The days keep getting better. The reboot of "Days of Our Lives" is stellar. If you stopped watching, go back, and if you never watched, now is the time to tune in.?Kicking off with the prison break provided action, mystery and compelling drama. Having most of the major families living under the same roof is great. The Dimera mansion and the Krirakis estate allow for plenty of juicy confrontations and loving moments.

Character traits have shifted. Sonny left a sweet boy and returned an astute man. Andre is no longer a cartoonish villain. Theo, who is autistic, has not shown signs of the syndrome for almost a year. Dana Higley, the show's current head writer, has an autistic child, so she understands how significant it is that autism be accurately portrayed. A near tragedy will cause Theo to regress. When a show portrays an actual malady, it is imperative that they are true to it.

Now for the great news. Greg Vaughn (Eric) is returning to "Days." You will need to wait until January, but he is worth the wait. Since his exit from the show, he has had several night time gigs, including "Queen Sugar" and "Lucifer." "After coming toward the completion of 'Queen Sugar,' I had the opportunity to speak with the executives and head writers at Days of our Lives," said Vaughan in a statement. "I've always been proud of my time and the work I contributed to 'DAYS,' and I was excited at the opportunity to reunite with the cast and crew. I feel my job as an actor is about more than just stepping on stage and taking a role. I'm trying to create a presence that resonates for myself and the core of Eric Brady. I feel Eric's journey will have a huge and impactful return!" ?When Eric took his downward spiral to alcohol and drunk driving which led to the death of Daniel, he commented,?"Alcohol is a serious addiction, and a dangerous path for many who battle this disease. [Eric] is tragically becoming a lost soul, and someone who has professed so much faith, is now drifting away to this self-medicating by way of alcohol, which is hard on so many levels. I can see people calling Eric a hypocrite, contradicting everything he has professed as a former priest. And that's not something that I wanted to bring light to, but we're all human, and I think that because of his convictions and feelings of huge responsibility, depression kicks in and starts the drinking in motion. The burden of guilt, disappointment, lies, etc. ... all begins to factor in because of Eric's ignorance. He's going to have so much weight on him that is so overwhelming that he's going to be in complete turmoil. Only pushing him further down into the bottle, he will lose sight of who he is as a person and his direction in life." ?It will be powerful drama to see who is jail time has changed him. Also to see how the folks of Salem who lost loved ones will react to his return.

Speaking of returns. Drake Hogestyn is back on the 'Days' set. In April he suffered a head injury while doing a scene, which actually aired this week. John was trying to save loved ones from the three jail birds, who broke out of prison to destroy Salem. A door was not properly secured and Drake slammed into it headfirst. His injuries were serious enough to have him off the set for months. On the very day that scene aired, Hogestyn was back on set.

A beloved character is also back — Valerie Grant is returning. The character was part of the first interracial couple when she became involved with Julie's son David. The plot played out in the 1970s and was cut short because audiences vowed to boycott the show. Even while the story was being told, the couple was not allowed to hold hands, let alone kiss.

On October 25, Vanessa Williams takes on the role of Valerie. Grant, a world-class cardiologist, will interact with her former love interest Abe Carver and his autistic son Theo. Since his mother Renee died, Theo has had dear old dad all to himself. But do not expect Theo to welcome Dr. Grant with open arms or an open mind.

Steve Burton (Dylan) is exiting "The Young and the Restless" after a three year run. Burton, who played Jason on "General Hospital," set the soap world abuzz when he decided to exit GH after 20 years. Burton took to twitter to announce his December departure from Y&R. In the last few months, Y&R has had several behind the scenes shake ups. New executive producers and head writers have taken over. Burton, who lives in Nashville, loves being a business man as much as he loves acting. No word on whether Dylan, who is involved with everyone on the 'Y&R' canvas, will be replaced. With the "you are not Sully's' father "arc about to be revealed, it could be goodbye to Genoa City, The gossip plot thickens. Rumor has it that Burton may be headed back to GH. Billy Miller, who replaced him, may be returning to "Y&R' as Billy. Jason Thompson, who left the role of Patrick on GH to play Billy on Y&R may return to GH.This may sound confusing, but hey, you watch soaps, so you can follow anything!

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