40 years ago today, Peter Reckell (Bo Brady) made his Days of our Lives debut. In the years that followed, Reckell would go on to become a household name and one-half of one of the most popular couples in television history.
Flash forward to 2023 where Reckell is still just as popular with fans, but his on-screen alter ego isn't doing quite as well. Last Friday, Reckell's short-term return to Days of our Lives ended with Bo in a coma with his beloved "Fancy Face," Hope Brady, by his side.
It's not the happily ever after ending that "Bope" fans had been hoping for -- and it turns out it isn't even the happy ending that the show's writers wanted.
In an exchange on Twitter last week with a disgruntled fan, DAYS breakdown writer Jamey Giddens revealed that "Ron [Carlivati] pitched a Happily Ever After where the couple reunited, returned to Salem, saw Doug, Julie and Victor then went off to hunt Megan. For whatever reason, that story wasn't approved."
How did the show end up delivering a story resolution that seemingly no one wanted? That's not entirely clear. It could have something to do with Reckell and Alfonso's availability, the recent two-year renewal from Peacock, the strike by members of the Writers Guild of America, or a combination of the three.
In a recent livestream with Michael Fairman, Reckell offered a little bit of insight into the story and whether or not Bo and Hope could pop up on-screen in the future.
"Ken [Corday, DAYS' executive producer] said, 'Just hold tight because we don't have anything for you now.' There are a lot of balls that are up in the air that they are juggling. Right now, we're just in a wait and see [as to] when and if they will bring the story back."
When asked how he'd feel if the show did not revisit the storyline and left Bo comatose, Reckell was quite clear about his feelings.
"It wouldn't be fair to the fans. They poured a lot of themselves and their emotions [into this]. It would be like when Bo left [in 2012] and never returned," Reckell said. "They respected the fans enough back then to have Bo come back in and have a couple of weeks with a real goodbye. To leave it like this ... I can't even think about it. I don't see how it's possible. It would be very disrespectful to the fans."
You can watch the entire interview with Peter Reckell below. Give it a look and then let us know how you feel about how the Bo/Hope storyline played out -- and what you want to see moving forward.
UPDATE (May 4, 2023): Peter Reckell took to Twitter to thank fans for their "support and passion over the years."
Thanks for all the love and tweets over the last few days. This last year has been really heartwarming ,coming back to my Days family. Being reminded of my history there ,has touched me deeply. Thanks to all of you for your support and passion over the years.
— Peter Reckell (@peterreckell) May 4, 2023
What are your thoughts on the Bo and Hope reunion storyline? Are you willing to wait to get the Bope happy ending? 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.
