BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[Liberty City]

Jen Jacob (Ashley Morgan) on set this morning.

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[Alan]

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Not only has Beyond the Gates inspired me to reactivate my long-dormant SON account but all of sudden I am finding myself once again immersed in the art and history of the American soap opera. I wonder how many other lapsed soap fans who have been turned off by the dismal ghost towns of Genoa City, Salem, Port Charles, and Forrester Creations might be lured back by the promise of a brand new soap. I am thrilled to rejoin you all for this journey. I have so many thoughts to share, but I will start with this one:

Do we think MVJ has followed the tradition of Irna Phillips and Agnes Nixon by penning an epigraph for her bible? Something like, "We do not live beyond these gates alone, but beyond a thousand other gates."

 

[Liberty City]

Welcome back, and cannot wait to see what you begin to think of Beyond the Gates, etc.

[Errol]

Although not by timeslot, the soaps still compete among their genre. It would be very noticeable by CBS should Beyond the Gates outperform B&B among the demos, and viewers overall. So, while not direct competition since they'll be on the same network, the performance of both shows (and Y&R) will be closely watched, followed and studied by CBS execs.

[Taoboi]

Thank you for explaining, Errol. So oooooo it's going to be VERY interesting to see how it will perform then. Kinda like modernized, but Old School Soap writing vs What Passes for Writing for Modern Times basically. 

[BetterForgotten]

I think BTG has an uphill battle if we talk pure ratings. It has direct competition from GH in that timeslot, and obviously the 2pm timeslot is less desirable in terms of getting an afternoon audience. Not to mention, it will follow a creatively bankrupt BOLD in most markets.

That said, more telling is how the show resonates and does with Black demographics from the onset, the demographic the show was originally created to serve. That is the main audience they hope to aim advertising $$$ to and if they don’t support it, that will be a major issue. 

Edited November 18, 2024 by BetterForgotten

[Faulkner]

Who will get MVJ’s first big interview for BTG? I hope it’s you, @Errol. These writers and producers don’t talk to the press much anymore except to give the usual fluffy previews of their non-stories. 

[Chris B]

One thing it has that other new soaps didn't is a second window on streaming. Passions would have likely never gone off the air if it aired in the streaming era. In terms of live ratings, I want to see it at least do better than The Talk which was averaging about 1.3 million viewers. The CBS soaps are averaging around 3.24m and 2.81 for the past season, but it's hard to say how a new soap would do. I just hope for the best. I'll admit, the only thing I'm nervous about is ratings.

[Antoyne]

I’m nervous about ratings and how long the audience will give the show before they decide they’re going to either watch or drop it.

[Liberty City]

Based on comments here and elsewhere, they'll give up on it on February 23.

[Soapsuds]

Beyond the Gates should have gotten the bold and beautiful timeslot. CBS gave ATWT the shaft for B&B.

[Errol]

Not to taint the thread, but I am seriously getting annoyed with the phrase "Black soap." Therefore, I'm personally not going to refer to the show as such.

Does the show have a predominantly Black cast? Yes, but it is not a "Black soap." There shouldn't be such a thing, IMO. Just like there isn't a "White soap."

For me, the phrase is a huge turn off for general audiences and I hope it doesn't deter people from tuning in, thinking the show can't be consumed by them simply because they aren't "Black." This can be said of White, Latino, Asian, or any other ethnic background.

I've been thinking about this for a while, not just in terms of Beyond the Gates, but in general. Media and politicians like to place things into categories but only do so to fit certain key narratives, and I'm tired of it.

For me, Beyond the Gates is just a daytime soap opera with a predominantly Black cast. Its storylines aren't going to be any different than the ones featured on other shows, with rare exceptions, and it shouldn't be put into a bubble where the world thinks it's just a soap catering to a specific demographic (an underrepresented one, yes), whereas the other soaps are geared towards everyone else.

One of the things that has always bothered me about "Black" being used to refer to race when talking about shows or movies, is that the term "black comedy" doesn't refer to race at all.

Dictionary definition:

Although the same definition doesn't apply to "Black drama," I'm sticking to my stance on the matter overall.

Ted Talk over.

[Liberty City]

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Mr. Errol, you once again hit the nail on the head with your post.

[Vee]

I'm just not looking forward to the right wing media ecosystem turning its eye to it, because you know they will.

[Taoboi]

Amen.

 

When I think about it in my head or talk about it to other I just think new soap.