DOOL Preview: ‘Amazing’ Twists Ahead for ‘Shelle’ From the ‘Chef’s Kiss’ That Is the New Writers

Sometimes, soap opera twists can’t hold a candle to the surprises life throws at us. When Brandon Beemer and Martha Madison left Days of Our Lives, for instance, as Shawn and Belle went overseas, we thought that they could be done for good. And so, too, apparently, did both actors!

But happily, they weren’t! Back when Madison stepped away, she’d turned down the chance to recur occasionally after being let go for “budget reasons.”

If they weren’t going to showcase Belle, one of the show’s biggest legacy characters, as anything more than an occasional lawyer, she wasn’t interested in popping in from time to time for little more than cameos.

And that’s likely why the actress tells TV Insider she didn’t expect to ever come back — and certainly not in any major capacity.

We first saw her pop up to honor the show’s 59th anniversary and John and Marlena’s anniversary, which was, sadly, filmed after Drake Hogestyn had grown too ill to appear on the show anymore.

But her appearance didn’t end there, though Madison admits that she didn’t sign on to stick around “for an extended period of time at the beginning, just kind of see how it went.”

How it went sounds absolutely amazing. “It was, honestly, my wish list come true,” she tells TV Insider, “and it’s been so nice. I’ve had the best time I’ve ever had this last year.”

And since she hadn’t wanted to recur if Belle was just going to be tossed legal scraps and ignored, it sounds like we can expect a lot of actual, juicy story for her and Shawn if Madison is that happy!

Though, judging by the season preview we got at Day of Days, they may not spend the entire time together as a couple.

Shawn, meanwhile, is set to pop back up on Friday, as news of grandfather Doug’s death spreads.

When someone like Bill Hayes dies and his character gets an epic sendoff, you expect the show to bring back a ton of characters and family members. So we weren’t exactly surprised to see Brandon Beemer’s name mentioned in the returns months back.

But Shawn’s not ending with the funeral this time. Beemer tells TV Insider that he just didn’t expect to come back at all, after “that first little stint.”

But, “then you come back, and then you go, and then you come back again.” And it sounds like it just kind of took off, keeping Beemer and Madison back in Salem where they belong.

Everyone from co-executive producer Janet Spellman Drucker to former head writer Ron Carlivati were great, Madison explains to TV Insider, and the show’s new handwriting team, Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford, “who took over are chef’s kiss.”

“There’s a lot of chapters for a lot of things coming,” she reveals. “I love how much it’s all kind of criss-crossing.

We’re getting to work with everyone, and there’s a lot of great drama coming. We’re eight or nine months ahead right now, so it’s going to be a while before you see all of it, but it’s been amazing.”

We know there’s Doug’s farewell, then we’ll have John’s disappearance and, eventually, death.

It looks like Shawn and Belle are going to be splitting (something Madison has admitted she’s happy to explore, at least for the soapy drama of it) and she’s going to hook up with EJ — which is probably going to make things uncomfortable when Sami comes back once again!

As for Shawn, Jan’s still out there with the baby she tried to pass off as his, and with Rafe having just quit the force, they could surely use another cop on the payroll to help out!

And then there’s the promised Bo and Hope return, as it sure sounds like Bo’s set to wake up in the show’s 60th season and finally bring Shawn’s parents back together again.

And that should be a weight off of Shawn’s shoulders after putting his dad in a coma!

So yes, we can see the potential for so much storyline with so many characters for these two, and we can’t wait to get to it!