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‘Beyond the Gates’ EP Sheila Ducksworth on Debut of Daytime’s Newest Drama: “I Think It’s Going to Change a lot of Perspectives”

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/CBSSundayMorning

Beyond the Gates is set to make television history when its debuts next month on February 24 on CBS, becoming the first hour-long soap opera centered around a Black family with a predominantly Black cast as well as behind the scenes creatives, and production personnel.

CBS News Sunday Morning’s Nancy Giles took viewers to the set of the new daytime drama for a special segment, were it opened its “gates” for the first time. The series stars: Clifton Davis, Tamara Tunie, Daphnee Duplaix and Karla Mosley as members of the Duprees – an affluent family living in a gated community in the Maryland/D.C. area.

The daytime drama will be the first on network television since Passions debuted in 1999. Unlikes its contemporaries, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, which currently tape in Los Angeles, Beyond the Gates is the first network soap opera to be shot in Atlanta, Georgia.

Courtesy/CBSSundayMorning

The segment offered a inside glimpse of the production and set designs and the expansiveness of its 27 sets through its production designer, Bruton Jones, plus how its costume and hair and make-up departments, all support the the aesthetic of the Black experience.

Jeresa Featherstone, who formerly was the costume designer at The Bold and the Beautiful. shared, “It just feels at home. I know these people. It’s about family, it’s about fashion. We love to get dressed.” Hair designer, Wankaya Hinkson expressed, “I wanted everyone to see themselves on television and to see how different we can wear our hair and how natural hair textures can be just as beautiful as straight.”

Courtesy/CBSSundayMorning

Executive producers, Sheila Ducksworth of the CBS Venture/NAACP production, and Michele Val Jean, who is also the series head writer and showrunner, spoke on getting their vision to come to life, when the soap genre on network television had been believed, by many, to be on its last legs. Val Jean says Beyond the Gates is a game-changer, “You haven’t seen a soap like this. You just haven’t.”

Ducksworth shared how impactful she believes Beyond the Gates will be after it makes it debut: “I do think that it will change lives. I think that TV has that power to do that. I really do think it’s going to open a lot of eyes. I think it’s going to change a lot of perspectives. I think it’s going to bring a lot of people together.”

Courtesy/CBSSundayMorning

Check out the Beyond the Gates feature from CBS News Sunday Morning below.

Now, let us know, were you more impressed with the upcoming launch of the series after seeing and hearing from many of the men and women behind the scenes, as well as the actors in front of the camera? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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This got me super excited to see what’s to come. The writing, based on the clips we’ve seen and saw in this feature, sounds fantastic. The production reminds me of TOLN’s All My Children (which reminded me of British soaps). My one complaint is how brightly lit everyone is; I’d love some shadows added in. But overall, I am too excited for Beyond the Gates next month.

Last edited 1 year ago by Scott (ATWT fan)

Me too. I’m going to give it a chance. I gave up on Y&R, and my viewing of GH has become somewhat spotty. If we could get something reminiscent of the productive values of All My Children, not to mention the writing, I’m all in.

It’s a soap opera. OF COURSE I have to tune in!

If this fails will the talk return

No.

Ugh.

Well, from the clips, Ms. Tunie is still a Force of Nature, as she always was (and absolutely rocking that gray hair, too, in a way that few women can pull off); looking forward to seeing her on my soap screen again. But the one who knocked my socks off in the clips was Karla Mosley; I liked her on B&B but had no idea she had that kind of fire. I think this is promising to be really good.

I also found Sheila Ducksworth to be more real, and less “suit-like,” than most execs, so that makes me feel good. I still have concerns about there being six or seven people with the title “Executive Producer,” but this show is the first development in the soap world in at least a decade that has me really excited. If it’s as good as it promises to be (and I do have faith in Michele Val Jean to tell compelling stories), it will be SO nice to have something I actually look forward to watching in the afternoon again, rather than something I just tune in when I don’t have anything better to do. (Remember when soaps used to be can’t-miss, plan-your-day-around-it viewing? Boy I’d love to have that again.)

I still have concerns about there being six or seven people with the title “Executive Producer,”

This has to do with CBS Studios/NAACP being involved. I think it’s more of a guarantee for the NAACP than anything else.

Beyond the Gates

CBS Daytime Preemption Schedule for UEFA Champions League Games: What This Means for ‘Beyond the Gates,’ B&B and Y&R

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Your favorite soaps operas on CBS, have a scheduling shift over the next few days for the network’s fifth annual broadcast for the UEFA Champions League Soccer games in Europe.

This will effect the Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29; and next week’s Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6 line-up of Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless.

First, and the most affected is all-new episodes of Beyond the Gates which will not air today or tomorrow. As well, game show Let’s Make a Deal will also be preempted. The two shows will also be fully preempted on May 5 and May 6.

Photo: UEFA

However, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful will air as normal for East Coast viewers, but those on the West Coast in Mountain and Pacific Time Zones will have a full preemption. Only, the top-rated The Price is Right will air coast-to-coast with no interruptions because of its time slot of 11am ET/10am PT.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SCHEDULE

The UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, semi-final matches begin airing today on April 28 when  Paris Saint Germain PSG plays a home game in France and goes up against Bayern Munich, and on April 29, viewers can look for Atlético de Madrid plays at home vs. Arsenal FC.

Next week, on Tuesday, May 5, Arsenal FC plays at home in England vs. Atletico Madrid, while Bayern Munich faces Paris Saint-Germain, on Wednesday May 6, in Munich, Germany.

CBS will air a one-hour UEFA Champions League Today before each of the matches at 2pm ET as the matches begin each day of the tournament at 3pm ET.

BEYOND THE GATES PREVIEW

When Beyond the Gates returns this Thursday, April 3o it will be the pick-up of the Monday, April 27 cliffhanger which found the Dr. Lia Whitmore (Cecelia Specht) threatening Grayson (Jordi Vilasuso) and Ashley (Jen Jacob) and Dani (Karla Mosley) becoming even more suspicious of Hayley (Marquita Goings) and her plans for Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett).

Photo: CBS

In addition look for, Leslie (Tricia Mann-Grant) to be confronted by Anita (Tamara Tunie), while exes, Ted (Keith D. Robinson) and Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix) share a close moment witnessed by Shanice.

For those wanting to catch all episodes of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful if you are in the West Coast time zones and usually watch them during the day. you can catch the action via CBS.com, CBS app or Paramount+

As Beyond the Gates heats up with who’s behind and involved in the black market blood plasma snatching story, don’t forget to check out the Michael Fairman Channel’s recent interview with Cecelia Specht on all things Dr. Lia Whitmore below.

So, what do you think of the preemption schedule and how it may affect your viewing this week and next of Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Weigh-in via the comment section.

 

 

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Beyond the Gates

Ashley Jones Joins the Cast of Beyond the Gates

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Ashley Jones is the newest addition of CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates.  The veteran soap actress has posted some teasey Instagran stories revealing the intel; especially her latest wearing a Beyond the Gates emblazoned robe while in her dressing room.

As to who Jones is playing that is still hush-hush. Ashley follows other former daytime notables to Fairmont Crest which have included Greg Vaughan (ex-DAYS, Y&R, GH) and Jordi Vilasuso (ex-Y&R, AMC, DAYS and GL).

A spokesperson for Beyond the Gates confirmed the news to Soap Opera Digest expressing, “We can confirm Ashley Jones will be appearing in Beyond the Gates.” It should be noted: Beyond the Gates does tape four months ahead of air.

Soap fans first met Ashley when she played Megan Dennison on The Young and the Restless (1997-2000). She then went on to The Bold and the Beautiful to play Bridget Forrester in her initial run from 2004-2010 and since then making recurring appearances throughout the next 15 years. In addition, Jones appeared on General Hospital in the role of Parker Forsyth from 2016-17.

Earlier this week, Beyond the Gates was renewed for two more consecutive seasons its 3 and 4th by CBS, giving the youngest soap on the air, a big confidence boost. The series debuted back on February 24, 2025 as the first hour-long Black-led soap opera, and which tapes in Atlanta, Georgia instead of Los Angeles, California.

Who do you think Ashley Jones will play on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts below.

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CBS Renews ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Seasons 3 and 4

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Congratulations are in order for daytime’s newest drama series, Beyond the Gates. Today on April 15, the soap opera was officially renewed by CBS for two more seasons, its 3 and 4th.

The network revealed the renewal pick-up at a press briefing led by CBS Entertainment President, Amy Reisenbach. That show of faith takes the soap through the 2027-2028 television and streaming season, while the soap currently continues to air its second season.

Beyond the Gates creator, head writer and executive producer, Michele Val Jean took to X following the news of the pick-up and expressed her gratitude, sharing, “So this happened. Thank you to everyone involved, from the network to the crew, for the support, belief, hard work and dedication everyone has poured into this show. Beyond grateful.”

Photo: CBS

While Deadline was the first to break the news of the young soap opera’s latest accomplishment, Val Jean clarified that Tracey Thomson who is listed at the bottom of the article as one of the series executive producers along with Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey, is more than that.

Val Jean explained Thomson’s full involvement with Beyond the Gates, noting, “A credit egregiously missing on this article is Tracey Thomson’s. She’s been by my side cranking out these shows since episode 150. We just did 400. She’s my partner, my co-head writer and an executive producer and she deserves all the credit.”

Beyond the Gates is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, DC, in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States; 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 who 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.

The cast is led by the Duprees played by Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis, Karla Mosley, and Daphnee Duplaix along with Brandon Claybon, Mike Manning, Trisha Mann-Grant, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Nixon, Arielle Prepetit, Sean Freeman, Timon Kyle Durrett, RhonniRose Mantilla, Keith D. Robinson. Jon Lindstrom, and more round out the cast.

So, excited to hear Beyond the Gates is keeping on keepin’ on with two more seasons coming your way after the completion of its current season? Let us know via the comment section. But first, check out our recent conversation on the Michael Fairman Channel with series stars Tamara Tunie, Sean Freeman, Clifton Davis and EP Sheila Ducksworth via the comment section below .

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CBS unveils Beyond the Gates season 2 promo and Jordi Vilasuso joins the cast. Leave A Comment

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