'Bold and the Beautiful': Lesbian storyline in the works

CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful plans to bring back a popular character from Guiding Light to help launch its first-ever lesbian story line.

EW has learned exclusively that Crystal Chappell (pictured, left) — who was last seen playing Olivia, the popular lesbian lover of Natalia (Jessica Leccia) on Guiding Light — will portray Danielle, the other mother of Caroline Spencer (Linsey Godfrey, pictured, center). Caroline was introduced last month as the never-before-seen daughter of Karen Spencer, who is played by longtime B&B favorite Joanna Johnson (pictured, right). Johnson returned to the sudser last month to begin the romantic story line.

Caroline already knows she has two mothers, but the good people of Los Angeles (where B&B is based) don’t know the truth. She’ll reveal it to boyfriend Thomas Forrester and her uncle — and Karen’s brother — Bill (Don Diamont). The episodes that will include the Chappell’s debut will air in mid-May.

The CBS soaps have aired gay story lines before: Besides the popular Olivia-Natalia storyline on Guiding Light, there was also Luke and Noah (Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann) on As the World Turns. But this is a first for B&B, CBS’ half-hour sudser that’s been on the network since 1987.

Meanwhile, NBC’s Days of Our Lives is struggling to gain traction with its first-ever gay story line that began last summer. Though the soap ended up making far sexier moves, bringing back fan faves like Deidre Hall, Drake Hogestyn, Patrick Muldoon and Christie Clark, the changes haven’t made a huge impact on the bottom line.