Why Did RJ Forrester Come Back to The Bold and the Beautiful?

The Bold and the Beautiful scored a casting coupe with Joshua Hoffman when it was looking to bring RJ Forrester back to the show’s canvas. The show explained that he stayed away so long to avoid family drama, but since he’s returned to Los Angeles, the winning actor has spent most of his screen time being the shoulder upon which his family cries.

RJ Forrester: Bold and the Beautiful Back to Basics

B&B has had many younger sets over the years. The show debuted in 1987 with the characters of Katie, Donna, and Rocco. Youngest Forrester daughter Felicia came home a few years later. In 1994, the younger players were represented by Sly, Jessica, and Dylan. Next came Rick, Amber, CJ, and Kimberly.

With the most recent set now into their adult years and with young children of their own (Kelly, Beth, Hayes), it was high time B&B brought on a new teen set. The appealing Hoffman seemed poised to lead this group, but since his introduction last spring, he hasn’t been given anyone near his age with whom he can share scenes.

B&B Sounding Bored, Er, Board

We’ve seen RJ champion his parents’ (Ridge and Brooke) reunion. More recently, RJ has supported Hope as she is going through her own marital crisis. (Annika Noelle was our most recent Performer of the Week for B&B for doing powerful work.) Now, RJ has taken it upon himself to give his two cents to his brother-in-law Liam (Scott Clifton), urging him to reunite with Hope because she loves him. So much for staying away from the family drama!

RJ Forrester: Bold and the Beautiful Back to Basics

It would be helpful if more young characters were introduced to give RJ some people his own age with whom he could spend time. There’s a plethora of other Forrester offspring out there. B&B doesn’t need us to list them off, but any of them would make great candidates to be added to the canvas. Just as Rick hooked up with his babysitter Amber, which got tongues wagging — and nearly made Brooke a grandmother, we could easily see RJ meeting a young woman, and wouldn’t it be ironic if she failed to impress RJ’s mother.

B&B Mirror, Portrait

Imagine Brooke looking up at Stephanie’s portrait (wherever it’s hanging these days) and shaking her head, “You must be laughing at me.” (Imagine how great it’d be if B&B got Susan Flannery back to record Steph’s voice chuckling at Brooke?)

Soaps are all about families, generations, and characters repeating the behavior of those who’ve come before. We can cut RJ some slack for not having more of his own life these days. He’s probably busy refreshing his memory of how Liam could be his brother-in-law not just once but twice in his life. Here’s hoping B&B brings on some new young players with whom RJ can share scenes. After all, summertime is usually when younger characters get more screen time, and we’re almost halfway through July.

The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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