ARTICLE: Soap Vets Jon Lindstrom & Cady McClain Join The Cast of ‘Beyond the Gates’

[Errol]

Soap veterans Jon Lindstrom (“General Hospital,” “Port Charles”) and Cady McClain (“All My Children,” “Days of our Lives”) have joined the cast of CBS’ “Beyond the Gates,” it was announced on Sunday. The announcement follows a press junket with the soap media in recent weeks.

Lindstrom will portray the role of Joey Armstrong, an entrepreneur who runs a casino, while McClain takes on the role of Pamela Curtis, an old friend of Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley).

Michele Val Jean
Sonja Flemming/CBS

Michele Val Jean, the show’s creator, said of casting the duo, “Well, I finally know the meaning of chomping at the bit because I’ve been so excited to share what we’re about to reveal. It’s my honor, my privilege, my joy to introduce our newest cast members, who are not only soap opera icons and brilliant actors, but two of my favorite people on the planet. Say hello to Joey Armstrong [Lindstrom] and Pamela Curtis [McClain], also known as Jon Lindstrom and Cady McClain.” 

Talking about his new character, Lindstrom shared, “Joey comes from the other side of the tracks. He has fought his way up in many ways and, uh—but he’s never lost his charm. But Joey runs a casino, which if you’ve ever been inside a casino, you know, a casino is kind of like what a bar is to an alcoholic. So, people can get into a lot of trouble around Joey, and Joey doesn’t like trouble. He knows how to end trouble, but he doesn’t like trouble.”

http://www.soapoperanetwork.com/media/2025/02/Beyond-The-Gates-Jon-Lindstrom-Sneak-Peek-1024x683.jpg

Jon Lindstrom
Quantrell Colbert/CBS

As for McClain, she says,” I’m just so thrilled to be a part of this incredible cast and this amazing show. I think it is so exciting. It’s such a beautiful production and such amazing actors, and I have the great pleasure of getting to work a great deal with Karla, and we have so much fun—probably too much fun.” She added, “We play very dear old friends, and we get up to a bit of trouble, and I think that’s all I’ll say.

http://www.soapoperanetwork.com/media/2025/02/Beyond-The-Gates-Cady-McClain-Sneak-Peek-1024x683.jpg

Cady McClain
Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Details on when both actors will make their debut on the soap opera were not revealed at press time, however, from photos (shown above) McClain will be on hand to support her friend as the big wedding between Dani’s ex-husband, Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett), and Hayley Lawson, (Marquita Goings), Bill’s former mistress turned fiancée, gets underway. The episode was filmed in early November and is credited as the show’s fifth episode. Meanwhile, Lindstrom appears in a scene that was taped in early December and is credited as the show’s 13th episode.

An actress and director, among other creative talents, McClain is the winner of three Daytime Emmy Awards, becoming the first woman ever to have received the prestigious award for portraying three different characters on three different daytime dramas – Dixie Cooney on “All My Children,” Rosanna Cabot on “As The World Turns” and Jennifer Horton on “Days of our Lives.”

Lindstrom first joined the cast of “General Hospital” in 1992, playing the nightmarish Ryan Chamberlin. By 1993, he began playing dual roles when the show introduced Ryan’s twin brother, Kevin Collins. 

With the continued success of “General Hospital,” ABC commissioned a spinoff in hopes it would help correct sagging ratings in the timeslot preceding “All My Children,” which was previously held by the likes of “Loving” and “The City.” In June 1997, the network introduced “Port Charles,” which saw a few of the parent show’s characters segue into the spinoff, including Kevin, and would often allow for crossover appearances. The series was later canceled in 2003, with Lindstrom back at “General Hospital” in a recurring capacity until 2004. After a nearly nine-year absence, Lindstrom once again reprised his role as Kevin on “General Hospital,” appearing on recurring status, with Kevin now married to Laura Collins (Genie Francis).

In addition to creating “Beyond the Gates,” Michele Val Jean also serves as the show’s head writer, executive producer and showrunner. She previously served as a scriptwriter at “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital,” the latter of which saw her as the show’s co-head writer for a brief period in 2001. She began her soap writing career in 1989 as a scriptwriter for NBC’s “Generations,” the half-hour series that broke ground for its inclusion of an American Black family as part of its core group of characters.

“Beyond the Gates” is the first brand new soap opera set to debut on a broadcast network in more than 25 years, since the launch of “Passions” in 1999, and the first-ever one-hour Black-centric daytime drama series. The series premieres Monday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT on CBS, and will be available to stream Live and On Demand on Paramount+*.

One week before the show’s premiere, CBS will broadcast a five-part daytime special, titled “Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood,” during the week of February 17-21 which provides viewers with a unique experience into the journey of bringing the new daytime soap opera to life, from its powerful representation of Black culture and history to the 27 meticulously designed sets that create the world of Fairmont Crest, a wealthy gated community with leafy tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions.

In the fifth episode of “Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood,” titled “Sneak Peek and Guest Stars,” airing Friday, February 21, viewers will get an exclusive first look at the show’s premiere episode, featuring high-stakes action, deep secrets, and unforgettable drama. The sneak peek sets the stage for a season filled with twists, turns, and lots of surprises. Plus, hear directly from the cast and creators about what’s in store for Fairmont Crest. Later in the episode, the “Entertainment Tonight” Vault will revisit where fans first met the stars of “Beyond the Gates” and where they might have seen them before.

The five-part half-hour special is hosted by “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Kevin Frazier and uber soap fan, comedian and television personality Sheryl Underwood (“The Talk”).

Note: The post Soap Vets Jon Lindstrom & Cady McClain Join The Cast of ‘Beyond the Gates’ appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.

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[BetterForgotten]

Sounds like recurring roles, but are they on contract, @Errol?

[reallyhateskateonlost]

Didn't they used to be married?

Anyways, that's why we haven't been seeing Kevin on GH.

[Errol]

They announced their separation last year. I opted not to mention in my article as I didn't deem it necessary. That said, we'll soon find out if he's doing Beyond the Gates full-time or recurring, ala Wally Kurth who appears on GH as Ned and Justin on Days of our Lives, the latter of which is on contract. 

Being that BTG and GH will air against each other in most markets (2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT/PT), it'll be unusual to see Jon on both at the same time (should that happen), considering he's been on recurring a GH for a number of years. Besides Wally, the only other actor to appear on another soap at the same time was Eileen Davidson who pulled double duty 10 years ago on DAYS (as Kristen and Susan) and The Young and the Restless (as Ashley).

[Vee]

Wait a minute. DAYS lets Wally Kurth appear on GH while he's on a contract?

[Errol]

“I think this is common knowledge, but I’m working on DAYS mostly because I’m under contract over there,” Kurth explained during an interview with Daytime After Dark. 

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/wally-kurth-status-general-hospital-days-of-our-lives-172906

He further said:

“The wonderful thing is that DAYS and GH coordinated and worked together and said that I can still go do GH,” Kurth confided. “DAYS gets first choice if I have to work. But I can still do GH and Frank is allowing me to go do DAYS and also knows he can use me if he needs me to come on GH."

[Vee]

Wow. A first for me. I didn't know it could work like that. But yes, GH poorly utilizes Jon.

[titan1978]

And everyone else! Laura deserves a pairing that is on contract and treated seriously.

I am happy for both of them though- they want to work, it’s a wonderful opportunity to do something new within a soap framework. I cannot wait to see actual characters again.

[Liberty City]

So that explains why Jon Lindstrom has been M.I.A. on GH as of late; honestly, this is amazing! And this is the first time Cady McClain has ever had an original role in daytime, so I am very happy for her! Cannot wait to see them both!

Kurth went contract in 2015 and wasn't really seen on GH, if I recall. And then, by March 2016, he went to recurring at DAYS and immediately returned to GH; I don't believe his status back to contract was ever reported, I don't think?! Interesting, though.

[janea4old]

 

 

Wally is currently recurring on both Days and GH.
There was a brief period when Wally was on contract on DAYS (taping 2015, and airing 2015-2016).  I remember when he and Judi Evans were abruptly offcontract.
Wally on contract again (taping 2019-2020, airing 2020) during which he did brief appearances on GH as was said on the podcast.
But he's been off-contract at DAYS for several years.

https://www.jason47.com/days/recurcast.html
Wally Kurth:
Days Airdates: 
February 3, 1987-February 5, 1991. 
Recurring: August 11, 2009-April 3, 2014; and February 17, 2015-August 26, 2015; 
Contract: September 1, 2015-June 7, 2016; 
Recurring: June 17, 2016-February 28, 2020. 
Contract: March 2, 2020-September 2, 2020. 
Recurring: September 11, 2020-Present.

Edited Sunday at 03:32 PM by janea4old

[Vee]

IIRC Genie asked for a contract and a serious commitment to a new love interest when she agreed to return full time in 2015-2016. What she got was FV playing it cheap, again: Preexisting recurring player Kevin in a romance that has never made much sense to me.

I'm glad the actors enjoy it and I know the couple has fans, but it always simply felt like dismissive budget Tic Tac Toe to me vs. anything organic because FV would rather die than spend money he can waste on JPS and stars from other soaps on hiring someone new specifically tailored to Genie.

Anyway, good for Jon and Cady. I do hope he can do both shows, even if I am not pleased with the use of Kevin in recent years.

Edited Sunday at 03:30 PM by Vee

[Errol]

The linked article to Soaps In Depth was published in 2019.

 

If it's from Jason, there's no question it's true. However, a DAYS contract is like candy. You get a piece today, you don't get a piece tomorrow. They even had the nerve to not have Lauren Koslow on contract (even right now), and I believe they added Susan Seaforth Hayes as a contract at some point if I recall Jason's post on his since inaccessible Facebook page.

[janea4old]

To find DAYS cast airdates/contracts, I go to https://www.jason47.com/
Then I scroll down to: "CAST BIOGRAPHIES" and click on the name or link I need.

Susan Seaforth Hayes
Days Airdates:

• Recurring: December 11, 1968-April 10, 1969;
• Contract: April 15, 1969-March 19, 1984; January 8, 1990-January 28, 1993.
• Recurring: December 24, 1993-December 26, 1994; November 7, 1996-November 15, 1996; September 3, 1999-February 18, 2003; January 16, 2004-February 9, 2006; December 26, 2006-December 31, 2008; December 24, 2009-August 22, 2024;
• Contract: October 4, 2024-Present. 

[Liberty City]

I know, but he stated it was common knowledge. 

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 Clearly, I don't pay nearly enough attention to DAYS. But, come April, that should be changing.

Plus, Jason lists him as recurring (as of September 2020), so it must have been a short-term contract for story purposes.

Yup; feels like Kurth got a Nadia Bjorlin deal. Sign him 'til you need the $$ and then boom: you're dropped. Only difference: Kurth continues to appear, while Bjorlin just gets the boot (again and again, again and again). 

As for Koslow, the other nerving point of Josh Taylor being contract, and being played like a heavy recurring for years. That's the contract that should have stayed gone when everyone got released in November 2019.

[Liberty City]