Beyond the Gates: Premiere Date, Time Slot Set by CBS

[Soapsuds]

I love the poster putting down Frank Valentini and GH. Why would MJV go back to that train wreck when she has her own show.

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[Paul Raven]

I agree-no winks/nods please.

I really don't envy the team at this point- so many expectations. Hopefully they can ignore the chatter and just focus on a quality product.

[Aback]

For the aspiring writers out there:

why don't you contact MVJ or someone from the production team via Linkedin, Instagram or whatever and pitch your contribution to the team? This is how the industry works these days, especially for the outsiders. I think it'd be wiser to invest your energy in promoting yourselves as opposed to taking to message boards and posting extensive fan fiction which, let's be honest, will never see the light of the day.

[Manny]

Ha! I was just about to propose Vanessa

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[VelekaCarruthers]

RE Guza and Carruthers:

Uninspired, disappointing hires.  Vets (ages 64 and 70) who are relics of the a bygone era in daytime. Out of commission since 2011/2012. Both had large, forgettable periods in their respective soap careers i.e. Guza/co-creator of one of the worst soaps ever (Sunset Beach) and a failed Loving co-head gig at Loving.  He also turned GH into the Sopranos (copy cat/lazy) which haunts (and ruined) GH to this day. 

Carruthers' Port Charles was a dumpster fire and AMC was a sad shell of itself upon cancellation after her 8 year EP term where the show had had 6 head writing teams including Megan McTavish's longest stint (4 years).

[TEdgeofNight]

Disappointed that MVJ is wasting her time correcting myths from 17 years or more ago instead of focusing on The Gates. Surely her time could be better spent on making The Gates the best that it can be. 

[Maxim]

At least MVJ is not wasting her time stalking people on boards and trolling celebrities like some other people. The gall of some to actually tell how MVJ should be spending her free time and insinuating that she is losing her time when she could better spend it on the Gates. If would be funny, if it wasn't desperate and pathetic. Get a life. 

[vanguard]

I think they can do both. Listen to at least some of the chatter while working towards a quality product. Sometimes the audience really do have wonderful ideas.

Great choice as Betty. Beautiful and glamorous, Ms. Williams is precisely how I would envision Betty. Oh, and Ms. Williams is a singer which helps out the character.

Edited August 1, 2024 by vanguard

[Marco Dane]

Probably going to film at Tyler Perry Studios.

[dragonflies]

I've read many a time they wanted to cancel all 3 ABC soaps but Frons saved GH cause you know agenda and all

[dc11786]

In letting this stew a little bit more, I think bring Robert Guza and Julie Carrouthers on was a smart move no matter the status of their previous work. While Atlanta has a prominent film/TV production infrastructure, I think daytime serial is a different beast. As a fan of the obscure The Catlins, I know that P&G sent some of their New York people, Heather Hill and Joe Rotherberger, to help with the set up. Now I know things have certainly progressed in Atlanta since then, but reading the horror stories in the Atlanta paper about how The Catlins begun, I think there needed to be established talent attached. Having a couple seasoned veterans in daytime production to train local talent was going to be a necessity. Finding people willing to relocate to Atlanta do so, or commute, is another. Val Jean's working relationship with Guza makes sense, and possibly wanting to help a friend out who is still grieving the loss of his wife. Carrouthers has handled the transition of talent from one place to another so I think that allows her a coordinating history that might be beneficial for the launch. 

Structurally, this all seems very sound. The matriarch being a former singer matriarch and a politican patriarch sets the story in a world where personal matters are elevated into the public sphere. Too often soaps try to make stories scandalous without really having the framework inplace for why that would make sense. Additionally, setting the show in Maryland/D.C. leans into that political arena in a way that opens a political space for story, while not requiring it to be the entire scope.

I'm wildly speculating, but I imagine these four are what Val Jean is considering her core crew. I can't remember who suggested that Obba Babbatunde as the former senator patriarch. That's something I hadn't considered as I was thinking more of a Capitol angle where he wouldn't be introduced at first to save money or that he would be dead at the start. This casting suggestion makes sense. I imagine you'd cast this group first because you want the flexibility financially to get who you want and play with the figures of some of the lower tier players. Additionally, I am pleased to see that there seems to be strong development of that 40+ tier. 

The set up for this seems to be the type of material I have hoped for in the last few years (decades?): a more traditional soap opera with strong sense of modernity. The Sara / Jessica dynamic echoes Meg and Van from  Love of Life and other complicated sister relationships that have played out over countless soaps since the birth of soap opera. Jessica's description reminds me of the way people have described Valerie Ames on The Secret Storm, but I am sure there are better more recent examples. A character with warmth and integrity facing the challenges of the world. While Betty is described as the head of the family, it would seem Jessica is going to be the voice of reason. A possible Ruth Martin to Betty's Phoebe Tyler. There is no mention of Jessica having a partner or children, so I will be curious to see if there are any or if Auntie Jessica's relationship with Sara and Joseph's children is more all encompassing leading to tension between Sara and Jessica. 

The Joseph / Sara dynamic is interesting. Warring exes are probably my favorite soap archetype. I'll be curious to see if we enter during the destruction of the relationship when Joseph is carrying on his affair with another woman (presumably, but maybe I shouldn't) while Sara is going about her life as wife and mother or if we are entering after the war. Based on the description of Joseph, I feel it's pretty clear he is set to enter the political arena so it would be interesting to see how Joseph navigates those relationships with people who are more than likely going to have ties to his former in-laws. Initially, I thought maybe Sara would return to fashion and take over an agency, but now I can't help but wonder if she'll end up in politics herself going against her ex. Or why not both.

I think the suggestions of story scope here (political, music, fashion, medical, law) are all very smart moves and gives more of the feeling what I wanted Patrick Mulcahey's General Hospital to become. I am quite happy that Michele Val Jean was recognized for her talent and look forward to what else might come out about this. Maybe there will be some news after tomorrow´s Santa Barbara reunion. If Mulcahey is on board, I imagine that it might slip at the event.  

[NothinButAttitude]

This makes me more optimistic about Guza and Carruthers being involved. But again, I am strongly for Black voices that have never had voices in daytime to finally have them--and not just in the EP roles. I want them in casting, writing, directing, etc. I trust Michele's vision for her show though. I don't foresee her fumbling the ball at all. 

[Soapsuds]

Great minds think alike.

[detroitpiston]

You sound ridiculous. She responded to a few tweets with misinformation you’re acting like she’s writing novels on the app and missing deadlines.

[Maxim]

Absolutely. It's basically searching for something to rant about. They have nothing, so they have to create it... from thin air. If she hadn't responded to these tweets, this same type of person would have said something like - Why is she not stopping this misinformation?