Castle Rewind

I love spotting current and former daytime stars in primetime shows. So, I was very pleased to see Rachel Melvin when watching this week’s great episode of ABC’s Castle.

Rachel used to play Chelsea Brady on NBC’s Days of our Lives. Her character was a bad girl who developed a heart…eventually. She was always a standout on that show and I knew she would eventually book work in primetime. In “Lucky Stiff,” she was Nicole Hixton, the troubled daughter of a lottery winner who had recently been murdered. Winning the money shook the family to the core and they ended up a fractured family unit. Melvin appeared in a couple of scenes; her character even thought (wrongly) that she had been responsible for her father’s death. Great stuff to play.
The Guiding Light Connection
My all-time favorite soap opera is the now defunct CBS daytime drama Guiding Light. It was the grandaddy of all TV soaps until its cancellation in September 2009. The loss of GL was quite a blow to the daytime landscape, but I’ll always remember it for all the amazing storylines, actors and super couples (i.e. Reva and Josh). This week, a few GL connections popped up in primetime:

- On Monday nights, NBC has a  bit of a hit on its hands with Harry’s Law. Brittany Snow‘s on the show as a series regular. Before Harry’s Law and before hitting it big with American Dreams, she starred on GL as Susan LeMay for almost three years. Susan was actually the character’s adopted name; her biological parents (Harley Cooper and Dylan Lewis) named her Daisy. The next new episode is Monday February 14 at 10/9C on NBC.

- Tuesday night (February 8), my favorite GL actor — next to Grant Aleksander — guest-starred on NCIS. Yes, Robert Newman was on board for the much-anticipated episode, “A Man Walks into a Bar…” It was anticipated because Gibbs and the gang faced down a shrink and her sudden psych evals while trying to solve the case of a “murdered” naval commander (he really committed suicide). Unfortunately, Newman was only in one scene but it was great seeing him. Kim Johnston Ulrich from NBC’s Passions (and last week’s Supernatural) played his wife. However, we didn’t get to see those two soap greats act in a scene together. Boo. My wish is Newman gets more and more TV opportunities. He’s already guest-starred on three procedurals within the last year: NCIS, Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU. Next stop: series regular for a primetime TV show? I hope so.
- New to the ABC schedule on Wednesday nights is Mr. Sunshine, a comedy starring Matthew Perry and…Allison Janney. Back in the 90s, she was Ginger, one of the Spaulding’s conniving maids. Janney was awesome on the show. Of course, post-GL, she joined The West Wing where she won four Emmys as Press Secretary C.J. Cregg. On Mr. Sunshine, she plays Crystal, the owner of the Sunshine Center, the arena Matthew Perry’s character, Ben Donovan, general manages. The series premiere for Mr. Sunshine airs Wednesday night (February 9) at 9:30/8:30C. It’s actually taking the place of Cougar Town for a couple months.
Hot in Cleveland Preview
- Also on Wednesday (February 9), The Bold and the Beautiful star Jack Wagner guest stars opposite Valerie Bertinelli’s Melanie on TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland. He plays a doctor in an episode called “Sisterhood of the Traveling Spanx.” For Melanie’s sake, I hope his Hot in Cleveland doctor is nothing like his screwed up (yet awesome) Melrose Place character, Dr. Peter Burns. Jack’s guest spot on Hot in Cleveland premieres on TV Land February 9 at 10/9C. Here’s a sneak peek…
Castle Casting Notes (SPOILERS INCLUDED)
There’s an upcoming installment of Castle that pays homage to Nathan Fillion‘s daytime roots that I’m really excited about. They’re calling it “One Life to Lose” which is perfect since Fillion appeared on the ABC soap One Life to Live for roughly three years in the 90s. In 1996, he even earned an Emmy nomination for his role as Joey Buchanan. My worship for Nathan grew when he returned to the show in 2007 for Asa Buchanan’s funeral. I mean, who does that? So many actors, once they make it big after daytime, forget their roots. That’s why I commend him for returning to the show that gave him his big break. This just makes him so much cooler in my book.
Anyway, this soap opera-themed episode will feature actors of a fictional daytime drama called Temptations (perfect!). Already we know the guest cast will include Jane Seymour and Corbin Bernsen (his daytime street cred includes Y&R and GH); as well as current All My Children favorites Cameron Mathison and Rebecca Budig. While I do like both Cameron and Rebecca and understand that they have huge fan bases and are known to audiences beyond the daytime soap arena, I couldn’t help but wonder why Castle didn’t cast actors from Fillion’s alma mater, One Life to Live? I get that All My Children now films in Los Angeles — that probably had to be a factor, because One Life is the only daytime soap to still shoot in New York City. But, there are OLTL actors I wish could have been cast instead:

Dan Gauthier, Kevin Buchanan

Bree Williamson, Jessica Brennan



Renee Elise Goldsberry, ex-Evangeline Williamson

I just think the world of the actors I listed above; Renee Elise Goldsberry, particularly, because she’s such a fierce presence. And, while she’s no longer on OLTL, she currently has a recurring role on CBS’ The Good Wife. Again, I don’t know the particulars behind the casting. There may have been some extenuating circumstances I clearly don’t know about. But I do wish we could have seen someone from One Life to Live in some of the major roles in this Castle episode. Regardless, I can’t wait for “One LIfe to Lose” to happen. I’ll update with an airdate once we get closer to the premiere.
Related posts
Classics
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk the From Season 2 finale
[Warning: Spoilers for the season finale.] How’s everyone doing after that finale? While we wait and wonder and hope for a third season announcement, soon, here’s what Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders had to say about their parts of the finale, and where they hope they get to go next….
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk From Season 2 + A Season Finale Preview
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] It all comes down this, #FROMily. As Sunday’s episode wraps up Season 2, we begin with the aftermath of the terrifying onset of seemingly simultaneous attacks on Julie, Marielle, and Randall, which accelerate the “We gotta get out of this place” of it all. Sara comes…
Alison Sweeney Talks About What’s Next for Hannah and Mike After Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
[Warning: Spoilers for Carrot Cake Murder.] Everybody OK after that Hannah Swensen Mystery twist? Thankfully, our favorite crime-solving couple is still on speaking term, even if they’re on a break (hopefully not that kind of break). Most importantly, we already know this isn’t the last film in the series. No…
Counting Down to From Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] We’re just shy of two weeks away from Season 2 of last spring’s obsession, From, which premieres at 9 pm/8c, Sunday, April 23rd, on MGM+ (formerly EPIX). If you never picked it up last year, now’s your chance, and you can do it for free, catching…
Thank Me Later: Will Trent
[Warning: spoilers ahead.] I’m on record as loving and losing shows over at ABC so I’m usually very reticent to pick something up on the network until it’s been renewed, and I seriously hope I’m not jinxing it, but I took a chance on the deeply odd and very sweet…
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…