Beyond the Gates
EXCLUSIVE: Exec Prod Sheila Ducksworth Talks Decision to Shoot ‘Beyond the Gates’ in Atlanta on ‘Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart’
On an all-new episode of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart, dropping on Tuesday, July 22nd, Beyond the Gates executive producer, Sheila Ducksworth, is the very special guest where she discusses how daytime’s newest soap opera set up shop and put down its roots in Atlanta, Georgia, plus lining-up the team behind the scenes and the cast in front of the camera.
In an exclusive clip, Ducksworth explains, why when all the other daytime soap operas tape in Los Angeles, she choose Atlanta as the home of Fairmont Crest. “There are a lot of factors,” shared the EP. “I knew that I could shoot the show in Atlanta. I knew that there were a lot of great people and great talent, great facilities there. So, I knew that we could make this work. We’re over at Assembly Studios and we are the first inhabitants for our production offices as well as for our stages.”
Sheila added “We’re able to customize it and make it exactly what we needed and it’s just fantastic. It’s just a great environment. There was a lot of planning that went into it, and the people that would lead the departments. I have to say all those folks, the heads of the departments, they’re incredible.”

Photo: CBS
Speaking of the department heads at Beyond the Gates, many of whom have held positions on previous daytime soaps have made joined its ranks as Rebecca Budig noted to Greg Rikaart. “She took Julie Carruthers, who was our producer from All My Children and Jeresa Featherstone, our wardrobe designer at the The Bold and the Beautiful, who I knew for like two weeks before she left (for Beyond the Gates),”recalled Budig.
When speaking of the cast including: Cady McClain (Pamela), Tamara Tunie (Anita), and Mike Manning (Smitty) and more, who all have worked on the soaps previous to Beyond the Gates, Ducksworth reiterated, “It’s a great group of people.”

Photo: CBS
In a previous preview clip released over the weekend, Ducksworth spoke on how the cast of Beyond the Gates was assembled, “We’ve wanted it to feel really accessible to everybody. There’s some specificity obviously to the show, but what we’re really dealing in and dwelling in is a universality. People who live inside the gates as well as people who live outside the gates. We have our matriarch and our patriarch with Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis (Vernon). We are so fortunate. We were so specific about what we wanted, and we were fortunate enough to find the people that we found to populate this world.”

Photo: CBS
Duckworth also noted, “It was no small task and thanks to our casting director, Kim Coleman, and obviously we had a lot of participation, ultimately from CBS and CBS studios, Claudia Lyon, Executive Vice President, Talent and Casting, CBS Entertainment. It’s been like everybody kind of rolled up their sleeves and wrapped their arms around,”What is this task going to look like? What’s the feel of it going to be?” We were fortunate to get Tamara Tunie, as well as Clifton Davis. They lead this family like nobody else could, as the matriarch and the patriarch.”
Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart is a new audio and video podcast that dives deep into the legacy, fandom, and enduring appeal of soap operas. Available on Audacy or wherever podcasts are found, full video episodes are released every Tuesday through September 30 on the CBS brand YouTube channel.

Photo: CBS
Upcoming episodes of ‘Soapy’ will include interviews with: Lauralee Bell (Christine Blair, The Young and the Restless), Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital), Tracey Bregman (Lauren Fenmore, The Young and the Restless), Marc Cherry (Creator, Desperate Housewives), Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer, The Bold and the Beautiful), Eva LaRue (ex-Natalia Ramirez, General Hospital), Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin, The Young and the Restless), Cameron Mathison (Drew Cain, General Hospital), Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree, Beyond the Gates), Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter Walton, The Bold and the Beautiful), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, The Young and the Restless), Heather Tom (Katie Logan, The Bold and the Beautiful) and the aforementioned,Tamara Tunie.
Now below, watch the exclusive clip from tomorrow’s new episode of Soapy featuring Beyond the Gates executive producer, Sheila Ducksworth speaking on the decision to tape the show in Atlanta, followed by a preview where she speaks on casting the series.
Let us know, what do you think about the newest soap opera being taped in Atlanta, the casting decisions for its main characters and its behind the scenes creatives? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Honestly, I think shooting in Georgia is refreshing and the best decision they could have chosen. A lot of the local talent they have found are excellent, as well. And from the looks of it, Assembly Studios is one of the best studios out there right now, so kudos to them for going there, as well.
My current ranking of how I’m enjoying the soaps I watch:
1. DOOL (Love it but miss Ron C)
2. BTG
3. GH
4. Y&R (never recall it being worse)
I agree with your top 2 and yes miss ron c I have to put bold at 3 I gave up on gh a long long time ago and boy are you on point about yandr they could use Ron c I’ve never seen it this bad myself ! Really makes you miss another world Santa Barbara world turns and one life
Thanks for responding, Richard!
I’ve never followed B&B. Goes back to my VCR days when I could only record one show at a time and I was taping Days! Honestly, I pretty much hate watch GH as I despise the characters of Sonny, Carly & Jason. Still, GH is tons better than what passes as Y&R these days…
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Set to Air Week of Encore Episodes

Next week, CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates serves up a week of repeats to shed the spotlight on some recent major episodes, in case you may have missed it, all before the 4th of July holiday weekend.
This is not the first time the newest network television soap opera on the block has aired a week’s worth of encore presentations. However this time, the episodes focus on the fabulous Cotillion storyline which is juxtaposed with the blood plasma ring warehouse shakedown which saw Derek Baldwin (Ben Gavin) get shot and eventually die.
Also included in the week is Grammy and Tony Award winner, Jennifer Holliday making a guest appearance on the soap, and singing an original song from the series musical supervisors team during the Duprees Easter brunch, and more.

Photo: CBS
Take a look at the rundown of what you will see next week on Beyond the Gates below.
Monday, June 29
The Duprees get ready for Samantha’s cotillion. Jacob meets with Ren. Ashley is in a panic as Grayson prepares for the worst. Bill questions Hayley about her past. Lia puts Derek in the hot seat.
Tuesday, June 30
Grayson completes his assignment, but then all hell breaks loose at the warehouse. Samantha and Jessica make their cotillion debut while Nicole has to deal with an emergency.
Wednesday, July 1
Someone dies while a Platinum Deb is crowned. Vanessa questions Joey about the chaos of the evening. Tyrell and Jessica slip away for their first time together.
Thursday, July 2
Special Guest Star Jennifer Holliday sings for a friend. Nicole takes Kial to her family’s Easter brunch. Ted advises Carlton. Anita puts Anastasia in her place. Hayley feels like an outsider in a sea of Duprees. Grayson receives a threat. Naomi and Jacob find a way to connect.
Friday, July 3
Naomi and Jacob spend their anniversary apart—both remembering their love story from first date to wedding vows. Izaiah helps his brother out while Naomi leans on Ashley, Dani and Bill.
Beyond the Gates returns with all-new episodes starting Monday, July 6 where it will pick up right from where it left off following the Friday, June 26 cliffhanger.
So, from the encore episodes listed, which are you are you most enthused about seeing again, or do you wish there was no break from traditional all-new episodes? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Beyond the Gates
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Scores Third Most-Watched Week Since Its Premiere With ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover Event

The tornado that ripped through Fairmont Crest and put the lives of the characters of Beyond the Gates and several from The Young and the Restless in jeopardy had viewers tuning-in for the week of June 8-12.
The highly-publicized crossover event kicked off on the Tuesday, June 9 episode of Beyond the Gates where six residents of Genoa City came to to visit the D.C./Maryland country club for a fundraiser for Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon), only no one expected a twister to tear into the proceedings, leading to several storylines intersecting as people were trapped with one another with Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle) being the most severely injured and now requiring a liver transplant to survive.
According to the ratings report from CBS and Nielsen ratings and as supplied to Variety, Beyond the Gates brought in on average 1.8 million viewers throughout the wee. That is up 11% from its season-to-date numbers and it makes the crossover/tornado episodes its third most-watched week for the soap since Beyond the Gates premiered back on February 24, 2025.

Photo: CBS
A GENOA CITY TOUCHDOWN
With the strength of the story, its special effects and bringing over cast of the top-rated, The Young and the Restless which included: Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), Michael Mealor (Kyle Abbott), Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott), Susan Walters (Diane Jenkins), Melissa Ordway (Abby Newman) and Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), the Thursday, June 11 episode was the week’s most-watched.
According to the numbers, the Wednesday June 10 episode brought in the most total viewers for the week with 1.87 million (up 17% week-to-week), followed closely by the Friday, June 12 episodes which had 1.84 million watching.

Photo: JPI
Over on The Young and the Restless, the week of June 8-12, also saw an increase based on the early return that week of Shemar Moore as Malcolm Winters wrapping up his leg of the story where viewers learned he had a son Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) with Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox), and survived his bone marrow transplant surgery thanks to Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn).
Y&R scored 3.11 million viewers for the week up 2% from its season average with the June 8 and June 9 episodes featuring Moore averaging 3.2 million viewers and up 9% year-over-year.
So, did you enjoy the tornado episodes of Beyond the Gates and seeing the residents of Genoa City crossover to Fairmont Crest? Share your thoughts via the comment section on the latest ratings for the two CBS daytime soaps.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Karla Mosley Weighs-in on Dani Dupree’s Love Life Endgame: Are You Team Bill or Team Andre?

Last week, viewers of CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates watched as a tornado ripped through Fairmont Crest. In its wake, people were trapped with one another or seriously injured.
For Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley), she found herself stuck in an elevator with her ex-husband, Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). And wouldn’t you know, one thing led to another, and the two gave into their unresolved feelings for one another and did the deed.
Meanwhile, Dani’s current husband, Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) suffered a minor injury to his leg, and was worried sick in the ballroom because he had no idea where Dani was after the twister decimated the place. Eventually, Dani and Bill part ways go back to their families and act like nothing happened.

Photo: CBS
When Dani is reunited with Andre, he professes his love for her even more than ever. As for Bill’s current wife Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings), she could care less because she was making out with Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor, Y&R) in a closet at the country club!
THE TORNADO MAY HAVE CHANGED DANI’S HEART
For months, Beyond the Gates viewers have found themselves torn; rooting for Dani and Bill to get over themselves and get back together, or rooting for Dani and Andre, because its clear he truly loves her, even though their marriage may not have started out as the greatest love affair of all time.
Karla Mosley opened up to PEOPLE on Dani’s romance plight and who the writers of the soap might ultimately pair her with, expressing “I cannot say. I honestly have no idea.”
As it seems now, this triangle of Andre/Dani/Bill is about to heat up even more following Dani’s elevator exploits. However, according to Mosley, the popularity of Dani and Andre came as surprise to the writers, which has led to the romantic drama. “The writers did not think Dani and Andre were gonna pop off the way that they did,” explained Karla. “Originally, they thought Bill and Dani would be back together by the end of season one. And then it was like, ‘wait, what is happening?’”

Photo: CBS
WRITERS ARE TAKING THE PULSE OF THE FANS
The decision to not have Dani and Bill reunite within season 1 or half-way though season 2, Mosley shares is a sign of the times: “The old soap trope is the torn woman who goes back to her man. But I think there are enough women now who are like, I want to see her win.”
In the end, Karla believes that in this case, fans speaking up, can also translate to the writers room and influence their potential decision of who should be the ultimate man for Dani. She tells Beyond the Gates viewers, “Keep talking about it, y’all.”
Meanwhile, questions remain: Could Dani and Bill’s elevator sex find her pregnant with his child, which would make this whole situation more messy? Stay tuned.
Now, let us know, who do you want to see Dani ultimately with … Bill Hamilton or Andre Richardson? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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