Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Announces Newest Cast Members and the Characters They Play
CBS has announced the next major round of casting news for its new soap opera, Beyond the Gates set to premiere in early 2025 with production set to begin in November.
Joining the cast are: Brandon Claybon, Timon Durrett, Sean Freeman, Marquita Goings, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad and Arielle Prepetit, who are all part of the main families on the series: the Richardsons, Hamiltons and Thomases.
Beyond the Gates previously named soap veterans: Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Daphnee Duplaix (Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson) and Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree) to star on the show and this new round of additional cast members rounds out the extended families of the Duprees and key characters who influence their worlds.
Now below take a look at the character descriptions for the new additions to Beyond the Gates:
THE RICHARDSONS
Maurice Johnson stars as Ted Richardson, Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson’s husband and father to Martin and Katerine “Kat”. Ted is a brilliant plastic surgeon with an ultra-exclusive private practice and women clamor to put their faces and bodies in what they call his blessed hands. Ted has created an impeccable life with his wife – whom he loves passionately – and sleeps well at night, secure that his past will never disrupt his perfect world. Maurice Johnson’s credits include “Chicago Fire,” “Good Girls,” and “To Catch a Killer.”
Brandon Claybon stars as Martin Richardson, Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson and Ted Richardson’s son and older brother of Katherine “Kat” Richardson. Martin is a congressman who lives outside “the gates” in a Washington, D.C., brownstone with his husband and two adopted children. Following his grandfather’s path into politics, he has ambition to be the first openly gay Black President. Brandon Claybon’s credits include “Grey’s Anatomy,” Tyler Perry’s “Zatima,” and “General Hospital.”
Colby Muhammad stars as Katherine “Kat” Richardson, Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson and Ted Richardson’s miracle baby. She is the younger sister of Martin Richardson and lives in her parents’ guest house. Kat’s been indulged all her life, which has made her spoiled, entitled and dismissive of those she considers beneath her. She’s confident and secure and has never doubted herself or her privileged position in the world. She doesn’t like to share but doesn’t know that the day when she is forced to may be fast approaching. Colby Muhammad recently starred in the first national tour of the Broadway hit play “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”
THE HAMILTONS
Sean Freeman stars as Andre Hamilton, the sophisticated nephew of Ted Richardson. Andre tragically lost his parents in a plane crash and inherited a double fortune, which allows him to live his bliss as a photographer. Nicole and Ted stepped up for Andre when his parents died, and he depends on their support and wise counsel. A playboy who is smooth on the surface, there is something elusive about Andre that occasionally makes people question his intentions. Sean Freeman’s credits include “Finding Happy,” “Tales” and “Boxed In.”
Timon Durrett stars as Bill Hamilton, Dani Dupree’s ex-husband and father to Naomi and Chelsea. Bill is an opportunist, publicity hound and narcissist, according to his ex-wife, Dani. He is a charismatic and calculated criminal defense attorney who is well-connected, well-received and gets what he wants by any means necessary. Timon Durrett’s credits include “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Queen Sugar” and “Stuck with You.”
Arielle Prepetit stars as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne, Dani Dupree and Bill Hamilton’s oldest daughter and Chelsea’s older sister. Naomi lives outside “the gates” in Washington, D.C., where she humbly serves as a civil attorney. She’s whip smart and the only one in the Dupree family who inherited her grandmother Anita Dupree’s gift for singing, which bonds them. Arielle Prepetit’s credits include “BMF,” “Found” and “The System.”
RhonniRose Mantilla stars as Chelsea Hamilton, Dani Dupree and Bill Hamilton’s youngest daughter and Naomi’s younger sister. Chelsea is a social media influencer and has been a successful but reluctant high fashion model since she was 18. Her career expertly guided by Dani, Chelsea is charged with recreating the life her mother gave up, which doesn’t fit her own life vision. She has a lot of money, which allows her to follow her dream of designing a line of purses and building her brand. Chelsea indulges in the good things in life, like beautiful people, parties, her new condo in D.C. and the freedom to experiment. RhonniRose Mantilla recently starred in “Harmony the Musical” on Broadway.
Marquita Goings stars as Hayley Lawson, a paralegal at Bill Hamilton’s firm. Hayley is gorgeous, intelligent, charming, witty and the new fiancée of Dani Dupree’s ex-husband, Bill Hamilton. Considered a husband-stealing tramp in Dani’s circle, Hayley is nothing if not confident. With time, patience, charm and effort, she will try to win them over – and if not, so what? Hayley has what matters: Bill. Marquita Goings’ credits include “Woke” and Tyler Perry’s “Zatima.”
THE THOMASES
Trisha Mann-Grant stars as Dana “Leslie” Thomas, Eva Thomas’ mom and a long-time waitress and bartender. Dana “Leslie” is not wrapped all that tight and intense, but she’s charming and easy out in the world. The only person who sees what’s disturbing about her is her daughter, Eva, and very soon all will see what is unsettling about her, too. Trisha Mann-Grant’s credits include “Family Business” and “A Royal Christmas Surprise.”
Ambyr Michelle stars as Eva Thomas, Dana “Leslie” Thomas’ daughter and Nicole Dupree Richardson’s new assistant, who vibrates with intensity and purpose. Eva is determined to right a grievous wrong done to her mother as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Ambyr Michelle’s credits include “The Runarounds,” “Running Point” and “Snowfall.”
In story, Beyond the Gates is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., and in one of the most affluent African American counties in the United States.
The official loglines share, “Here you’ll find a posh gated community with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions to call home. At the center of this community are the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that is the very definition of Black royalty. But behind these pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. And those that live outside these gates are watching closely. These are the places where our characters live, love, work and play. Those who have ‘made it’ and those who haven’t are all trying to navigate life … and some with more grace than others.”
Beyond the Gates is developed and produced by the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, led by Sheila Ducksworth, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. This marks the first-ever one-hour Black daytime soap and the first daytime drama to premiere since Passions in 1999.
Michele Val Jean is the creator, executive producer and showrunner alongside executive producers Sheila Ducksworth, Robert Guza Jr., Julie Carruthers, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Kimberly Doebereiner and Anna Saalfeld.
What do you think about the latest casting addition to Beyond the Gates? Getting excited about its upcoming debut? Comment below.
This cast is coming together so beautifully and really, really honoring longtime black soap fans.
Honestly, I keep waiting for the names Lauren B. Martin and Amelia Marshall (CBS/P&G black girl magic represent!) and then we truly WILL have honored the black history and fans of our soaps, but I am not worried. Everybody involved knows their history and not every character is introduced right away. I would be shocked if there aren’t plans for both women within the first year…
So excited. I will be watching from Day 1 and can’t wait to see how it all comes together.
Very excited! Looking forward to Beyond the Gates debut & the characters will be a breath of fresh air.
The Thomases are going to be a PROBLEM!!!!!!! [In a good dramatic way]
This is a CAST and if given great material, can become an immediate HIT with longevity.
Glad that CBS & the NAACP are moving this forward swiftly and can’t wait to see Beyond the Gates become SUCCESSFUL!
So exciting seeing nine out of ten of these actors have not done daytime. That’s exciting, and knowing [more] roles are to come is exciting!! I am READY to go Beyond the Gates!!
This cast skews young. Hopefully some more mature additions will be announced.
It really doesn’t, though.
I am happy much of the cast is new to daytime. I worried if there were too many veterans, there would be more clamoring for ‘what was’ from our lost shows and not enough ‘what can happen’ from this new series.
Now announce that Debbi Morgan has been cast as Tamara Tunie’s opportunistic older sister who’s rode the coattails of her sister’s wealth and fame and isn’t ashamed one bit. Unmarried, no children and always a thorn in her sister’s family side. But her sister moves heaven and earth to make sure she’s more comfortable than herself. Sometimes to her own detriment.
Amelia Marshall joining this cast would be the icing on the CBS/P&G cake that could round out this already exciting cast with style and class because the woman is a damn fine actress who deserves to win a daytime Emmy or 10.
The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.
Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.
Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Daytime Emmy Winners Ambyr Michelle and Tamara Tunie to Chat Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
Just over a week ago, Beyond the Gates stars Ambyr Michelle and Tamara Tunie broke ground becoming the first performers in the history of daytime’s newest soap opera to win Daytime Emmys!
Michelle became the first, when she took home gold statuette earlier in the ceremonies in the Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series category. Later, Tunie joined her when she took home the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series, the first Emmy of her veteran career.
Now, both actresses visit the Michael Fairman Channel live for two separate chats! Ambyr Michelle will be with us on Wednesday, November 11 beginning at 6pm ET/3pm PT, while Tamara Tunie follows the next day on Thursday, November 12 beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
Photo: CBS
Find out what happened on their Emmy night both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, and in the celebration afterwards, plus what’s next for Eva and Anita in story on the CBS soap opera.
AMBYR TOOK A ‘SEAT AT THE TABLE’
Daytime Emmy viewers will recall Ambyr’s heartfelt Emmy acceptance speech, when she shared, “I don’t just see an award. I see every audition, every rejection, every moment I questioned my artistry. And to Eva Thomas, thank you, girl. Playing your pain made me process my own.“
She ended her speech with, “To my beautiful Black women and girls, take up space, be undeniable, create your tables, and fill those seats. When the tables are full, and those seats are full, make the table even bigger. So that the women coming up behind you never have to ask permission to belong.“
Photo: CBS
TAMARA HONORED THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE HER AND HER MOM
Tamara Tunie received a standing ovation when her name was called after her win in an enduring career. Tunie began by sharing, “My heart is so full right now. This is the best welcome back to daytime ever, There is a host of Black actresses who paved the way for me, and I feel them as I stand here tonight, beginning with the legendary Cicely Tyson, the first Black woman to appear on a daytime television show, The Guiding Light.”
Tunie went on to thank her co-stars and everyone at Beyond the Gates and soap opera fans, plus getting to share the screen with the legendary Clifton Davis as Anita’s husband, Vernon Dupree. However, it was Tunie’s mother, who at 92, was with her on Emmy night that she thanked the most.
“There is one person who has been on this journey with me every single step of the way, who has traveled across states, countries and oceans to support my dream,” she expressed. “I would not be who I am as an actor or a woman without her love, support, encouragement and mere presence, She has been my example, my role model and my inspiration. I accept this honor on behalf of my mother … who, at 92 years young, crossed the country yet again to see me take this goal tonight. I love you, mommy!”
HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Make sure to join us in the live chat with your questions for Ambyr and Tamara in what is sure to be emotional conversations.
If you cannot be with us live, but have a question you would like posed to either actress, make sure to drop in the comment section below and we just might pose it during the live broadcasts.
So, were you happy to see Ambyr and Tamara win Emmy gold? What are your hopes for Eva and Anita as the holiday season approaches and with 2027 just around the corner? Let us know in the comment section.
Next week on the Friday, November 13 episode of Beyond the Gates, Yvette Nicole Brown and her real life husband Anthony Davis guest star. In story, Brown takes on the role of Temeka the cousin to Shanice (Ernestine Johnson Morrison).
When Temeka comes to Fairmont Crest she will be accompanied by her husband, Tony, played by real-life hubby Anthony Davis. The castings come as the soap opera continues to expand the family of Shanice. Previously, we met her brothers, Cedric and Lamont.
As Shanice gets ready to head down the aisle with Dr. Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) will the presence of Shanice’s family members actually deter the nuptials from ever taking place?
Photo: CBS
This now makes the third daytime drama appearance by Yvette Nicole Brown. She first popped up on The Young and the Restless in 2016 and 2017 as reporter Lois Thompson.
Then in 2023, she played a nurse on General Hospital when she appeared in the March 29, 2023 episode honoring her real-life friend, Sonya Eddy who past away in real-life in December of 2022, The soap honored her in death when her character, Epiphany died.
Photo: ABC
Brown and Eddy first met in 2003 while testing for an ABC pilot titled “The Four Divas” alongside Octavia Spencer and Carla Renata and became very close friends up until Eddy’s passing.
It was actually Brown’s character, who came forth to Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and shared that Epiphany died saving her life which gave some sort of solace to Elizabeth; knowing Epiphany died doing what she loved, helping people.
As for Anthony Davis, not only is he an actor, but a writer and minister known for TV and film roles including: He Wasn’t Man Enough (2025), The Family Business: New Orleans, and The Upshaws.
Brown is also recognized from her roles on: Community, The Odd Couple, The Mayor, That ’70s Show, The Office, Boston Legal, Chuck, Mom, Big Shot to name but a few.
So, looking forward to see Yvette Nicole Brown and her real-life husband, Anthony Davis on Beyond the Gates? Happy to see more family members from Shanice’s life showing up at Fairmont Crest? Do you remember the heart-tugging episode where everyone learned Epiphany had died on General Hospital and Yvette Nicole Brown’s part in the story? Let us know via the comment section.
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
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