Soap Casting Shake-Up: GH Recasts Avery, DAYS Brings Back Orpheus

By Tom Whitfield

General Hospital has recast Avery Corinthos, the daughter of Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava (Maura West), with newcomer Ayla Bullington, who debuted Monday, November 9. The move ends twins Ava and Grace Scarola's run in the role, which began in 2014 and ran through 2025. Soap Opera Digest reports the character has been aged up for the recast.

The recast anchors a crowded week of casting moves across five daytime dramas — General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful and Beyond The Gates.

What does the week of November 9 bring?

Days of Our Lives carries the heaviest load. Sofia Mattsson, the General Hospital alum hired by DAYS in March 2026, will play Chloe Lane — a role previously held by Nadia Bjorlin — when she debuts in the coming months. The show's extended promo, released last week, confirmed both that reveal and the return of George DelHoyo as Orpheus, the villain he created in 1986 and last played in 2025, later this year or early next.

DAYS also booked Alice Halsey back as Rachel Black for four episodes filmed last week, filling in while Lorelei Olivia Mote was unavailable. Because the show tapes nearly a year ahead, those episodes will not air until late 2027. Leann Hunley's Anna DiMera attended Lexie's memorial Monday, November 9; Franco LoPresti's Dante Vitali clashes with Dominic (Kyle Pryor) Thursday, November 12; Maggie Carney's Rita Lesley declares her loyalties Friday, November 13; Shi Ne Nielson's Amy Choi raises Holly's (Ashley Puzemis) suspicions Tuesday, November 10; and Thaao Penghlis's Tony DiMera confers with EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) Thursday.

Who else is coming?

• Beyond The Gates: Community alum Yvette Nicole Brown appears Friday, November 13 as Temeka, Shanice's (Ernestine Johnson) cousin — joined by her real-life cousin Anthony Davis as Tony, Temeka's spouse. Nick Hagelin's Noah Rollins weighs an escort career in scenes with Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix).
• The Bold and the Beautiful: Jennifer Gareis (Donna) airs Friday, November 13; Jaia Lyne plays a Spencer employee and Naomi Matsuda's Li Finnegan lends medical expertise Thursday, November 12.
• The Young and the Restless: Beth Maitland, fresh off her Daytime Emmy win, returns as Traci Tuesday, November 10; Cait Fairbanks's Tessa Porter resurfaces Wednesday, November 11 after an on-screen absence since April — the first episode scripted by new head writers Jamey Giddens and Dan O'Connor. Lauralee Bell and Michael Damian get surprise visitors Friday, November 13.
• General Hospital: Rick Hearst, Kelly Kruger, Michael E. Knight, Alley Mills and Nazneen Contactor all air; Maurice Benard revealed on Instagram that Stephen A. Smith's Brick was back filming new episodes.

Jane Elliot's Tracy Quartermaine left town November 5, but Soap Opera Digest confirms the Daytime Emmy winner is on her annual hiatus, not exiting permanently.

Elsewhere: B&B's Lawrence Saint-Victor guest stars on Grey's Anatomy November 12; All My Children alum Finn Wittrock leads the horror film Portrait, per Deadline; and Alison Sweeney stars in Hallmark's Miles to Christmas, premiering November 29.

What does this change for viewers? The Avery recast and the Giddens-O'Connor writing debut mark the clearest signals yet that both ABC and CBS soaps are betting on generational turnover to hold audiences through the season.