‘Days of Our Lives’ Stars Make Long-Awaited Return to Soap Series

Days of Our Lives stars Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso made their long-awaited return to the series on March 17, reprising their roles as Bo and Hope. Their story was central to the show’s drama for nearly three decades, but Reckell left in 2016 and Alfonso departed in 2020. Both characters appeared in Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem Season 2 last year before they returned to the main series.

When Reckell left the series, Bo was actually “killed” off. Last year, fans learned the character was actually kept alive in a cryogenic state. He is now a completely different person, having been brainwashed into thinking his real love is Stefano’s presumed-dead daughter Megan Hathaway (Miranda Wilson). Hope eventually met up with John (Drake Hogestyn) and Steve (Stephen Nichols), who are searching for Megan. This was a continuation of stories introduced in Beyond Salem Season 2.

“After being in cryogenics for however long it’s been, he’s on a journey to find out who he really is,” Reckell told TVLine of his dramatically different Bo. “A lot of people tell him along the way who he is, but he really needs to figure it out for himself. That’s the crux of the journey that we’ll be seeing in the next few weeks.”

Bo and Hope were set to be central to a possible Beyond Salem Season 3. However, producers decided to bring that story to the main Days of Our Lives after the show moved from NBC to Peacock. It’s unclear if Beyond Salem will get a third season, but Days was just picked up for two more seasons. The series will celebrate its 60th anniversary during the 2024-2025 season.

“We couldn’t possibly leave the audience with that cliffhanger,” Alfonso said of the Beyond Salem finale. “That would have been so unfair. So that’s another reason why I decided to come back. We owe it to the fans and the show, and to [executive producer] Ken Corday.”

Reckell joined Days of Our Lives in 1983 and played Bo uninterrupted from 1995 until 2015. He returned for the first time briefly in 2016 for a special episode of Alfonso. Hope was introduced in 1974, with Alfonso taking the part in 1983. She continued playing the part until she left in 2020. In 2002, Alfonso and Reckell won a special fan-voted America’s Favorite Couple award at the Daytime Emmys.

“Days of Our Lives has been a vital part of both my personal and professional journey,” Alfonso wrote when she announced her departure. “I am forever grateful to NBC and the late Betty Corday, who took a chance on me many years ago and changed my life. I have built some lifelong friendships with my extraordinarily talented castmates. Days has one of the hardest working crews in all of television, many of whom have become part of my extended family. I feel blessed and honored to have been invited into people’s homes for over three decades.”

New episodes of Days are released daily on Peacock. Producers have not said if Reckell and Alfonso will be back full-time, but he sounds confident they could be around for more. “How and when they would come back is obviously very much in the air… but I think I think our audience will kind of demand it,” Reckell told TVLine.