BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[Vee]

The Times article is lovely, and important. Thanks for providing it.

[detroitpiston]

That NYT profile was great. God bless Sheila Ducksworth for working so hard to make this happen. Reading that the CEO of CBS/Paramount George Cheeks is such a champion for soap operas and has been a driving force for the shows development even before any of the other partners got involved is extremely reassuring as well

[Khan]

People need their stories.  They need to see characters going through the same kinds of problems that they themselves are going through, either to learn how to cope with them (or, in certain cases, how NOT to cope with them) or just to know that they aren't alone.  It's been that way since men and women first gathered around the fire and talked about their days.

Plus, as I've said on many occasions, soap operas, like musical comedies, are a uniquely American artform that should not be allowed to fade away.  Maybe these shows don't have the budgets that they used to, but so what?  You don't need a lavish budget to tell a story that inspires as well as entertains.  You just need good writing and good acting.  The rest takes care of itself.

Edited February 5 by Khan

[Liberty City]

This! All of this! It's the writing that pulls you in and the acting of that writing by a talented company of actors.

[Khan]

That's why it kinds of upset me whenever I hear people in the industry say, "Well, we have to produce more shows in Atlanta/Vancouver/wherever now, because it's so expensive to film in NYC and L.A."  I don't doubt that filming or taping in NYC and L.A. can be cost-prohibitive, but I feel it's that way because most productions today are prioritizing the wrong things.  They're putting visual spectacle over simple, honest storytelling and blaming shrinking audiences on the fact that there are so many viewing options out there when, IMO, it's REALLY because they've forgotten that their number-one job is to entertain.

It goes back to what Bill Bell said: all you need to make good drama are a man, a woman and a waterfall, and who in God's name needs the waterfall!?

Edited February 5 by Khan

[Liberty City]

[janea4old]

Feb. 5,  2025 from TVLine: Step ‘Beyond the Gates’: Behind the Making of CBS’ Groundbreaking Soap (VIDEO)
https://www.tvinsider.com/1174515/beyond-the-gates-cbs-behind-the-scenes-cast-video/

Here is the raw mp4 file of the embedded video, for those who can't see it on the webpage of the Feb. 5 article:
https://vid.connatix.com/pid-70112737-439d-4df2-8b0d-c37d7caa07a8/d59b5bbc-a185-478f-9875-5f6c1e4900a1/mmid-9fa9bf8c-e371-4788-30af-31de51230f49/2.mp4

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[Khan]

I still need Clarence to make another comeback and do some promos for this show.  ("Don't close your eyes and don't look away!  'Cuz these gates?  Are SO beyond!")

[janea4old]

Yes BTG should have Clarence. I'm sure the actor Brad Sanders would be up for helping BTG in whatever way.

I remember that Brad Sanders was not approached by CBS for Y&R's 50th, so he approached CBS execs himself... so then Y&R wrote him into a brief part of one episode.
He appeared as Clarence *within the episode*.

 “One of the radio stations said, ‘Look, man, you need to be a part of the 50th anniversary. You should be there!’ And I said, ‘Yeah, let me call!’ So I  called [Vice President, Daytime Programs, CBS] Margot Wain and she called [Director at CBS] Danielle Unger and they were like, ‘Yeah, it sounds great!’ And they set it all up.”
https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/exclusive-brad-sanders-on-bringing-clarence-back-to-the-young-and-the-restless/

The scene was: Clarence was giving a scoop on his show about Tucker McCall, which Audra was watching online.  This aired Dec. 27, 2023.

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[janea4old]

Re: TV Line's January 31st article detailing all the characters and their archetypes and actors
https://tvline.com/lists/beyond-the-gates-cbs-soap-opera-cast-premiere-date-tamara-tunie/beyond-the-gates-tamara-tunie-anita/

Remember the 90-second promo video embedded in that article that I (and others) could not see. 

I noticed that Michele Val Jean tweeted that she couldn't see the video embedded in that article either (she knew it was there, but it wasn't visible on her device), and she tweeted thanks to the person who tweeted it.

Thanks to detroitpiston for linking to the tweeted video and to Joseph for sharing an unlisted youtube.

Anyhow, for anyone who might need it, here is the raw mp4 file of the video embedded in that Jan. 31 TVLine article:
https://vid.connatix.com/pid-0763198a-5674-4e21-af3d-1f1bb2122b83/8009b150-7983-44ee-aa45-cf739d44e4f6/mmid-8cda1a69-05c1-5ad1-2ade-c59f9aecc270/1.mp4

[janea4old]

^  thank you for the gift link!

-------------------------------------------

https://x.com/MicheleValJean/status/1887196942163452027
Michele Val Jean @MicheleValJean
February 5, 2025
Wow. The freaking @nytimes Let's goooo! #BeyondTheGates #BTG #Feb24
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/arts/television/beyond-the-gates.html

https://x.com/MicheleValJean/status/1887199244534358348
Michele Val Jean @MicheleValJean
February 5, 2025
Awesome - except for the part where I'm called a co-creator. I'm the creator, for the record.

-------------------------------

 

from MVJ instagram stories:

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Edited February 5 by janea4old

[Khan]

It figures that the media would credit the BLACK WOMAN as a CO-creator and NOT the SOLE creator.  Sigh, God bless America.

Edited February 5 by Khan

[janea4old]

Bio of the NYTimes article author
https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-abrams

Quote:
Jonathan Abrams
I am a reporter for The New York Times covering national culture news.
I write about the intersection of sports and culture as well as the changing cultural scenes in the South.

My Background
I was a sports reporter for The Times from 2008-2011, covering the N.B.A. and other sports. I then worked as a staff writer for ESPN’s Grantland magazine and Bleacher Report Magazine. I rejoined The Times in 2020 as a general assignment sports reporter. I am the author of several books, including “Boys Among Men,” about the N.B.A.’s prep-to-pro generation of players from 1995-2005. and “The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop” which documents hip-hop music’s rise, spread and impact from hundreds of interviews with artists, DJs, producers and executives.

I grew up in Southern California and attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in print journalism.

Journalistic Ethics
At The Times, our mission is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I strive to use a diverse set of voices and perspectives in my reporting.

Edited February 5 by janea4old

[BetterForgotten]

And to date the only black person that has created a daytime serial period. Leave it to the mainstream press to screw up the details. 
 

 

[janea4old]

Okay so it looks like, in August 2023, the NYTimes author was moved from a focus of writing on sports into a newly-created "Culture" position at NYTimes.
Per his IG post here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv-9doQP-r6/

Edited February 5 by janea4old