ARTICLE: Opening the Gates: A Brief History of ‘Beyond the Gates’

[Errol]

It’s hard to believe that nearly a year ago next month we learned that a broadcast network had not only discussed the possibility of putting a brand new daytime drama in development but that it had been having ongoing conversations over such a thing for quite a few years. 

That network, CBS, formally announced a little show called “The Gates” on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, which would follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. 

Created by veteran soap opera writer Michele Val Jean (“General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”), who would also serve as showrunner, executive producer and head writer, the new soap would be produced by the CBS Studios/NAACP production venture, led by Sheila Ducksworth, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. 

Best known for producing the classic soap operas “As The World Turns,” “Guiding Light” and “Another World,” among others, “The Gates” would mark the company’s return to daytime soap operas since the cancellation of “As The World Turns” in 2010. 

In addition to Val Jean, Ducksworth was announced as an executive producer on the project, in addition to her role as president of the CBS Studios/NAACP production venture, with Ducksworth saying at the time, “This series will salute an audience that has been traditionally underserved, with the potential to be a groundbreaking moment for broadcast television.” 

Established in 2020, the CBS Studios/NAACP production venture was created by the two companies to develop content for CBS, among other providers, with an emphasis on producing premium content that expands diverse voices by telling inclusive stories that increase the visibility and impact of Black artists in a growing media landscape.

By April 2024, “The Gates” was ordered to series, officially marking the first new soap opera scheduled to air on CBS’ daytime lineup in nearly 40 years (since “The Bold and the Beautiful” in 1987), the first new daily drama series to air on broadcast television in more than 25 years (since NBC’s “Passions” in 1999) and the first-ever one-hour Black-centric daytime drama series. Simultaneously, “The Talk” was canceled with CBS ordering a shortened 15th and final season that would conclude in December 2024.

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“Beyond The Gates”
CBS

By September 2024, “The Gates” was retitled “Beyond the Gates,” and the series formally established its core storyline around the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that is the very definition of Black royalty.

Set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington D.C., and in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States, “Beyond The Gates” is where viewers find a posh gated community filled with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions that the wealthy call home.

Behind the pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. As for those living outside the gates, they are indeed watching closely. For every person who has “made it,” there are always those who have not. Follow the characters as they live, love, work, and play, all while trying to navigate life, some more gracefully than others.

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Daphnee Duplaix, Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis, Karla Mosley
Quantrell Colbert/CBS

The first to be cast in the new series were soap alums Tamara Tunie (“As The World Turns,” “Days of our Lives”), Daphnée Duplaix (“One Life to Live,” “Passions”) and Karla Mosley (“The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Guiding Light”). Tunie plays the Dupree matriarch, Anita, while Duplaix and Mosley play her daughters, Nicole and Dani, respectively. 

Additional cast announcements came in the weeks that followed, with Clifton Davis (“Godfather of Harlem,” “Madam Secretary”) playing Dupree patriarch Vernon, along with actors Brandon Claybon, Timon Kyle Durrett, Sean Freeman, Marquita Goings, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad, Arielle Prepetit, Alex Alegria, Lauren Bugliogli, Ben Gavin, Jibre Hordges, Jen Jacob and Mike Manning.  The 20 actors make up the core contract cast for the series.

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Quantrell Colbert/CBS

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Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Production began in late October 2024, with the cast, crew and producers gathering for the first table read and a ribbon cutting ceremony at Assembly Studios in Atlanta where the soap opera tapes.

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Quantrell Colbert/CBS

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Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Several months later, today, February 24, 2025, viewers are invited to enter the world of the fictitious Fairmont Crest, where we find those living in a posh gated community with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions as they interact with the people living outside the gates who are watching their every move.

Check out the final trailer for “Beyond the Gates” before its premiere below.

“Beyond the Gates” airs weekdays at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT on CBS, and is available to stream Live and On Demand on Paramount+.

Note: The post Opening the Gates: A Brief History of ‘Beyond the Gates’ appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.

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