Sally Spectra will once again loom large over The Bold and the Beautiful -- in both a literal and a figurative way.
It turns out that last week's casual mention of Sally Spectra's old warehouse being set for demolition was not just a nod to the tenth anniversary of the passing of actress Darlene Conley (Sally Spectra); it was a foreshadowing of upcoming story: the CBS soap is reintroducing the Spectra Fashions fashion house to the canvas.
Sadly, most of the original Spectra team is unavailable. Conley passed away in 2007. Michael Fox, who played Sally's tailor, Saul, also passed away in real life. Sally's quirky assistant, Darla Einstein (played by Schae Harrison) was mowed down by a car in 2006. So what does B&B head writer and executive producer Bradley Bell have planned?
"This will be Spectra, the next generation," Brad Bell tells TV Insider's Michael Logan.
That's where the very forward redheaded lady that hit on Thomas comes in. She is Sally Spectra, but it's not the Sally fans know and love suffering from some sort of soap opera rapid de-aging syndrome.
"We're going to reveal that Sally has a sister, Shirley Spectra, and we've given the part to [Days of Our Lives vet] Patrika Darbo," Bell explains. "The new Sally we just met on air is the original Sally's grandniece and Shirley's granddaughter."
The new Sally is played by Courtney Hope, who has appeared on Quantum Break and the Amazon series Transparent. Darbo first appeared as Nancy Wesley on DAYS from 1998 to 2003 and has appeared on a recurring basis since. Darbo earned an Outstanding Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy nomination in 2000, and she won a primetime Emmy last year for her work on the digital series Acting Dead.
On Twitter, Darbo expressed her commitment to storyline. "Thank you I adored Darlene and will honor her the best I can," Darbo wrote.
Also added to the mix is Alex Wyse, known for appearing in the Broadway production of Spring Awakening, as Saul's grandson, Saul. There will also be a new version of Darla named -- wait for it! -- Darlita. Darlita will be played by Danube Hermosillo. Hermosillo has appeared on Criminal Minds and Modern Family.
Bell also says that the original Sally will also somehow still figure into the story. Despite Conley's passing a decade ago, Sally has been kept alive off-screen. Just recently she was said to be enjoying the company of some hot cabana boys.
"[W]e've come up with some cool ways to make her a part of this new story," Bell teases.
While B&B is keeping the details of this new storyline under wraps, Bell did reveal that Mick Cain, who played Sally's son C.J., will figure into the mix. C.J. owns the warehouse that is scheduled for demolition. When the younger Sally pops up with the wide-eyed dream of reviving Spectra, C.J. will give her a chance to make it happen -- but there will be a strict deadline.
Will this revive the Forrester-Spectra rivalry? Is there any way that a gang of upstarts can make a go of running a fashion house? Will the new Spectra try to poach folks from Forrester? For the answers, you'll just have to stay tuned to B&B. But there are lots of other tidbits and teasers in TV Insider's interview. You can read that here.
What do you think about the arrival of the next generation of Spectra? Are you glad to see the Forresters will get a little competition? 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.
