amc-abc-ec-ps-abc-ec-kendall-sarah-michelle-gellar
Credit: Paul Skipper/JPI, ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection (2)

Yes, of course, we want Susan Lucci to reprise her iconic role of Erica Kane; that’s a given. But we also think another alumna could really, ahem, slay.

When in December of 2020 our sister site Deadline broke the news that ABC was developing a primetime offshoot of much-missed daytime drama All My Children, one line in the site’s description of the proposed series stood out to us. It was going to “wink” at the tropes of the soaps, we were told, much in the manner that Jane the Virgin acknowledged the clichés common to telenovelas.

The more we thought about that notion, the closer we came to drawing a conclusion: Primetime’s Pine Valley should thrust front and center the Emmy winner who originated the role of Erica’s older daughter, Kendall Hart: Sarah Michelle Gellar.

That’s not meant in any way, shape or form as a diss of the spectacular Alicia Minshew, who tackled the part a few years after Gellar departed to slay blood-suckers in the genre-bending Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Minshew is fan-freaking-tastic; the three-time Emmy nominee maintained Kendall’s edge while also making her half of one of daytime’s all-time greatest supercouples.

But walking on the fine line between comedy and drama, seriousness and silliness, is Gellar’s stock in trade. On Buffy, she was deadly with a stake, sure, but arguably even deadlier with a one-liner or a quippy comeback.

It’s as if she lives with a twinkle permanently in her eye.

RINGER, Sarah Michelle Gellar, 'If You Ever Want A French Lesson...', (Season 1, ep. 103, aired Sept. 27, 2011), 2011-. photo: Michael Desmond / © The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection

More: All My Children through the years [PHOTOS]

And it isn’t just lighter fare at which Gellar excels, either. At the risk of making the lot of us misty-eyed, we’ll remind you of the beautiful — heavy! — work that she did as Kendall forged and over and over again destroyed her relationship with biological mom Erica.

Buffy fans know how killer Gellar is at drama, too. She could have us laughing one episode and choking on sobs the next, as our heroine was dealt one devastating blow (the death of mom Joyce) after another (boyfriend Angel’s loss of his soul).

Plus, Pine Valley being aimed at a primetime audience, ABC would just be smart to enhance its star power by shining a spotlight on Gellar. It would be like she was coming full circle, returning to both the network and the part that first brought her to prominence.

What do you think, All My Children fans? Let fly your thoughts in the comments, then check out our below photo gallery of the characters that are must-haves on the new show.