The Real Reason Peter Reckell Is Returning As Bo To Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem
Peter Reckell won over hearts when he was cast as Bo Brady on "Days of Our Lives" in the early 1980s, per Soap Central. The actor was later romantically paired up with the character Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso), and Bo and Hope quickly became one of daytime television's hottest super couples (via Soaps).
"Days of Our Lives" viewers watched Bo and Hope go through many trials and tribulations during their time together. They tied the knot in a royal wedding, welcomed three children together, and even got through the death of their young son, Zack Brady. It seemed that no matter what life threw their way, they always ended up back together and stronger than before, per Soaps in Depth.
Sadly, Bo returned to Salem in 2015 after a long absence and reunited with Hope. Although fans were ecstatic to see the duo back together, things took a tragic turn when Bo was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given very little time to live. Bo began spending time with his family and later died in Hope's arms — providing fans with one of the saddest "Days of Our Lives" deaths in the history of the show, per The Wrap.
However, since that time, Bo has returned in spirit form on a couple of occasions, and fans still love the character and Reckell as much as ever.
Peter Reckell left Days of Our Lives to focus on his family
Peter Reckell left "Days of Our Lives" in 2015 after decades of portraying the fan-favorite character Bo Brady. Viewers were heartbroken to see Bo leave Salem, but hopeful that he would one day return. In 2020, the actor admitted that he made the difficult decision to exit the soap opera in favor of spending more time with his family, especially his daughter Loden. "I just wanna enjoy this time with my daughter before she's off and running with her own life," Reckell said, per Soap Hub.
According to Soap Opera Spy, Reckell said it was hard for him to leave the house to go to work at "Days of Our Lives" when his daughter would beg him to stay home with her. "As significant as Bo Brady is to me as an actor, being her father is much more important," the actor said of his decision.
However, Reckell hasn't forgotten Bo. Following his character's death, the soap icon has returned to reprise the role in spirit form on a few occasions. Most recently, Reckell appeared as Bo to his daughter Ciara Brady (Victoria Konefal) and his best friend Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) during April 2022 episodes of the soap (via IMDb).
During the time of the appearance, it was revealed that Reckell would also return to play Bo Brady on the show's spin-off series "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem," and the actor revealed that he returned for some very specific reasons.
Peter Reckell loved the storyline for Season 2 of Beyond Salem
Peter Reckell moved back to the United States from his home in New Zealand, which allowed him to film scenes for "Days of Our Lives," and fans loved it (via Soap Opera Spy). During that time, he also had an important meeting about joining "Beyond Salem." Reckell claims that he was excited about the storyline and how the character of Bo Brady would be utilized throughout the five-episode limited series.
"In late January, when I came down to do [the network show], we sat down in the office, and [Albert Alarr, our co-executive producer] presented me with the storyline for Peacock," the actor told Soap Opera Digest (via Soap Central). "The writers came up with something that is really amazing; they came up with a really cool idea. And I was impressed about the storyline and grateful how they worked Bo in."
Reckell went on to reveal that he was a bit nervous to step back into Bo's shoes, but that the energy on the show was wonderful. "When I left ten years ago, I was like, 'Maybe I just left in time. It's a sinking ship here.' But when I went in there, the energy — the crew, the actors — everybody's just so into making the best story happen that they can, and I was just happy to be there and people were happy to see me. The whole experience was just great," he confessed.
It seems that the writing and atmosphere reeled Reckell back in, and fans are so glad that it did.