te.

Unfortunately, yup. It's like all those "self-aware" "gay" shows that are just so gay that they become completely unrelatable because they're all about being gay (absolutely not heterosexual). I find them completely unrelateable because they're not true to life despite being directed at me. And then how can anyone else find them relateable? At best, they end up being a joke and a punch line. I'm sorry for ranting. It's odd and I don't feel like explaining it but yeah. I think Val Jean knows about universal feelings while also making it interesting and not trying to bland it down. I guess that's my hope for BTG if I can project my feelings for a nervous minute lol.

At the risk of offending anyone am I the only white European person who just doesn't "get" Tyler Perry, but gets what exactly they're going for with this trailer? Maybe there's something subtle in the language or just anything else, but it connects. Tyler Perry's shows are weird where it's just trash-o-rama. It's more like they justify their behavior because they're black (which oddly feels racist in a roundabout way?), not the other way around. Does that even make sense?

What's funny about RuPaul's Drag Race is that the more broad it's trying to become, the less honest it is. I hope Beyond the Gates can balance this - broad emotions, but true to themselves. Hell, take it as a tag line.

Just another few thoughts about the trailer - we're clearly joining in with the break down of one marriage (Karla Moselys' character) and the supposed beginning of another marriage, which is a very clever way to intertwine it. I'll admit that the "purse line" storyline that will totally change her life might be the one that I will rag endlessly on about but all soaps will have that lmao. Sort of indifferent towards the whole "somebody wants to kill you" bit, but I do get the impression that the other Dupree sister might be a meddler, which is always fun.

Uploaded it here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/bgiwa7st1anaxli/Beyond+the+Gates+-+NEW+DAYTIME+DRAMA+SERIES+PREMIERES+MONDAY+FEBRUARY+24+720.mp4/file

Love of Life has so few surviving episodes from the 50s, but every time you tune into them you know what you're getting with Meg and Van's relationship even if they don't share a scene. This is the sort of recognisable I think the show needs. I guess my point of view that I hope they delve into it is coloured by the fact I just watched Sydney's first two episodes on Melrose Place, but sibling rivalry is just great soap fodder. I want it to absolutely fester in the background between them.

Messy sister relationships are like the bread and butter of soaps! I hope they push for this more.

I'm assuming for one of the girls' kids? It looks great and gives more context to everything. On a shallow note - I do love the sets. The one thing I can critique is that they could work a bit on the lightning, but it's a bit like looking a gift horse in the mouth. For those of you who can't view it on CBS YouTube (stupid country restrictions, boo!), I uploaded it here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/bgiwa7st1anaxli/Beyond+the+Gates+-+NEW+DAYTIME+DRAMA+SERIES+PREMIERES+MONDAY+FEBRUARY+24+720.mp4/file

That's because some problems are just universal once people can see beyond black, white, gay, straight or whatever arbitrary category people may place others in. Val Jean clearly understands this from interviews and is clearly pushing for it. However, the issue will always be to get people to give a show a shot in the first place - clearly you might've walked into Queen Sugar because of Vaughan, but clearly stayed because storylines, characters and actors connected to you in a personal sense. And that's what the promotion for Beyond the Gates needs to realistically achieve - get people to give it a chance for whatever reason, but stay for the drama and because they suddenly connect to characters they might not have expected to.

You're probably right and it's me letting the complete cynic in me take over Of course it makes sense to try and promote the non-core cast members more in relation with each other (ie Mike Manning and Brandon Claybon should probably appear in the same promotional circuit). I just hope they take all opportunities to promote this far and wide and manages to walk that thin line between not pigeon-holing the show while also celebrating for it for what it's setting out to achieve.

It's clear that a lot of care went into casting those roles and it makes sense. Make a strong core to carry the show in it's infancy, while have others act more like moving chess pieces and let things fall where they may. Inevitably, there'll be some stand outs among the other cast members and others that really won't be able to connect in a wider sense. My plan would be to mainly focus on the "core four" with nationwide media coverage, with a bit of others sprinkled in. I'd then utilise local media and news outlets - especially in the rust belt - for the white cast members. Yes, it's cynical but that's a big audience that still watches linear television (see the success of Yellowstone and Taylor Sheridan), but might need an extra push to check it out. That way it wouldn't take the shine from what Val Jean and the show is trying to do, but at the same time maximise the appeal and not just pigeonhole the show as the "black soap opera". A bit like having your cake and eating it too, if you will.

Well, that's mostly on me for trying to describe where the focus will inevitably be in the early days - trying to give everyone an equal focus from day one would be a mistake because we can only process so much information. Putting the focus on a small group of people and then build it out from there is a good strategy because it gives people recognizeable faces to begin with and gives other characters a chance to grow / room for experimentation what works and what doesn't. I think Val Jean recognizes that, though hopefully she also realises that eventually she needs to expand to give others a chance to shine so it doesn't become what modern B&B is.

The "core four" makes the most sense to focus on as you said. Though I kind of hope that they start underscoring a bit that this is first and foremost a soap and not a black soap, just so that they can maximise the amount of viewers. I think subtly putting in a scene with the non-black couple in the latest promo was a smart move. The focus is still on the Duprees (more specifically on Karla), but sort of gives it a bit of a wider net.

Well, I finally watched the first episode and I'll say I understand why this didn't take off. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman had such clear vision from day one, this is sort of just hitting the same point with all the couples featured so far - the women work, the men don't. I hope it improves eventually but it feels very one note.

The whole fatal flaw of these soap collectors - they sit on their episodes and lets them dust in case they can trade rare episodes with other soap fans... but for what really? I guess it's become a cottage industry that's sustaining itself for no other reason than ultimately scam people of money for material they themselves do not own.

In September 1994 Dunne said he was still writing the script as either a tv series or a tv movie. So I think it's more down to CBS having committed to filming something at that point or face a fine, so they did this very low-budget movie. I can only assume if CPW hadn't happened they might've given it a bigger budget to add more gloss. But I suspect it's more of a case of them quietly dropping their commitment to Dunne and doing the bare minimum. It's worth remembering they signed on Darren immediately with 13 episodes of CPW in December 1994, later expanded to a full season before even airing (later cut by one episode, likely to fund the "revamp"). Same thing with shows like The Client and American Gothic to secure the talent. Or to put it bluntly - I just don't think CBS had money to spend on making Dunne's pilot / tv movie. Did it even air in the US? I can only find a vague that it premiered in "1995" on IMDB, but no firm date. I can't find it in old listnings on Tv Tango either, but it might be that their search engine doesn't quite work.

I searched the Google News Archives for it and the only thing I can find is an article from September 1994 which mentions Dominic Dunne developing the script as either a tv series or a tv movie. I'm guessing CBS had no faith in it or need for it, especially once they landed a deal with Darren Star but had committed to filming it, so they did it low-budget to keep their end of it. ETA: to further my suspicions that this happened I took a look at when Darren landed at CBS - it was December 1994 when the deal with him was announced. So they must've been in negotiations with him for a few months. I'd assume this killed 919 Fifth Avenue.

Exactly. I don't actually think Angela was evil for the sake of it - she could actually be quite cordial to Chase when she didn't find him a threat. She went after people when they interfered with the land - a bit if Miss Ellie actually started getting more proactive and aggressive with protecting Southfork other than nagging to JR about not drilling on it lol. I don't actually think Angela really was that fussed about her family running it either, which was also an interesting quirk. Sure, she had more or less raised Lance - perhaps of some internalised sexism about having a rough time herself - to run it. But if he couldn't live up to her standards and make the land thrive? Well, Cole would do... maybe Vicki in a pinch. I actually wish the show would've in a serious way explored the Angela / Melissa dynamic in that sense, but they just turned Melissa into a crazy loose cannon.

I think soaps in general have issues with physical action unfortunately due to the lack of rehearsal time and no money for stunt co-ordinators, so it always ends up falling a bit flat because the performer ends up being too self-conscious to just go for it. I do think she has the crazy eye stare down though (since it's a discussion apparently) 😂 I mean, I want a scene like this from her:

To be honest, it just sounds like they merged the Richard character that made the Vintage Years pilot and the Timothy character.

Looks great! The sets look amazing - I guess filming in Atlanta gives them that luxury. The only thing I hope improves a bit is Karla's physical energy during her freak outs (throwing the cup / swinging the golf club), but I feel that's more of a general direction thing (being afraid of hurting other actors / sets) so that's understandable. It might get a bit better co-ordinated once everyone gets used to it.

Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark and Michele Lee are putting together their own podcast: https://michaelfairmantv.com/donna-mills-joan-van-ark-michele-lee-developing-knots-landing-themed-podcast/2025/01/15/ I'm happy about this! I've been enjoying Still the Place with Courtney, Laura and Daphne so I was actually hoping they'd do this.

Exactly. A lot of soaps in the past that have failed have tried to introduce way too many characters at the same time. I've said it before, but it makes sense to focus on a limited set of characters and establish them (even if it gives certain actors a heavy workload at first), then work from there and slowly start fleshing out other characters. But if they throw twenty characters at us in the first week and wants us to equally care for them... it won't work. Make us understand the dynamics between the core characters and then weave in how the other characters work into that.

TBF, Annalynne signed a year contract like Steve Burton did. I feel like she was always going to play that out and be done.