Since the day it was announced that Cameron Mathison was returning to daytime, there was a lot of guessing as to who he would play. On Aug. 16, the mystery will be answered. Many guessed it would be as Drew Cain in "General Hospital." Give them all cigars. Mathison said the show did not let him know until two weeks before taping. He did some research and learned Drew was a good guy. He is the father of Sam's daughter, Scout. Also, he is Jason's twin brother. Drew "died" in a plane crash on a mission to rescue a group of people held captive by the Taliban. Just as she considers Jason her son, the same is true of Drew. The first photos of Mathison as Drew look very gnarly.

Here is an early holiday present. Melissa Reeves, who has played Jennifer Horton on and off for 30 years, is back again. "Days of Our Lives" is being coy, and its cast and crew know that they will be fired if they give anything up. There is a photo of Jennifer and her hubby Jack hanging a Christmas ornament. Reeves did not want to fly back and forth during the COVID-19 pandemic, so she left the show. Jack without Jennifer is Jack out of the box. They brought in Cady McClain to play the role for a while. She won an Emmy for "Best Guest Actress." However, Matt Ashford, who plays Jack, deserves a better storyline than just being Xander's best friend — although the two are magic together. He needs to be more than Gwen and Abby's dad. He deserves to have his own storyline.

Charles Shaughnessy is headed back to daytime. His prior daytime role was as Shane Donovan, man of mystery. He signed a contract with "General Hospital;" that is all anyone knows. As for the actor, everyone who has watched TV before knows him from "The Nanny," Every time a show needs a button-down type of guy, he gets the role. He's also just a great guy. He said it is his wife Susan who gets him all the work he has in the business.

She is gone. Alison Sweeney posted that this is her last week on "Days." She teased that it's not a sweet goodbye. When is anything ever sweet when it comes to Sam? This time, she destroys Lucas; the character everyone loves.

Jess Walton of "The Young and the Restless" is mourning the death of her husband, John. The duo had been married 40 years and had a son and daughter. He died from liver cancer. He served as a life coach who helped people to deal with loss.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo Credit: Erik Mclean at Unsplash