Breaking Boundaries: What to expect from the new Soap Opera "Beyond The Gates"

The Real Perspectives

February 24, 2025

CBS

In just a few hours, CBS' new soap opera "Beyond The Gates" will debut, and finally, fans can witness Black excellence in all its soapy glory. "Beyond The Gates" is a long time coming. The first soap opera since NBC's Passions debuted in 1999 that has since been cancelled, leaving a void in Daytime. The new soap, with primarily a Black cast, promises the same soapy storylines Daytime is known for while delivering diversity with unbridled passion.

Forged from the partnership between CBS Studios and NAACP, the series is created by Sheila Ducksworth, who leads the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, and veteran Michele Val Jean (Generations, General Hospital), credited for helming other classic soaps in Daytime. The new series is centered around the Duprees, an affluent African American family with generations of wealth where glamour and prestige are at the forefront in the palatial, gated community behind the Maryland suburb of Fairmont Crest (that suspiciously feels like the city of Potomac, MD where the uber wealthy lives) but behind the pristine gates are decades of scandals and secrets the Duprees would rather stay hidden behind their marble walls.

The series stars Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis, Daphnee Duplaix, Karla Mosley, Alex Alegria, Lauren Buglioli, Brandon Claybon, Timon Kyle Durrett, Sean Freeman, Ben Gavin, Marquita Goings, Jibre Hordges, Jen Jacob, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, Mike Manning, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad and Arielle Prepetit.

The first episode of the series quickly lays the foundation. It introduces us to the key players, the patriarch and matriarch Vernon (a retired senator) and Anita Dupree ( EGOT icon), who are Black royalty in the Fairmont community, and their very accomplished eldest daughter, Nicole. Their youngest daughter, Dani, a former model (played by a magnificent Karly Mosely), is tortured by the affair by her husband Bill and her very much younger counterpart Haylely, who was a family friend. Not only did Bill and Hayley cheat, but they have the nerve to get married at the very exclusive country club that the Duprees are staple members, and to add insult to injury, they decide to take up residence in Fairmont Crest, flaunting their affair in Dani's face who must be reminded every day of their betrayal. The audacity! Dani, the complete opposite of Nicole, is volatile and promises to make them pay in true soap opera fashion.

CBS

"Beyond The Gates" has it all. Slaps, catfights, backstabbing, secrets, temptation, lust, greed, hidden secrets, and drama - emphasis on drama. This soap is exactly what we need as Dani is the engine that propels the drama with her unpredictability, fueling the dynamite and taking the storylines to new heights.

We are introduced to other characters in the Dupree family, such as Bill and Dani's daughters with their own set of drama, Nicole's husband and children, and Martin and his husband. Other characters cover the cast in supporting roles that add to the drama of the series.

Each character is meticulously crafted to give fans an explosive, immersive journey grounded in the representation of African Americans with heart and, most importantly, longevity. The first five episodes were made available to critics, and "Beyond The Gates" is refreshing. It is a perfect blend of authenticity layered with social awareness and entertainment. Simply put, it is a love letter to fans clamoring to be heard and seen to be visually represented in an industry where African Americans only make up 12% across the Daytime landscape, but statistically, viewership among African Americans has always been incredibly high as Black soap fans to this day fondly remember classic characters like Victor Newman, Jeanne Cooper, Stepanie Forrester, Erika Kane, Abe and Lexie Carver, Drucilla Winters, Celeste Perrault, and Jessie and Angie Hubbard... to name a few. "Beyond The Gates," if fans will allow, offers the same classic characters that fans should be talking about years from now.

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Don't miss Beyond The Gates weekdays at 2 p.m. EST on CBS. Episodes will also be available to stream on Paramount+.

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