For much of the first half of this year, crazy Aunt Jordan terrorized the Newman family on The Young and the Restless. That is until Victor Newman turned the tables and held her prisoner in his private jail. The only thing Jordan and Victor had in common was their thirst for revenge. In real life, it turns out their portrayers—Colleen Zenk and Eric Braeden—actually have something fun in common other than being CBS Daytime legends.
Talented TV Sons
The thread connecting the actors started on X, formerly Twitter, where Braeden praised the work of an actor who once played his TV son, Adam Newman, on Y&R. In the post, he wrote, “Watched JUSTIN HARTLEY on TRACKER tonight! Loved the show! No wonder the show is so damn successful! I couldn’t stop watching! Justin is a very good actor, very convincing, very strong!!he has what all AMERICAN STARS from JIMMY STEWART, JOHN Wayne, James ARNESS, etc, had, namely, a basic decency and integrity and strength! He simply is BELIEVABLE!”
Yes, after Passions and Smallville, Justin Hartley played Victor’s ne’er-do-well son, Adam, from 2014-2016. After a dramatic exit, Hartley left to star in a little show called This is Us, which became one of NBC’s biggest hit dramas for six seasons. And now he’s transitioned from ensemble to the sole lead of a series he also produces. On CBS’s Tracker, he plays Colter Shaw, who considers himself a rewardist. He finds missing persons and only collects the rewards if he’s successful.
READ THIS: Justin Hartley talks Y&R on Kelly and Mark.
As for Zenk, she replied to Braeden’s X post with her own request. She urged everyone to watch her own TV son — As the World Turns‘ Jesse Lee Soffer — who was about to debut as the new lead on FBI International. She wrote: “Now screen the Premiere epp of “FBI INTERNATIONAL” with my “AS THE WORLD TURNS” TV son, Jesse Lee Soffer. Our Daytime kids are taking over Prime Time!!! And I agree. Justin & “Tracker” are a huge hit for CBS!!! And my Jesse + #DickWolf are next!! #JESSELEESOFFER #ATWT #ChicagoPD”
From 2004 – 2010, Soffer played Zenk’s TV son, Will Munson on ATWT. He would later go on to play Jay Halstead in the One Chicago universe, but his main gig was on Chicago PD. And now he’s back at CBS leading the charge on another Dick Wolf show, FBI International. His character, Supervisory Special Agent Wesley ‘Wes’ Mitchell, recently joined the Fly Team as its leader. They fight crime all over Europe.
READ THIS: Six Daytime alumni, including Jesse Lee Soffer, make waves on CBS primetime.
Braeden and Zenk were genuinely proud of their TV sons. Hartley and Soffer undoubtedly learned from them during their respective soap stints. Meanwhile, the fan comments were fun as well.
One poster noted that Hartley was “easy on the eyes, plus being a great actor.” To which Braeden replied, “Great athlete, as well.” Another responded to Zenk’s post, saying, “Indeed, I was so pleased to see Jesse on FBI International! He’s so poised such a talent, very refreshing and brilliant!” And a third stated, “They’re both great! Happy to see them thrive! They learned from the best!”
READ THIS: Photo Gallery of Tracker Season 2 so far.
Tracker airs Sundays on CBS at 8/7c while FBI International airs Wednesdays on CBS at 9/8c. Both shows also stream on Paramount Plus.
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