Maybe This Time? Bold & Beautiful Return Is an Invitation to Do ‘Write’ by a Badly Mishandled Character (2024)

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<p>In late June of 2024, the fan favorite brought Thomas home from Paris — and he wasn’t alone, either.</p>

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<p>Obviously, Thomas had to come back with Dad. Would <em>you</em> leave a kid to his own devices around all that French pastry? Didn’t think so. Mind you, the real surprise was the third character that <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> returned to L.A.</p>

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<p>So <em>that’s</em> where Paris had been all that time. Thomas and Douglas’ homecoming revealed that Zoe’s sister hadn’t just been stuck in Thorne’s old office in the basem*nt.</p>

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<p>SORAS has struck Bill and Katie’s son, Will. In the summer of 2024, the 19-year-old son of <em>Young & Restless</em> MVP Joshua Morrow (Nick) assumed the role from its previous portrayer.</p>

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<p>Yup, with Morrow having been cast as the Will who’d have to get used to having Luna for a sister, the youngster who had last played the part was moved on to other opportunities.</p>

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<p>She’d look a lot older when she appeared on <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> as lab tech April — this pic was snapped all the way back in 2004! — but nonetheless, it is the daughter of TV funnyman Jim Belushi who’d be playing lab tech April.</p>

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<p>Fly the <em>funny</em> skies? That was what <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> had in mind when it booked the <em>Roseanne</em> vet — both on <em>and</em> off screen — to play Deuce Stevens, the captain jetting the Forresters back to Monte Carlo in the summer of 2024.</p>

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<p>With the revelation that Sheila’s body had 10 toes, not nine, came the realization that the long-running villainess was <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/727625/what-is-going-on-sugar-sheila/">no deader this time</a> around than she was on any of the other occasions when her victims danced prematurely on her grave.</p>

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<p>The uber-familiar character actor set a spring 2024 return as Carl the Hospital Janitor — just in time for Sheila’s cremation. Coincidence? Hmm.</p>

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<p>If ever an occasion called for a <em>Young & Restless</em> crossover, it was the funeral of Sheila Carter. So this Emmy winner made plans to ensure that her longtime victim <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/comings-and-goings/723685/young-restless-lauren-crossover-sheila-funeral/" target="_blank">was going to be there</a> to dance on the psycho’s grave.</p>

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<p>In March, <a href="https://soaphub.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/the-bold-and-the-beautiful-news/ashleigh-brewer-returns-ivy-forrester-following-role-barbie/" target="_blank">SoapHub</a> reported that the Aussie actress was returning as Ivy, Eric’s niece and once a love interest for Liam.</p>

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<p>The fan favorite was set to make his first 2024 appearance as Douglas in late March — just in time for the embattled moppet to hear about all of the upheaval in his parents’ relationship.</p>

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<p>In March, we learned that the former child star of <em>Gentle Ben</em> had been tapped to play a homeless man who holds the key to an ongoing mystery. Maybe he’ll reveal how in all these years Forrester Creations has never had a single gay designer on its staff!</p>

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<p>Whether Sheila will <em>stay</em> dead is sure to be a matter of some debate. But the February 26 episode sure made it look as if Steffy had <em>fatally</em> stabbed the merry murderess.</p>

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<p>Remember Maya’s cousin, the aspiring graphic artist who fled England to get away from Zoe and their accents, dated ill-fated Emma and then wound up reuniting with his no-longer-crazy ex? As 2023 took a bow, the show brought back the former Forrester employee. But why? Hmm…</p>

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<p>On the day of the Daytime Emmys, the nominee revealed that she had been taken off contract but hoped her role would be recast again. “I think Taylor is needed,” she told our sister site <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/12/the-bold-the-beautiful-krista-allen-taylor-hayes-leaving-show-1235669419/" target="_blank">Deadline</a>. “She was so missed whenever Hunter [Tylo] didn’t come back.”</p>

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<p>With Rick, Kristen and Felicia away on safari — <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/705229/where-are-rick-felicia-kristen-forrester/" target="_blank">yes, <em>safari</em></a> — Thorne and Bridget represented Eric’s non-Ridge offspring at the ailing patriarch’s ultimate going-away party.</p>

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<p>Following the birth of baby No. 4, Valor, the Emmy winner was back at work as Steffy just in time to put her would-be murderer Sheila on blast for February sweeps.</p>

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<p>When his character was removed from the opening credits in October 2023, the heartthrob admitted that “after 10 amazing years, it’s time for me to say ‘Until we meet again’ to Wyatt Spencer.”</p>

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<p>See, Luna? This is what happens when you don’t call your mother — she calls you, as Poppy’s been doing, to warn you about how Aunt Li is going to react to your new job.</p>

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<p>Eight years after this photo was taken on the set with his dad, headwriter/executive producer Bradley Bell, Oliver would be clocking in at the studio to play Forrester intern Ginge.</p>

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<p>From the looks of these stylish photos, <em>Cruel Summer</em> vet Lisa Yamada was perfect pick to play <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> fashion student Luna. And what better accessory could the character choose but a secret? (<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/comings-and-goings/690738/who-is-luna-lisa-yamada-new-love-rj/" target="_blank">Read all about it here.</a>)</p>

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<p>The beginning of September also marked the start of the Emmy winner’s <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/comings-and-goings/680927/jacqueline-macinnes-wood-leaving-steffy/" target="_blank">maternity leave</a>. As Sheila continued to cast a shadow over Steffy’s marriage, Wood was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her and her husband’s fourth baby.</p>

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<p>The twins made their debut(s) as the latest edition of Kelly’s little brother Hayes on August 4. Presumably, they’d forget that there’s no playing ball in the house by August 5.</p>

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<p>To play Evan Scott, the judge who would decide Sheila’s fate, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> tapped this much-missed soap vet, who got his start in daytime as two-timing Michael Pavel on <em>Ryan’s Hope</em> (left) before wreaking havoc on <em>Young & Restless</em> as David Kimble.</p>

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<p>The real-life wife of <em>Days of Our Lives</em> star Carson Boatman (Johnny) was set to make her <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/comings-and-goings/671737/who-plays-model-julana-dizon-carson-boatman-wife/" target="_blank">soap debut during May sweeps</a>. And who was the model playing? A model, of course!</p>

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<p>Were we to receive an email from Sheila asking us to pay her a visit behind bars, our response would be along the lines of “No. Hell, no. [Bleep], no.” Ex-lover Jack, on the other hand, answered yes, all but volunteering to get tangled up again in her web.</p>

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<p>The daytime newcomer showed up ready for Ridge and Brooke’s son R.J. to <em>really</em> make an impression on Casual Fridays at Forrester Creations.</p>

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<p>Technically, the actor had been around for a while as Il Giardino’s easy-on-the-eyes bartender. But we really took notice of Hollis — also the character’s name — when he started flirting with Brooke.</p>

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<p>Order in the court? Fat chance, when the <em>One Life to Live</em> vet was called upon early in 2023 to reprise his role of Judge Craig McMullen… just to set batty Sheila free in a miscarriage of justice that will forever boggle the mind.</p>

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<p>When the <em>Dallas</em> legend reprised his role of Logan patriarch Stephen in the fall of 2022, he brought along his real-life sweetheart as his on-screen honey, Lucy.</p>

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<p><em>Young & Restless</em>’ Lauren, who was involved with Eric decades ago, was set to cross over again — double-cross? — for the Sheila-centric episode that <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> scared up for Halloween.</p>

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<p>Just in time for Halloween! Poor Hope’s jaw must have hurt from hitting the floor so hard after she came face to her own face with the mannequin with whom Thomas used to go steady.</p>

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<p>Fans could only hope that this perplexed expression wouldn’t be the one that Shauna wore when asked during her October return why gal pal Quinn had suddenly left both Carter and L.A.</p>

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<p>Where Justin goes, trouble tends to follow. So the only question, as Bill’s former right-hand man resurfaced in the fall of 2022, was what <em>kind</em> of trouble would it be this time.</p>

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<p>We thought that he’d been permanently recast as Douglas. And then we learned that “permanently” was just an alternative spelling of “temporarily.” #themoreyouknow</p>

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<p>With Samiri back in as Douglas, his replacement was, obviously, out. Ah, the cycle of soap life.</p>

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<p>After nine years of stirring the pot as Quinn, the Emmy winner announced in August of 2022 that she was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChUuHkQrMlQ/" target="_blank">exiting stage left</a>. “I know it’s heartbreaking for some, and it is for me as well,” she Instagrammed, “but it’s time for me to move on.”</p>

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<p>Though newcomer Django Ferri was only supposed to be a temporary fill-in for Douglas’ usual portrayer, a scheduling conflict made the switcheroo permanent, <a href="https://www.soapoperadigest.com/" target="_blank"><em>Soap Opera Digest</em></a>reported in August 2022.</p>

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<p>The doctor is in… vited back. In July 2022, soap vet Vincent Irizarry, who’s appeared on everything from <em>Guiding Light</em> to <em>All My Children</em>, reprised his role of Dr. Jordan Armstrong.</p>

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<p>Apparently, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> has become a soap on which no one dies, because only a month after Sheila made a car wreck of Li, the “late” Finn’s adoptive mother was found by Bill in an alley behind the rare restaurant that isn’t Il Giardino’s.</p>

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<p>Poor Li learned the hard way that it’s a very bad, no good, terrible idea to ever turn her back on Finn’s “momster.”After Sheila caught the doctor calling for help, the car chase that ensued resulted in Li’s life going up in flames — literally.</p>

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<p>Just when Sheila needed a Get Out of Jail Free card, she got one in the form of long-ago henchman Mike, who not only helped spring her from the pokey but lent a hand as she cared for son Finn. Whom, it bears mentioning, she’d shot. While, it also bears mentioning, trying to murder his wife.</p>

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<p><a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/632019/bold-beautiful-tanner-novlan-finn-alive-steffy-reunion/" target="_blank">“Don’t be mad at me,”</a> the actor begged fans shortly after it was revealed in May 2022 that Finn was no more dead than you or us. It turned out that the show had pulled a fast one on its audience, and we really needn’t have included the next slide in this gallery at all!</p>

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<p>If only it <em>had</em> been an April Fool’s Day prank! But it wasn’t — on April 1, 2022, Sheila really took aim at Steffy and instead accidentally fatally shot her own son Finn, thus bringing to an end his portrayer’s run on the show.</p>

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<p>“What’s up, Doc?” As fans braced for a game-changing twist in April of 2022, they got an altogether different sort of surprise when the fan fave brought home Bridget, who announced out of nowhere that she’d be working for a while at University Hospital. Coincidence?</p>

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<p>She didn’t seem to have packed the <em>Great Gatsby</em> headpiece. But the veteran of <em>As the World Turns</em> — this is her costume-partying as Denise back in the day — still managed to dazzle upon making her debut as Paris’ mom Grace in early 2022.</p>

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<p>Technically, she’d been gone since her last stint as Taylor ended in 2019. But the on-again/off-again cast member seemed to be <em>really</em> gone in October 2021 when <em>Entertainment Weekly</em> reported that the show had tried and failed to get her to return once more as Taylor, the indestructible character she’d first played more than three decades earlier.</p>

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<p>Since Tylo wasn’t going to be reprising her role, the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> vet who’d once replaced Lisa Rinna as Billie was tapped to step in as Taylor. And Brooke thought that <em>Quinn</em> was a thorn in her side — ha!</p>

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<p>In the fall of 2021, one of most endearingly odd couples in <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> history reappeared on screen when Charlie and Pam staged a comeback. Lemon bars not included. (Dang it!)</p>

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<p>You know that saying about how you can’t keep a good man down? Apparently, it applies to bad men, too, because in the fall of 2021, Hope’s deadbeat dad Deacon came back to L.A. in the form of the soap-hopping leading man who’d first played him back in 2000.</p>

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<p>Days ahead of her on-screen return as Sheila — at son (!) Finn’s August 2021 wedding to Steffy — the actress’ comeback was <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/606034/bold-beautiful-kimberlin-brown-returning-sheila-carter-finn-mother/" target="_blank">leaked by <em>Entertainment Tonight</em></a>. She wasn’t just back, either, she was back for the long haul, she hinted. “I’ll play,” said the actress, who originated her role on <em>The Young and the Restless</em>, “as long as they’ll have me, quite honestly.”</p>

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<p>In June of 2021, <a href="https://ew.com/tv/bold-and-the-beautiful-finn-parents/" target="_blank"><em>Entertainment Weekly</em></a> broke the news that Finn’s parents were winging their way to L.A. And in the role of mom Li was going to be the actress who’d previously played Paul’s mother — and John’s old flame — Tori on <em>Days of Our Lives</em>.</p>

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<p>Completing Finn’s mom-and-pop operation as dad Jack would be the soap-hopper who’d previously played not one but two characters on <em>General Hospital</em> (the Alcazar brothers, Lorenzo and Luis) and Tomas on <em>One Life to Live</em>.</p>

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<p>While Zoe was moving heaven and earth to win back ex-fiancé Carter in the spring of 2021, her portrayer was making plans to go forth. As first reported by our sister site <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/wp-admin/_wp_link_placeholder" target="_blank">Deadline</a>, the actress had landed one of the leads in Fox’s contemporary reimagining of the classic 1977-84 series <em>Fantasy Island.</em></p>

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<p>Only moments after Liam admitted to Hope that, ya know what, he thought he actually hated paternity-test tamperer Vinny, the drug-dealing lab tech got run down by none other than… What are the <em>odds</em>? Liam. But it may not have been a mere accident that turned Vinny into roadkill. “There will be twists,” headwriter Bradley Bell promised <a href="https://www.soapoperadigest.com/"><em>Soap Opera Digest</em></a>, “and there will be surprises.”</p>

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<p>In October of 2020, Maya’s portrayer acknowledged what was going unsaid: that the show had dispensed with her groundbreaking character, and she was done at <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em>. “While I was disappointed that [Maya] wasn’t honored with a goodbye that matched the importance of her presence on the show,” she Instagrammed, “I also know that that’s how it goes.”</p>

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<p>“We’ll always have Paris,” we thought to ourselves when, in the fall of 2020, <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> tapped this gem to take on the role of Zoe’s heretofore-unknown sister. And no polishing was required; the actress sparkled, especially opposite… Well, don’t just sit there; click!</p>

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<p>Three years after Rome Flynn left the show to try his luck in primetime — and scored with roles <em>How to Get Away With Murder</em> and <em>The Haves and the Have Nots</em> (for starters) —it was announced that his role of Zende was being taken over by this <em>Zoo</em> vet and human charisma factory.</p>

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<p>No sooner had the actress revealed in August 2020 that she’d reached the end of her “monumental journey” as Sally than she was invited to take a detour, bypassing the exit altogether and instead just crossing the hallway to bring her character to sister soap <em>The Young and the Restless.</em></p>

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<p>As of July 2020, Carter wouldn’t just be putting in appearances when a <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> couple needed an unusually ripped wedding officiant: His portrayer was put back on contract, meaning that the actor could appear anytime an unusually ripped anything was needed!</p>

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<p>Fans who’d long been dying for Steffy to get over her Liam fixation rejoiced in July when the “bad actor” from the Liberty Mutual commercials — and real-life husband of Kayla Ewell (ex-Caitlin) — was cast as the heroine’s new love interest, Finn. Of course, that didn’t do a whole lot to diminish her interest in Liam…</p>

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<p>The actor went from contract to recurring as Bill’s right-hand man Justin in January 2020, saying, “Until I own my own show, I really can’t be mad or upset with what someone chooses to do with theirs. Unfortunate, but it is what it is.” If only <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> had taken our suggestions for <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/577714/bold-beautiful-justin-barber-love-interest-iconic-soap-actresses/" target="_blank">a love interest for Justin</a>…</p>

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<p>There weren’t enough lemon bars in the world to dull the sting when we learned in November 2019 that the <em>Wonder Years</em> mom had been taken off contract as the loony but lovable Pam, who’d more often than not served as the soap’s comic relief since her debut 13 years earlier.</p>

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<p>Over the summer in 2019, Xander’s portrayal Instagrammed that “I ain’t got no job; what the hell should I do today?” He later amended his statement to say that his character was going to return, but… um… we have not seen him since 2019, have you?</p>

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<p>It was back in April of 2018 that the Emmy winner revealed that he’d gone off contract as Rick — apparently, <em>way</em> off, as Brooke and Eric’s son hasn’t been seen since. Later that year, he told <a href="https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/cbs/the-bold-and-the-beautiful-jacob-young-return-168748" target="_blank"><em>Soaps in Depth</em></a> that he’d heard about some possible story coming up. But even then, he admitted, “I’m not holding my breath.” </p>