It’s always fun when a familiar face from daytime shows up on your favorite primetime show!
If you’re a soap fan, you might not be expecting to see your favorite daytime stars in primetime, but more often than not soap stars land cameo and guest appearances on popular evening shows.
Here are our top 17 times soap stars guest starred on primetime series. Did you recognize them when the shows aired?
Miss any of your favorites? You can watch full TV episodes online here on TV Fanatic to refresh your memory.
Vanessa Williams – The Flash
Vanessa Williams is best known to daytime viewers as Valerie Grant on Days of Our Lives, but if you watch The Flash, you may know her better as Francine West, Iris West’s estranged mother who struggled to re-establish a relationship with her daughter after two decades.
Eric Martsolf – Rizzoli & Isles
Eric Martsolf plays good-hearted Brady Black on Days of Our Lives, but on Rizzoli & Isles Season 5 Episode 5, he got the chance to play a murderer! Martsolf’s character killed a terminally ill cancer patient — and not because of her illness either, but because of a twisted family situation that rivaled any soap storyline.
Daniel Cosgrove – Law & Order: SVU
Soap veteran Daniel Cosgrove who most recently Aiden Jennings on Days of Our Lives had the opportunity to play the protective father of a boy whose mother was, among other things, raping his best friend on Law & Order: SVU Season 18 Episode 10. This powerful story also marked the long-running procedural’s 400th episode!
Mary Beth Evans – Law & Order: SVU
Mary Beth Evans’ appearance on Law & Order: SVU Season 10 Episode 1 was no accident. NBC wanted to cross-promote by giving some of its daytime stars cameo roles on primetime dramas. In this case, Evans played a doctor who was overly quick to prescribe ADHD meds, making her the semi-evil twin of her character on DAYS, who is a far more conscientious and ethical doctor.
Shawn Christian – The Rookie
Shawn Christian is no stranger to either daytime or primetime, having played significant roles on the defunct As the World Turns and as Dr. Daniel Jonas on Days of Our Lives as well as having played Rachel’s gynecologist on a famous episode of Friends. Most recently, Christian was featured on The Rookie Season 1 Episode 6 as a rogue cop who the force had to track down. Interestingly, Christian was not the only soap star featured in this episode, as Aaron D. Spears from Bold & the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives played Mr. Campbell, the father of a victim.
Drake Hogestyn – Criminal Minds
Drake Hogestyn, best known as super spy John Black on Days of Our Lives, played a senator on Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 16. Ironically, his character stood up to an ineffective BAU chief to get the team back together at the same time that his DAYS character failed to stand up to a weak ISA chief who wanted him to poison his best friend.
Lauren Boles – Grey’s Anatomy
Lauren Boles was a fan favorite for years on Days of Our Lives, where she played the feisty child version of Ciara Brady. On Grey’s Anatomy Season 13 Episode 16, Boles returned to the screen for an emotional storyline about a young girl who needed a throat transplant and whose mothers were fighting to save her voice — but could be risking her life.
True O’Brien – Code Black
True O’Brien is much missed as Paige Larson on Days of Our Lives! She also played a rape survivor on a compelling episode of one of our favorite, if canceled, series: Code Black Season 2 Episode 6.
Maurice Benard – Castle
Maurice Benard’s Sonny Corinthos is one of the best-known soap characters of all time, both for his bipolarity and his popular pairing with both Brenda and Carly. On Castle Season 8 Episode 19, Benard had the opportunity to play Horatio Spate, the arch-enemy of a guy Castle is trying to help who is either immortal or very lucky.
Julie Berman – Chicago Med
If you thought that was Lulu Spencer from General Hospital on Chicago Med Season 1, you were right! Berman played Dr. Samantha Zanneti, Rhodes’ first love interest. Sadly for fans of these characters, Sam ended up transferring to a different hospital and out of the series at the end of the season.
Tamara Braun – Supernatural
Tamara Braun is no stranger to soaps, having played two very different characters on Days of Our Lives as milquetoast Taylor Walker and the evil Ava Vitale and also played both Carly and Kim on General Hospital! But in 2013 she landed a guest role of a different sort, playing Cindy Cassity on Supernatural Season 8 Episode 14. Cindy was estranged from the rest of the Cassity family and spent a good chunk of the episode hurling insults at them.
Darrin Brooks – 2 Broke Girls
2 Broke Girls Season 6 Episode 20 featured Darrin Brooks, who is well-known by fans of both Bold & the Beautiful and Days of our Lives, as Frank, a not-too-bright bowling superstar that Caroline manages to injure.
Linsey Godfrey – Wizards of Waverly Place
Linsey Godfrey is no stranger to either soaps or primetime. The Bold & the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives star has had guest appearances on a number of shows, including Cold Case, CSI: Miami, and NCIS. On The Wizards of Waverly Place Season 4 Episode 22, she played a ghost named Lucy who moved in with Alex and Harper to pay the rent.
Aaron D. Spears – NCIS: Los Angeles
Aaron D Spears is one of the most hardworking soap stars around. While recurring on the Bold and the Beautiful, he guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 7 as a special agent involved with a mission to stop the takeover of nuclear weapons and he also appeared on This is Us Season 1 Episode 9 while working on both Bold & the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives.
Rena Sofer – Chicago PD
The Bold & the Beautiful’s Rena Sofer was one of the first people to guest star on Chicago PD, appearing as a police counselor on Chicago PD Season 1 Episode 3. As an added bonus, this episode was directed by her real-life husband.
Eric Braeden – How I Met Your Mother
Eric Braeden, best known as Victor Newman from The Young and the Restless, also showed up on How I Met Your Mother Season 4 Episode 6, where he played Robin’s father. Braeden’s character had a difficult relationship with Robin, to say the least, as she felt he wanted a son instead and did everything she could to avoid interacting with him at all.
Greg Rikaart – Bones
Greg Rikaart of Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives fame has been on primetime several times. In addition to appearing in five episodes of Major Crimes, Rikaart had a minor role on Bones Season 9 Episode 2 as Jeff Baxter, one half of a gay couple Bones and Brennan meet while undercover at a marriage retreat.
