Soap Opera Digest April 3, 2023

Tricia Cast (Nina), Barbara Crampton (Leanna) and Patty Weaver (Gina) are all back on Y&R so their characters can attend Genoa City’s bicentennial gala. Crampton, who appeared last week, wasn’t surprised when the show asked her to reprise Ms. Love. “I actually saw on social media that the 50th anniversary was coming up, so I told my agent to call them and say I want to be part of it,” she explains. “It wasn’t that pushy. They had asked me several times through the years to come back but it never worked out. I had moved up to San Francisco and I was raising my kids, and my husband worked early hours and I couldn’t get away. Now my kids are in college and I moved back to L.A., and…

When Sonya Eddy, the beloved actress who played Epiphany beginning in 2006, passed away last December, the show’s creative forces were tasked with the challenge of scripting a fitting good-bye to both the star and her character. The results of their efforts will air on March 29 with a special episode paying homage to Eddy and Epiphany. Reports Executive Producer Frank Valentini, “[Co-Head Writers] Chris [Van Etten] and Dan [O’Connor] and I had a big discussion about what we thought was the best way to approach this. We sort of weighed the pros and cons of whether Epiphany was alive and living someplace else or if her character had, in fact, left this planet. And we decided that Epiphany was someone who loved Port Charles and if we weren’t able to…

Ridge and Bill move ahead with their FBI-aided plot to bring down Sheila, and Thorsten Kaye (Ridge) admits it was a twist he didn’t see coming. “I didn’t know anything of this until I came back [from a short break], and there was Ridge in the FBI office with Agent Chen and the great Bill Spencer,” says the actor. “So, I was told that’s what Ridge has been doing, so that’s great. It was fun to come back to something different and it’s fun for me to play with Don [Diamont, Bill]. He got something to sink his teeth into and he did. It was a nice twist.” Diamont also appreciates the story twist of the two teaming up while Bill pretends to romance Sheila. “They are archrivals, yet they’ve come…

Aside from brief interactions during the Chancellor-Winters arbitration, Devon and Amanda have not been able to have a meaningful conversation since Amanda caught him cheating with Abby last November. “One of the last things Amanda told Devon was to reflect on what happened with Abby because it just didn’t come out of nowhere,” says Mishael Morgan (Amanda). “Amanda believes that there was something going on below the surface that Devon and Abby didn’t want to acknowledge. Now that it’s been a few months, there’s that hope in the back of Amanda’s mind that maybe what happened was an accident or just a one-off.” Those hopes are dashed when Amanda runs into Devon and Abby together at the bicentennial ball. “Amanda sees that they’ve obviously continued a relationship, which makes her upset,”…

Nicole and EJ set a plan in motion to have Li catch Gabi and Stefan in a compromising position. “Li has promised to give all his shares to Gabi as long as she doesn’t have sex with someone,” sets up Remington Hoffman (Li). “If she does, then he’ll get the shares back.” While Nicole books a hotel room for Gabi and Stefan, Gabi and Li celebrate her successful pitch at Saxons. “Li sets that meeting up for Gabi,” explains Hoffman, noting that the company “is looking for a new designer to come in and do a whole new line. He’s trying to get Gabi back in power, business-wise, and he wants to impress her. He’s trying to get her to realize that he’s the perfect guy for her.” Soon, Nicole arrives, and…

with Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, B&B) You had a short break from B&B. What excited you about returning to work and picking Ridge’s storyline back up? “It was fun coming back. I think some people didn’t know I was gone [laughs], but it was nice to take some time off and see his story has totally gone in a new direction.” What did you do in your time away? “As a family, we traveled. We spent time in Europe. I got some things done around the house. I got to spend time with my daughters and my wife and my dogs and our hedgehog, and just be here. It was very important, and it reminded me I’ve got to be home more.” Upon your return, did you feel rusty when it came to memorization?…