‘Beyond the Gates’ Brings Must-see Drama, Romance, and Black Excellence To Daytime Television

CBS premiered its brand new show, Beyond the Gates, marking a significant milestone in television history as the first new daytime soap opera to debut on a major American broadcast network in over 25 years. The last time viewers welcomed a daytime soap was in 1999 with NBC’s Passions. Beyond the Gates, however, brings a different kind of groundbreaking energy to the genre through its addictive plot and a brilliant cast comprised of Black veteran actors and newcomers.

The Duprees are a prominent, multi-generational family living in the gated community of Fairmont Crest in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Storylines have nothing to do with the current political climate but instead with internal family turmoil that slowly begins to taint the image of the Duprees to the outside world.

Tony Award nominee and Broadway powerhouse Clifton Davis (Vernon Dupree) is the head of this family unit alongside Law and Order SVU star Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree). Daphne Duplaix and Karla Mosley co-star as the couple’s daughters (Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson and Dani Dupree Hamilton). 

Vernon is the patriarch and a retired senator who played a key role in the Civil Rights movement. His wife, Anita, is a Chicago native and a former singer who gave birth to Nicole and Dani shortly after the two got married. 

Viewers can immediately witness the power of the Duprees within their community during the first few minutes of episode one. The initial scene shows a radiant Anita driving into Fairmont Crest’s Country Club in a limousine and exiting the vehicle, revealing an eye-catching shiny trouser suit. 

The Dupree matriarch meets with daughters Nicole and Dani, who struggles following her divorce from Bill Hamilton. Later in the episode, Dani is seen at a club with Hayley, Bill’s Fiancee, who had an affair with him during their marriage. To Dani’s surprise, Hayley is there to retrieve the keys to the house on Marigold Road (the same land on which her grandfather built the Fairmont Crest Community). This turn of events is one of many unexpected moments from the series’ first hour.

The first Black female executive producers in all of daytime drama – Sheila Ducksworth and Val Jean – spoke about the significance of ‘Beyond The Gates’.

” I’d say it’s been a couple of decades in the making that I’ve wanted to actually produce and make a soap opera,” Ducksworth told CBS Mornings. “But what I felt was missing was one that centered on the Black experience.”

“I just wanted to see people that looked like me,” Jean told CBS Mornings. “I didn’t want downtrodden Black people. I wanted rich, messy Black people that carry the stories.”

To make the show more realistic of the black experience, a crew of more than 200 people worked around the clock to bring the show to life, including seasoned professionals in Black Hair and makeup. 

Fans can discover how the Duprees navigate their new realities by streaming the soap opera on Paramount+  or watching it live on CBS.