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Beyond the Gates is an upcoming American television soap opera created by Michele Val Jean which will begin broadcast on CBS in February 2025, as part of their daytime programming block. Set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., the serial will center around the Duprees, a multi-generational African-American family in the gated community of Fairmont Estates. The series is the first daytime television soap opera to feature an African-American cast since Generations in 1989 and the first new daytime soap to debut on a major broadcast network since Passions in 1999. Production commenced in November 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
| Beyond the Gates | |
|---|---|
.png) Promotional title card | |
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Created by | Michele Val Jean |
| Written by |
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| Starring | Present cast |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production locations | |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
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Beyond the Gates is 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.
Set in the fictional gated Fairmont Estates, located in the affluent Maryland and Washington, D.C. area,[2] Beyond the Gates will tell "the story of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community."[3] At the center of the story will be the Dupree family — Vernon, Anita, Nicole and Dani — described as a "powerful and prestigious multi-generational family" and defined as "Black royalty". Those outside of the gated community will watch close, while navigating their own lives.[1][4]
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- Alex Alegria as Tom Navarro
- Lauren Buglioli as Vanessa McBride
- Brandon Claybon as Martin Richardson
- Clifton Davis as Vernon Dupree
- Daphnée Duplaix as Nicole Dupree Richardson
- Timon Kyle Durrett as Bill Hamilton
- Sean Freeman as Andre Richardson
- Ben Gavin as Derek Baldwin
- Marquita Goings as Hayley Lawson
- Jibre Hordges as Jacob Hawthorne
- Jen Jacob as Ashley Morgan
- Maurice Johnson as Ted Richardson
- Trisha Mann-Grant as Leslie Thomas
- Mike Manning as Smitty Smith
- RhonniRose Mantilla as Chelsea Hamilton
- Ambyr Michelle as Eva Thomas
- Karla Mosley as Dani Dupree
- Colby Muhammad as Kat Richardson
- Arielle Prepetit as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne
- Tamara Tunie as Anita Dupree
Cast—listed in alphabetical order—as announced via various press releases.[1][4][5]
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Development
On February 23, 2024, it was reported Michele Val Jean was departing The Bold and the Beautiful after having written for the CBS soap opera for 12 years.[6] The following month, it announced she was developing a new daytime soap opera that would follow the lives of a wealthy Black family.[7] It will be produced by a joint venture of CBS Studios and the NAACP, along with Procter & Gamble Studios. Val Jean will serve as head writer and showrunner, and will also executive produce alongside Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner.[8][9] On March 15, 2024, it was reported that the series was under "Accelerated Development".[10] On April 15 of the same year, it was reported CBS ordered the serial, originally titled The Gates, to series for debut in January 2025.[11][12][13]
Beyond the Gates will be the first American daytime soap opera to feature an African-American cast since the 1989–1991 NBC soap Generations, which—aside from being Val Jean's first scriptwriting job—was the first serial to feature a Black family from its inception, and to focus primarily on a family of ethnic minorities.[11] It will also be the first new daytime soap opera on an American broadcast television network since Passions on NBC in 1999, the first daytime soap opera from Procter & Gamble to debut since Texas in 1980, the first daytime soap opera to premiere on CBS since The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987, and the first daytime soap opera owned by CBS.[14][15]
In July 2024, it was reported soap opera writing and production veterans Robert Guza Jr. and Julie Hanan Carruthers had joined the serial as executive producers, alongside Val Jean.[16] Skyy Sandifer, credited for her work as a script coordinator on Ambitions was announced as a writer's assistant for the serial the following month,[17] along with reports the writers' room had been "set" and would include "some familiar names to the genre."[18]
On November 15, 2024, the writing team was announced. Guza Jr. was named co-head writer, alongside Val Jean. Susan Dansby and Michael Montgomery were named as script editor and continuity producer, respectively. Jazmen Darnell Brown, Cheryl L. Davis, Danielle Paige and Judy Tate were named scriptwriters, while Sara A. Bibel, Ron Carlivati, Christopher Dunn, Gregori J. Martin and Teresa Zimmerman were named breakdown writers.[19]
Casting
Cast of Beyond the Gates
The names and descriptions of nine series regular roles to-be cast were revealed by TV Insider on August 15, 2024, with note all actors "must" reside in Atlanta.[20] The following month, the website reported the names and descriptions of six additional characters.[21]
On September 19, 2024, the first three castings were announced.[1][22] Tunie was cast as Anita Dupree, a "once famous singer who worked hard to succeed and raised two daughters with her now-retired senator husband."[23] Duplaix and Mosley were cast as Anita's daughters, Nicole Dupree Richardson and Dani Dupree, respectively.[24][22] Nicole is described as a "high-achieving and competitive philanthropist and psychiatrist, and exudes warmth, empathy and compassion", while Dani is described as a "former model turned momager who gave up her career for love."[25] On October 4, 2024, three additional character breakdowns were revealed: one series regular and two recurring.[26]
Ten additional castings were announced on October 25, 2024, with familiar connections to the formerly-mentioned castings: the Richardsons, the Hamiltons and the Thomases.[5][27] Johnson was as cast as Ted Richardson, Nicole's husband and a "brilliant plastic surgeon with an ultra-exclusive private practice". Claybon and Muhammad were cast as Nicole and Ted's children, Martin Richardson and Katherine "Kat" Richardson, respectively. Martin is gay and a congressman, who lives outside of the gated community with his husband and their two adopted children. He is noted for his "ambition to be the first openly gay Black President". Kat is described as "indulged," "spoiled," "entitled" and "dismissive". Rounding out the Richardson family is Freeman as Andre Richardson, described as the "sophisticated nephew of Ted Richardson," who "tragically lost his parents in a plane crash and inherited a double fortune," allowing him to pursue his career at a photographer.[28]
Durrett was cast as Dani's ex-husband, Bill Hamilton. Described as a "charismatic and calculated criminal defense attorney," Bill and Dani share two children: Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne and Chelsea Hamilton. Prepetit and Mantilla were cast as Naomi and Chelsea, respectively. Goings was cast as Bill's "intelligent" fiancée Hayley Lawson, who works as a paralegal at Bill's law firm. Mann-Grant and Michelle were cast as mother-daughter duo Dana "Leslie" Thomas and Eva Thomas, respectively.[5][29] Additional castings, rounding out the main cast were announced four days later.[4][30] Broadway stage legend Davis was cast as Dupree family patriarch, Vernon. A retired Senator, Vernon is described as "gentle, humble and generous". Hordges was cast in the role of Naomi's husband, Jacob Hawthorne. Manning was cast as Martin's husband, Bradley "Smitty" Smith; the names of their teenage children—not cast at the time of the announcement—were revealed as Tyrell and Samantha.[31][32] Jacob was cast in the role of Naomi's best friend Ashley Morgan, a nurse at Washington D.C.'s Garland Memorial Hospital. Gavin was cast as Derek Baldwin, a "devoted" firefighter, in a relationship with Ashley. Buglioli was cast as Nicole's best friend and Dani's neighbor, Vanessa McBride, a "high-end real estate agency owner". Alegria was cast as Tomas "Tom" Navarro, a "handsome and confident young attorney" who works at Bill's lawfirm, and has his eyes on Kat Richardson.[33][34]
On October 30, 2024, an open casting notice was put out for bartending and wait staff roles.[35] Other roles and breakdowns were revealed, via TV Insider.[20][21][26]
- Luis, a personal trainer at the Fairmont Estates Country Club, who has his eye on one of the married women who lives in the gated community
- Mike, high-powered law partner to Joseph,[a] who has been accused of "sexual impropriety in the workplace"
Filming and location
In August 2024, it was revealed Beyond the Gates would film at Assembly Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.[36] The following month, it was reported production would begin November 4 of the same year.[23]
On October 30, 2024, cast and crew gathered on set for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and table read-through of the first episode.[37] Cast also contributed signed scripts and letters to their future selves, which were placed in a time capsule and encased on set, to be opened in the future.[38] Production on Beyond the Gates began on November 1.[39]
Broadcasting
On November 12, 2024, it was announced Beyond the Gates would premiere on February 24, 2025, at 2pm ET (UTC−05:00) on CBS and will stream on Paramount+.[40][41][42] On December 16, 2024, a first-look teaser was released by CBS.[43]
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