‘The Bold and the Beautiful’: Tanner Novlan’s Exit Doesn’t Mean Finn is Gone For Good
Fans of TV soap operas should already be familiar with The Bold and the Beautiful. As one of the two kings of the genre, it’s entertained fans of multiple generations with its continuous storylines of drama, intrigue, betrayal, and scandal since it first came on the air in 1987.
Many great characters and prolific actors have taken spots in the cast since then, one of them being Tanner Novlan. While having earned a place in the hearts of many fans after only a few years on the show, could his time already be coming to an end? Rumors say maybe, with an answer likely to come in the next few weeks.
Novlan plays Finn on the show but hasn’t had much screentime as of late
On B&B, Novlan plays the character of Dr. John “Finn” Finnegan. Starting his time on the show in July of 2020, he was initially introduced as Steffy Forrester’s doctor who helped her heal from a motorcycle crash, and eventually, from the pain pill addiction she developed from it. As teased in their initial meeting, the two characters eventually fall in love and marry after this point, with John’s complicated backstory and secret relationships with previous characters unraveling as he became a series regular.
Despite becoming an established part of the cast, fans noted that Finn’s been a bit sparse on screentime over the last year or so. While he’s appeared in plenty of episodes, his actual role in them has been somewhat limited. Some have chalked it up to the fact that Novlan has been filming a pilot for a show called Puckheads, in which he seems to be playing a major character. Others, however, think the showrunners might be gearing up to write him out of the series, with a CBS source connected to Celebrating the Soaps seeming to unofficially verify this.
A shocking cliffhanger has added more fuel to the fire
While nothing has been confirmed about Novlan officially leaving the show, things have quickly turned dire for Finn. Last year, legacy character Sheila Carter returned to the show, the villain being revealed as Finn’s long-lost biological mother. She’s often been in conflict with Steffy because of her desire to be in Finn’s life and the fact that she’s … well, evil.
This all came to a head in the April 1st episode. At the climax, Sheila pulls a gun on Steffy and prepares to shoot her. At the last moment, however, Finn jumps in front and takes the bullet. Staggering out of the house, he eventually collapses and loses consciousness, ending the episode.
Novlan himself has remained quiet on social media and in the press regarding the fate of his character, however, Finn recently died and Soaps reports Novlan has left the show now that Finn is really dead.
Finn is clearly very dead – however, death in the soap opera world doesn’t necessarily mean gone for good. Recently, The Young and the Restless, the sister show to The Bold and the Beautiful, recently brought Diane back from the dead, so it’s not entirely unlikely Finn could rise from the grave one day. While there are no reports suggesting so, there’s no guarantee Finn might return again — either with Novlan behind him or with another actor in the role.
Novlan has had a great career on TV and is gearing up for more
Though he may have come to prominence because of B&B, Novlan has several more credits to his career. IMDb shows off his credits, with a decent number of supporting roles under his belt. Prior to his role on the soap, he had minor appearances in hit shows like Modern Family and Letterkenny. More prominently, he was a regular in Mohawk Girls as Midas, and as Gregory in Roswell, New Mexico.
