Shockwaves were sent out all over the Internet with the news that Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall (John and Marlena) had been let go, and will exit the canvas in January 2009. This is perhaps the most devastating news to fans in the history of DAYS, as John and Marlena are one of the great supercouples adored by many. The year 2008 has without a doubt been a tumultuous year for DAYS with all the sudden cast changes and departures. Take a look back at some of the characters who left Salem in 2008, but never left our hearts.
Adrienne Kiriakis
Many fans were thrilled when Judi Evans reprised her role as Adrienne in 2007. Adrienne was brought back in May 2007 in order to help her brother Steve Johnson escape from the mental hospital. Afterwards, she didn’t have much to do outside of running the Cheatin’ Heart and counseling niece Stephanie. It certainly would have been nice to see her husband Justin appear on the canvas. Unfortunately, Judi Evans was once again let go from the show in January of this year when Adrienne bid an emotional farewell to Steve and moved with her unseen family to Dubai. Judi's dual portrayal of Adrienne Kiriakis and Bonnie Lockhart garnered the lovely actress an Emmy nod for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Grandpa Shawn Brady
Little did Caroline know that before her beloved Shawn departed for Ireland to reunite with his long-lost sister Colleen, it would be the last time she would see him alive. Fans were floored when Frank Parker’s character of Shawn Brady was killed off in February of this year. Shawn’s death pulled at our heartstrings as the stubborn patriarch gave up his oxygen mask aboard the sabotaged plane to save his son Bo. Sad as it was, it gave Peggy McCay (Caroline) some Emmy worthy material as Caroline mourned for her husband. Notably, she was named “Performer of the Week” in Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly for her portrayal of a grieving widow.
Julie Pinson was the third actress to play former drug user/porn star turned successful career woman Billie Reed. Billie was a wasted character who spent 2007 being single, with the exception of her New Year’s fling with Nick Fallon. She proved to be an independent and successful woman who was able to stand on her own two feet without a man, although many fans felt as though the beautiful Billie deserved more. Julie Pinson was let go in January of this year, just weeks before hunky Dr. Daniel Jonas was brought on board and during the time when daughter Chelsea needed her most. Did her departure make sense? Many of us don’t think so. Billie’s best line of her time in Salem was when she said these words to brother Philip right after Shawn and Belle Brady’s wedding:
“You know what? I am single. I am sexy, and I am fabulous. And just because I don’t have a man in my life does not make me a miserable human being.”
Yes, you are Billie! You go with your single, sexy, and fabulous self!
Shawn and Belle Brady
Shockwaves were sent out all over the Internet when the news broke about Brandon Beemer and Martha Madison being let go as Shawn and Belle. Fans were outraged, since these two were such a core part of the show closely connected to other beloved characters, namely Bo and Hope and John and Marlena. Just as the Shawn/Belle/Philip/Chloe quadrangle seemed to be heating up after Chloe returned to Salem, this is another storyline which was dropped like a hotcake. Fans were split over who they wanted Belle to be with, but in the end she chose her husband Shawn. This is another departure which didn’t make any sense whatsoever, especially considering that Bo was on the verge of dying and in need of a partial pancreas transplant. All of a sudden, Shawn and Belle announced that they wanted to take their daughter Claire and sail around the world, just as Shawn did with his parents when he was a kid. And what about Belle’s nursing career and Shawn’s desire to become a police officer? These are two characters who may gone from Salem, but will never be forgotten.
When Tamara Braun signed on earlier this year to play Ava Vitali, a scorned woman from Steve Johnson’s past, it was understood that it was for a short stint in Salem. Ava was very good at being the psycho woman which fans hated, as she sabotaged the plane crash which resulted in Grandpa Shawn Brady’s death, kidnapped Hope, and threatened to take Kayla’s unborn baby. It was revealed that she had been on mind-altering drugs which caused her erratic behavior. Regardless, Tamara was phenomenal at playing crazy Ava and blew many of us away with her performance, and some of us even began to feel sorry for her when she displayed a more vulnerable side. Those eyes said it all, as Tamara had the ability to look devilish and seductive one minute and look like a frightened little girl the next. Ava became fast friends with Nicole Walker and was briefly involved with John Black before she went on the run in August of this year. However, with the men outnumbering the women in Salem these days, I have no doubt that Ava would exude chemistry with any man she was paired with in the event she ever returned to Salem. Although Tamara is currently portraying Reese Williams on All My Children, I can still dream, can't I?
Morgan first emerged on the Salem scene in September 2007 as a stuck-up and superficial sorority girl, but displayed a more vulnerable side after she was nearly raped by Ford Decker and after her troubled father came into the picture. Many fans grew fond of Morgan and felt as though she was a breath of fresh air and loved the potential Philip/Morgan pairing. However, that relationship was doomed when Morgan found out that Philip had threatened her father. Soon after, it was announced that Kristen Renton was being let go after only a year on the show. The best part about the Philip and Morgan potential pairing? For once, Philip wasn’t on the other end of a triangle. He was the only man Morgan was interested in, unlike his previous failed relationships with Belle and Chloe. Morgan landed an internship in Chicago and departed Salem on October 3 after seeing Philip kissing his former flame Chloe.