Liz Sanbourne is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions, which aired on National Broadcasting Company (NBC) from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV from 2007 to 2008.

Passions' creator and head writer James E. Reilly had approached Amelia Marshall about the role of Liz Sanbourne after they worked together on Guiding Light.

[1] Marshall said that she was attracted to the character since it was different from her previous performances as Belinda Keffers in All My Children, and Gilly Grant Speakes in Guiding Light.

"[1] Prior to receiving the role, Marshall was already aware of the soap opera's supernatural elements, and said the following about Passions: "... there were always these strange things happening on the show.

[4] Sheraton Kalouria, senior vice president of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)'s daytime programming,[5] described the show's use of color-blind casting as part of an effort to build a diverse pool of characters that best reflected ethnic and racial groups in the United States.

[2] Kalouria believed the show was set apart from other soap operas, by including "the African American Russells and the Hispanic Lopez-Fitzgeralds".

[3] Early in the show, Marshall commented that Liz's relationship with former lover Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald was not defined by the differences in the characters' races.

Echoing Marshall's sentiment, Tracey Ross, who portrays Liz's adoptive sister Eve Russell, identified social class as the biggest obstacle for relationships on Passions rather than race.

"[6] Describing the role as an improvement over the girl next door characters she had previously played, she interpreted Liz's "unhealed pain and anger", primarily her inability to reconcile with her adoptive sister, as interesting acting challenges.

[2] She attributed Liz's behavior in the 2005 episodes to the character "operat[ing] even crazier than she normally does", describing her mental unraveling as a fun story arc to perform.

Commentators believed that the decision to remove several of the series' main characters was influenced by the slashing of the budget by "a reported $4-to-$5 million" to secure its renewal.

Even though Passions representatives clarified the budget cuts were limited to a reduction in the production team, sets, and extras, television critics connected the departures of certain actors to the show's financial restraints.

[13] TV Guide's soap opera columnist, Daniel R. Coleridge was critical of Liz's exit, writing that it prevented fans from "enjoy[ing] the pleasure of watching [her] digest all of that explosive info and act upon it.

Mr. Sanbourne repeatedly molested Liz after Eve left home and became a nightclub singer and a prostitute and started a relationship with businessman Julian Crane.

Upon returning to Harmony on Christmas Eve, Brian reveals his identity as Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald, the long lost brother of Luis, and Liz and Diana convince him to reunite with his family.

In 2003, Liz buys the Blue Note, a jazz club Julian constructed as a copy of the place where he first met Eve, as a cover to stay in Harmony longer without raising suspicion.

The reveal that "the hard-working, kind-hearted hotel owner" Liz was Eve's sister was cited as one of Passions' biggest twists by a writer from Soap Opera Digest, who described the moment as "a slap-filled reunion".

[15] Liz's constant attempts to seek revenge against her adoptive sister was included as a highlight on Soap.com's Lori Wilson's overview of the high points of Eve's story arcs.

[16] Prior to the reveal of her true identity, Candace Havens of The Free Lance-Star felt that Liz would be a fan favorite character.

Havens praised Liz as a woman with "well-rounded views and good sense of humor", pointing to her attempts to reunite the then supercouple Sheridan Crane and Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald as one of her appealing characteristics.

[6][10] Ross felt that Marshall had the most demanding role on the soap opera, and commended her ability to make "Liz want[ing] to have sex in the middle of the tsunami" look believable.

[20][21] In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Ross criticized the decision to remove Marshall, and said, "When you're an actress of her caliber and kind to everyone and plan Christmas parties and celebrate everyone's birthday and know your lines and are the most darling girl that ever breathed, of course you're going to be fired!

"[20] Rodney Van Johnson, who portrayed T. C. Russell, said that he was disappointed when the show began removing its racially diverse actors, feeling that it was a sign of its imminent cancellation.