW for 2 years mid 70s,then off to Hollywood for guest spots until Knots Landing 1980 for 14 years during which he did TV movies and guest spots eg Hotel. When Knots wrapped he continued to work steadily until Y&R in 2006-2015.

[AbcNbc247]

Deidre Hall

Please register in order to view this content

She found success on Days, then pulled double duty for a while between Days and Our House. Then left Days to focus solely on Our House. After that was cancelled, she eventually returned to Days. 

[Vee]

Deidre was, for awhile, a massive household star - double duty on those shows, both of which I remember at the time, and then a biopic movie starring herself. It's interesting that that's faded in recent times.

Edited December 19, 2023 by Vee

[Faulkner]

Justin Hartley: was a breakout star on PASSIONS as Fox, then booked Smallville and later Revenge before returning to daytime to play Adam on Y&R. Of course, he later got a role on this NBC primetime drama called This is Us…

[Soapsuds]

Scott Bryce

Did ATWT and then went on to do GA on FOL and GG.

Then returned to play Craig once again.

[Contessa Donatella]

Also she did that gig on WISEGUY. 

[Darn]

Susan (Lucci) in a similar vein had a lot of primetime work in the 80s and 90s, numerous TV movies and guest spots. But she stayed with AMC the entire time. I know she was loyal to the show but I wonder why she never left, I'm sure she was offered plenty of opportunities.

Victoria Rowell did Y&R and Diagnosis: Murder simultaneously somehow. Full-time on both shows. It seems like daytime actors used to do a lot more primetime/outside gigs than they do now.

[Faulkner]

I believe Hillary B. Smith played Nora on OLTL and did her (short-lived) NBC sitcom with Gene Wilder at the same time as well.

[Contessa Donatella]

She also played the lead in a Broadway musical, Annie Oakley, and her preparation time for that was easily equal to another full time job. 

[Huntress]

Rena Sofer. Did Melrose Place, Just Shoot Me, 24, and various other stuff before returning to daytime on B&B. 

Krista Allen also comes to mind. 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Huntress

[Khan]

I think Lucci knew she'd never land another, front-burner role like Erica.  Plus, I think she truly valued the time that AMC gave her to raise her children in her hometown and not be one of those actors who's always away on location or keeping hellish hours on some soundstage.  She could be the Face of AMC (and of ABC Daytime) and still have a somewhat normal life. 

But, yes, any other actress in her position probably would have seized the opportunity to branch out from soaps and try their luck with primetime - in Lucci's case, maybe a half-hour comedy? - or with movies.

Meanwhile...

As wonderful as it's been to see Judith Light's career blossom from OLTL and "Who's the Boss?" into B'way and roles on shows like "Transparent," I must admit that it would've been nice to see her return to daytime at some point - if not back at OLTL, then maybe another soap, like GL or ATWT.

Here's another one I might add to the list: John Wesley Shipp.  He started off at GL, moved onto ATWT, followed up with guest spots on OLTL and SANTA BARBARA, went to primetime for "The Flash," "Sisters" and "Dawson's Creek," turned up as Carter Jones on AMC and LOVING for awhile in-between the primetime stuff, then popped up again on daytime many years later as the Ford brothers' slimeball dad on OLTL.  (Apparently, the only way you can get JWS to come back to daytime even for a little bit is to let him play someone who's the scum of the earth.)

Edited December 19, 2023 by Khan

[Mitch64]

Lucci is a smart cookie, she got more publicity off of never winning her daytime Emmy then she would have a second string role on a quickly canceled sitcom. Back in the day there were no Desperate Housewives type shows which mixed campy comedy with more serious moments and as she was not cut out for a sitcom or a serious drama, she was smart enough to stay.