Recasts on daytime soap operas are tricky. They make this medium challenging and unpredictable, but they are also inevitable. Will the audience accept or reject them? There’s an art to the recast, and in 2024, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless mostly did a good job living up to the hype and then some. However, there were characters we expected to get recast but didn’t. So, here are the 7 biggest soap recasts of the year and four characters that should have been recast but weren’t. Maybe in 2025?
7 Biggest Soap Recasts
#1 Alexa Havins as Lulu Spencer, GH
GH appears on this list way more than any other soap. In 2024, the show rolled the recast dice a few times, and for the most part, it paid off. However, Alexis Havins had one of the toughest jobs. Julie Berman and Emme Rylan were tough acts to follow. Yet the All My Children alum quickly made the role her own the moment Lulu woke up from a coma.
#2 Rebecca Budig as Taylor Hayes, B&B
B&B just about blindsided its viewers during one of its remote location extravaganzas. Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) were in Monte Carlo to reignite Brooke’s Bedroom Line with a massive social media push. There Taylor was, spying on Brooke and Ridge from afar. The show even went old school with an official voiceover saying: “The role of Dr. Taylor Hayes is now being played by Rebecca Budig.” It was a pretty grand entrance that signaled a rekindling of the old Logan versus Forrester war.
#3 Adam J. Harrington as Agent John “Jagger” Cates, GH
Jagger hadn’t been seen in Port Charles since the ’90s. Here was the catch: Antonio Sabato Jr. was no longer playing the role he originated. Instead, Adam J. Harrington was plucked from primetime to play this Jagger 2.0 version. The guy was now an FBI agent with a personal vendetta against Sonny. Much of John’s time on the show involved him yelling a lot and being seventeen steps behind everybody else. Ultimately, Sonny (Maurice Benard) kills Jagger in cold blood, creating a disappointing ending for the character.
#4 Cherie Jimenez as Gabi Hernandez, DAYS
After Camila Banus exited DAYS in 2023, Gabi Hernandez languished in jail much longer than she should have, considering she didn’t commit the crime (this time). Meanwhile, Stefan (formerly Brandon Barash) kept referring to Gabi’s safety from Clyde (James Read) in prison and that she broke her leg. Unfortunately, we saw none of this danger. However, when it came time to release Gabi, a new actress took over the role. Cherie Jimenez has done a solid job with Gabi as she navigated cheating on Stefan with EJ (Dan Feuerriegel), a divorce, and now a budding reunion between Gabi and JJ (Casey Moss).
#5 Crew Morrow as Will Spencer, B&B
When an aged-up Will Spencer returned to Los Angeles from boarding school, Crew Morrow instantly won fans with his good looks, casual charm, and winning charisma. What we love about Will is how protective he is of his mother, and he’s well aware of the damage his father’s done. Yet, he’s willing to repair the bond between them. And we’re looking forward to seeing how he handles this escalating situation with Electra (Laneya Grace) and Remy (Christian Weissmann). He may have to go into hero mode to squash Remy’s obsessive interest in Electra.
#6 Van Hansis as Lucas Jones, GH
We’re beyond happy that GH brought back Dr. Lucas Jones. His reconnecting with his various family members and friends made for enjoyable scenes. The angst and the chemistry between Lucas and Brad (Parry Shen) is still there. He helped put the focus back on the hospital element of GH. Also, the way Lucas went toe-to-toe with Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) and made her answer for her actions with Drew (Cameron Mathison) was simply glorious. Van Hansis as Lucas is a wonderful recast.
#7 Braedyn Bruner as Emma Drake, GH
This surprise recast happened just under the wire — 2024 was almost over when Emma Drake showed up at Rice Plaza and then at Maxie’s place. Emma returning on a more permanent basis wasn’t something we had on our bingo card, but we’re glad that the show has decided to add her into the mix. Braedyn Bruner is already off to a good start. We’ll see how she does in 2025.
4 Characters Who Should Have Been Recast
#1 Spencer Cassadine (GH): Where is Spencer? We had high hopes that Trina’s grief for Spencer wouldn’t last because somehow, and some way, he would make it back to her. And now there’s an opportunity here. Trina’s getting closer to a new guy. Right when Trina (Tabyana Ali) and Kai (Jens Austin Astrup) solidify a relationship, Spencer is found. And as much as we adore Nicholas Alexander Chavez, his post-GH career is doing well, so there will be a need for a recast.
#2 Thomas Forrester (B&B): We honestly never thought Thomas (formerly Matthew Atkinson) would go to Paris and just stay there. And now this Logan versus Forrester war is happening without him. Plus, Hope (Annika Noelle) is with Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor). He would have thoughts. Thomas’s perspective is needed. Let’s hope a recast happens in 2025.
#3 Abigail DiMera (DAYS): Her name has been mentioned a zillion times in 2024. There was an impostor who pretended to be her. They haven’t found her body. Time to recast her or bring back Marci Miller, the last actress to play Abigail.
#4 Christian Newman (Y&R): Paging Christian Newman. We think he celebrated the holidays all alone since his dad’s in serious protect Sharon (Sharon Case) mode. How about SORAS-ing the kid and reintroducing him into the landscape?
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