Concerning Pamela Sue Martin's return in season 9 versus keeping Emma Samms on, here is what producer David Paulsen told
@James from London in a 2008 interview. Though the old SoapChat is gone, thankfully the interview lives on on the Ultimate Dallas website:
http://www.ultimatedallas.com/backstage/pauslen.html
David: When I first got the show and started screening the episodes to see who was popping off the screen and I saw Emma Samms, I thought to myself, she's a beautiful young woman, but she's stiff – with a British accent–I - in Denver? (James laughs) I couldn't buy that. And I'd heard that her predecessor, Pamela Sue . . .?
James: Pamela Sue Martin.
David: Pamela Sue Martin. I'd heard the audience loved her. And the audience did not like Emma. And so I started thinking, "What if?" And came up with an idea to bring Pamela Sue Martin back in a rather interesting way that would have shocked the audience.
James: Oh really?
David: But first I wanted to meet with Emma. I called her, she came into my office and I said, "My God, this a beautiful, charming young woman. Bright, intelligent, funny. But none of that's on the screen."
James: Yeah.
David: I asked her why. She said she didn't have anything to work with. And I thought she was right. I thought "If we can capture who Emma really is, then we have a character people will like." So I made some changes in her wardrobe, brought in a coach to get rid of her accent. And decided to give her a love interest who would kind of bring her character down to earth. What about a New York cop? So we created the character of Zorelli who came in to investigate the murder of Roger Grimes, which is how they met of course.
James: Yep.
David: And we created the love affair that began between the two of them. Distant at first, but it worked. You had this Noo Yawk detective comin' in dere (James chuckles) wit Emma Samms, and it brought her to a reality that the audience had not seen.
James: Yeah, totally.
David: It wasn't very long before she started getting some terrific fan mail. People were starting to love her.
James: It was a total transformation. It really was. But I have to ask you cos people will want to know, what was the idea of bringing Pamela Sue Martin back? What were you gonna do? How were you gonna do that?
David (laughs): Well, the previous year - you probably remember this better than I - there was a situation where I think Sammy Jo was after John James, but John James was in love with Fallon. Something like that?
James: I think the cliff-hanger was he'd proposed to Fallon to get married for the third time or whatever, but he was in bed with Sammy Jo - or the other way round, but it was something like that anyway!
David: Something like that. What I was gonna do was after the proposal, I was gonna have him go back to his apartment alone, his mind on Fallon and Sammy Jo. It was dark. He'd go in, exhausted, and he’d just sort of fall into bed without turning on a light. And somebody's already in bed. Thinking it’s SammyJo, he says, "Oh for godsake!" and turns on the light, and it's Pamela Sue Martin.
James: Oh brilliant!
(Both laugh)
David: I directed the last two shows and Emma was very prominent in them; I waited until she was finished – for the year – and told her the story! (Laughter) She was shocked! And I'm so glad I didn't replace her because, although it would have made for a great cliff-hanger for the year, Emma worked out superbly.
