Great news, suds fans: The charming and exquisitely handsome Jay Kenneth Johnson is reprising his old part as Philip Kiriakis on Days of our Lives. The NBC sudser confirms to TVGuide.com that JKJ reports back to work at Days next week. His first airdate is Jan. 12, 2007. Hurrah! FYI, JKJ left Days in 2002 to try his luck in prime-time TV and films. In the minds of many viewers — yours truly included — he was the one and only Philip Kiriakis. So when Philip recast Kyle Brandt left Days at the end of his three-year contract this fall, many hoped JKJ would return to his signature soap role. When I recently interviewed Days head writer Hogan Sheffer, I couldn’t resist nudging him to bring back JKJ. "Jay will certainly be considered when the time comes [to recast Philip]," Sheffer agreed. "He’s a great-looking guy, and everybody loved him on Days."
TV Guide (story) and JKJ-Now (photo)
I can’t wait!!! Now if they only brought back the old Shawn I would be a very happy camper.
