primetime movies returns
Credit: Images: Jill Johnson/JPI (2), Michael Germana/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Priscilla Grant/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Whoever said “You can’t go home again” was as wrong as wrong can be.

When General Hospital announced that Kim Delaney was joining the cast in Demi Moore’s old role of Jackie Templeton, a lotta people were like, “Wait, whaaat? Huh? But she did NYPD Blue. Army Wives.” Though the actress had gotten her start playing ill-fated Jenny Gardner on All My Children, the perception was that “She’s a primetime person now.”

But here’s the thing. Once an actor has done daytime, soap is always in their veins. They can leave, go on and do a million different things — blockbuster movies and hit series, you name it — and not only will a part of them always be a soap star, daytime will always have a home for them.

More: Inside soap stars’ real-life friendships [PHOTOS]

Heck, sometimes soap standouts stay away for decades before returning to lather up once again in afternoon television. It doesn’t matter. It still works. Daytime still leaves a light on and a key under the mat. And we still love ’em.

Take, for instance, the actors included in the photo gallery below. From Shemar Moore (ex-Malcolm, The Young and the Restless) to Finola Hughes (Anna, General Hospital), from Rena Sofer (Quinn, The Bold and the Beautiful) to Peter Reckell (ex-Bo, Days of Our Lives), they all left daytime, tackled myriad other projects and, at one point or another, revisited the genre that gave them their starts.

Wanna read all the details — and check out the pictures? Just click below. And while you’re here, be sure to sign up for the free Soaps.com newsletter — it’ll deliver straight to your email inbox all of our latest stories.