THE SCOOP

Months after it was revealed that Alison Sweeney had returned to the Burbank-based studio where “Days of our Lives” tapes, we finally know when you’ll get your first glimpse at the actress on the daytime drama series when she reprises her role as Sami Brady DiMera.

Beginning Thursday, June 23, Sami is back in Salem after spending an extended period of time away from her family and friends after deciding to leave town with Lucas (Bryan Dattilo) who at the time had provided her with evidence showing that EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) was behind her kidnapping. In reality, Lucas was actually the one behind everything. EJ was later arrested and charged with the crime. Lucas came back to Salem in May, minus Sami.

During her absence, EJ has grown close to Sami’s younger sister, Belle (Martha Madison), and the pair have recently shared their first kiss. Meanwhile, with his guilt over the truth of the kidnapping getting to him, Lucas has returned to drinking and could possibly have had something to do with the death of Abigail Deveraux DiMera (Marci Miller), who was found murdered by her husband, Chad (Billy Flynn), last week. Chad is EJ’s younger brother and Abigail is Lucas’ niece which further complicates things.

Upon her return, look for Sami to have a lot of questions about what’s been going on. The real question, however, should be will she like the answers she receives? Make sure to tune in to find out!

Reprising the role of Sami in 2017, two years after departing as a full-time cast member, Sweeney’s latest stint is expected to be brief as she is currently only available for short story arcs in order to accommodate her very packed work schedule that includes producing and starring in a host of Hallmark original movies, among other projects.

“I love playing Sami, but no, full-time is not the plan for me because I produce and develop content for Hallmark, and for other streaming services,” Sweeney told PEOPLE last year while promoting the Peacock original movie, “Days of our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas” which saw her playing an exaggerated version of Sami while her son, Will (Chandler Massey), and his husband, Sonny (Zach Tinker), were brainstorming story ideas.

“I love getting to do my own projects: I love producing,” she noted, adding, “It’s really been such a joy, and such a new, fresh, fun challenge for me. I do feel so blessed to be able to have the best of both worlds. The opportunity to go back to ‘DAYS,’ it feels like going home again, to be honest with you. It’s like visiting my family during the holidays. I get to see everyone. I get to play Sami. I get to go home. But then I get to go out and develop these projects and do other things, and expand myself, and push myself.”