Annie Richards (also Douglas) is a fictional character from the American television soap opera Sunset Beach, played by Sarah Buxton.

"[2] The programme's creator Aaron Spelling was unhappy with the style choices for Annie that the serial's production made.

Spelling decided to choose Annie's style because he felt skirts, boots and low hanging necklaces fitted the character's image.

[3] Annie is characterised as a "top heavy scheming vixen" with light morals and portrays the image of a "poor little rich girl".

[5] While comedian Howie Mandel and television host Jerry Springer were signed up to appear in Annie's game show fantasy.

From the first day, Annie was plotting her way to win the affections of Ben Evans (Clive Robertson), spending all her father's money and skipping college.

Her main enemy was Meg Cummings (Susan Ward), a woman who came to Sunset Beach from Kansas and eventually hooked up with her Internet lover Ben Evans.

After giving up on Ben for good, Annie learned that she had to marry Gregory Richards (Sam Behrens) by the end of June 1998 in order to get her father's inheritance.

Annie's opportunity came when she was asked by Gregory's daughter Caitlin Richards (Vanessa Dorman) to help her find a baby to introduce as her own.

She took a newborn baby from yet main nemesis, Olivia Richards (Lesley-Anne Down), Gregory's ex-wife and Caitlin's mother.

After her husband was presumed dead, Annie found love in Jude Cavanaugh (Sean Kanan), an undercover cop.

[7] For her portrayal of Annie, Buxton was nominated in the category of "Outstanding heroine" at the 1998 Soap Opera Digest Awards.

[8] Justine Elias of The New York Times said Buxton and Anne Down showed signs of "becoming a classic matchup of battling soap opera vixens" in the respective roles of Annie and Olivia.

"[6] Seli Groves of The Dispatch opined that Sunset Beach were using Annie's fantasies of Jerry Springer solely in a bid to gain ratings.