Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives Star Alison Sweeney Recalls Her Star-Studded Sitcom Past

Published by

Michael Maloney

4 years ago

Prior to landing her breakout role as Sami Brady on Days of our Lives, Alison Sweeney was a child actress who worked on other series and crossed paths with other young stars who’d go on to have careers in daytime, too. Her mother recently sent the DAYS star a photo that brought back some treasured memories.

Alison Sweeney Throws It Way Back

“Whoa. Gotta give my mom credit for digging up some fun old photos from my childhood,” Sweeney posted on Instagram along with a photo of herself, David Tom (ex-Billy, The Young and the Restless), Heather Tom (Katie, The Bold and the Beautiful), and their sister, Nicholle Tom (The Nanny).

“[H]ere’s a fun #tbt to when @davidtom_23 and I were doing a tv show together (starring @officialbarbaraeden & @jenniegarth) & one-time @bbheathertom @nicholletom & I talked our moms into letting us have a sleepover and we went to the movies!! Classic 80s kids. I couldn’t even look up from my popcorn for this photo. 🤦🏼‍♀️ #memories #tvkids #brandnewlife #throwbackthursday 🍿.”

The series on which Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie; ex-Lee Ann, Dallas) and Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 902010) starred on was titled A Brand New Life. Don Murray (ex-Sid, Knots Landing) also starred on the show. It ran from late October 1989 to the following April.

The series had a bit of, ironically, a “Brady Bunch” theme to it. Eden’s character, Barbara McCray, was a working-class single mother, raising her three children, including daughters Ericka (played by Garth) and Christy (played by Sweeney), and son Bart (played by Tom). She wed Murray’s Roger Gibbons, a millionaire, who was raising his three children. While Barbara took a conservative approach to parenting, Roger was more liberal. Only six episodes were produced.

Sweeney worked on a few other projects in between the end of A Brand New Life and DAYS. She recently returned to the NBC soap on a more full-time basis. Check out the “blast from the past” photograph below. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.