Since 2013, your faithful DAYS Two Scoopers have joined together to present our DAYS Two Scoops Summer Series. We started scandalously with "The Summer of Sinners," followed by the smitten "Summer Lovin'," and last year, we focused largely on the celebrations leading to the Fiftieth Anniversary with "A Summers DAYS Dream." This year, we're switching things up. Literally!
The first edition of our two-part "Summer of Swaps" will focus on some casting changes in Salem we'd like to see happen! Perhaps "casting rearranges" is a more accurate description. We'll discuss correcting some shaky casting choices and offer some solutions. Maybe this one could be called, "When bad characters happen to amazing actors." In any event, we came up with ten ways to bring great performers back to Salem without the baggage of previously played clunkers... err, characters. Let's discuss!
Marie Wilson as Melissa Horton not Summer the Bummer
If the lovely Lisa Trusell isn't available, we could see Marie Wilson fitting this bill nicely! Marie and Suzanne's chemistry should not have been wasted on this storyline that requires us to de-SORAS Maggie every single time they have a scene together to buy Summer as the daughter Maggie had when she was 17. The math is jarring. Asking soap fans to do math should be outlawed.
Melissa Archer as Sarah Horton not Serena Mason
This would have been a much easier way to explain the Melanie connection, not to mention the reason we haven't seen Sarah is a long time. Also, how delicious would it have been if it was Maggie's daughter who had ties to Victor's evil nephew?!?
Daniel Cosgrove as Peter Blake not Aiden Jennings 2.0
We're taking up a collection to buy Daniel Cosgrove industrial soap and loofas because the writers ran Aiden over with a bus, only to bring him back and do it again. Aiden's return a few months ago had potential but quickly fizzled into a rather suspect storyline. Instead of bringing Aiden back, the writers should have had Daniel Cosgrove assume the role of Peter Blake. Daniel can do dastardly disturbingly well, and let's face it, Jennifer could use a storyline that isn't one of the past ten she's had. Plus, if "Aiden" was actually Peter all along, it could have explained Andre's interest in the character. Andre's always had a bit of a problem sharing any spotlight with a relative.
Chrishell Stause as Cassie Brady not Jordan Ridgeway
Come on, you know Chrishell and Lauren would have been much better opposite each other if Chrishell could play a character whose heaviest weapon in her arsenal wasn't an eye roll.
John Paul Lavoisier as JT Reiber or Max Brady not Philip Kiriakis
JPL has a knack for playing characters with a bit of comic relief. Watching him play the smooth, brooding, often conflicted Philip Kiriakis throws us off. It's like when Jim Carrey tries to play drama.
Allison Paige as Joy Wesley not Bev Walters
We love us some Bev. But she was dismissed way too quickly. We're wondering if Allison had been given the chance to play a plucky Joy Wesley, would she have stayed in town longer? With Chloe back, it sure would have been interesting to see the dynamics between the vocal goddess and the human being literally created to save her life.
Paul Telfer as Victor, Joseph, and/or Alexander Kiriakis not Xander Cook/Alexandros Kiriakis
Poor Xander had some amazing potential when he first slithered into Salem. Alas, the writers went and did him wrong -- quick! Within ten seconds. If you can recount how Xander was unceremoniously ushered off the Salem landscape, you deserve that cake for dessert. Instead of Xander, the never-heard-of-before son of the never-before-heard-of brother who was somehow Victor's right hand man who did all of Vic's dirty deeds, he could have easily been cast as one of Sonny's older brothers. He could have kept the same sneaky swagger, but his connection to Justin and Adrienne would have grounded the character, making his Salem stay more legit.
Sarah Joy Brown as Sonja Hawk not Madison James
Keeping her character still connected to the DiMera family would have given SJB a chance to get out those claws. However, casting her as Benjy's loving widow would have also guaranteed her heart-warming scenes with Mary Beth Evans and we. love. that.
James Reed as Bill Horton not Clyde Weston
Hands down, James Reed is a brilliant actor and a class act. It's a shame the same thing couldn't have been said for Clyde. The character was a cliché wrapped in more clichés with a Hee-Haw logo stamped on his forehead in case we didn't get it. Trust us, we did. Clyde's instant relationship with Kate didn't help, either. So, instead of Clyde, we could have gotten Bill Horton back in the Salem fold. Bill actually had connections to Kate, and if they wanted to showcase James's sneakier side, that's fine -- Bill wasn't always the best little Horton boy ever. And we always wondered what Lucas would say to his dad if he were around more.
Sal Stowers as Serena Mason not Lani Price
The idea of a beautiful, brilliant investigative journalist full of moxie is great. The idea of a desperate, horny cop is... well... what we have Roman for.
There you have our list of recent swaps we'd make, but we'd love to hear your thoughts as to how you'd switch up some of Salem's newer residents. Be sure to leave feedback below or Tweet Laurisa and Tony #SummerofSwaps
Also, if you need some more material to read while you wait for #DAYS to return from their Olympic hiatus, below is a directory of past "DAYS Two Scoops Summer Series!"
Olympic Hiatus (2012):
• Summer lovin', had me a blast
• Just wishin' and hopin' and thinkin'
Summer of Sinners (2013):
• Hunky henchmen and other dodgy days guest star baddies!
• Wicked Hot Witches and Short-Lived Villainesses! (Part 1)
• Wicked Hot Witches and Short-Lived Villainesses! (Part 2)
• Parents' Worst Nightmares: Salem's Biggest Problem Children
• Schemers We Love
• Most Sinister Sinners
Summer Lovin' (2014):
• What Might Have Been
• Love is lovelier the second (or third, or fourth) time around
• Summer Lovin': Super kids from supercouples (Part 1)
• Summer Lovin': Super kids from supercouples (Part 2)
A Summers DAYS' Dream (2015):
• Dream Girls
• A Few Good Men
• Phantoms of the Soap Opera
• Somewhere out there
• The show must go on
Are there any actors that you think have been saddled with bad roles? Do you have re-role-ing ideas of your own? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
