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Michele Val Jean Gives Update on New CBS Soap ‘The Gates’, “People are Boarding and Taking Seats!” Who Might Be in the Cast?

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: CBS

Excitement continues to build for the launch of the first new network soap opera in 25 years, as The Gates gets set for its January 2025 debut. As previously announced, longtime soap opera writer, Michele Van Jean created the series and will server as writer, showrunner, and as one of the EP’s of the new CBS soap.

While speculation runs high as to who is joining Michele’s team behind the scenes and who will be in the cast, on Saturday, she shared a message on x with an update expressing “The train is in the station, people are boarding and taking seats! #ittakesavillagetobuildaworld #excited #TheGates

That post certainly piqued soap opera fans minds, all waiting to hear who could be in the cast? Will it be actors from the world of soaps previously? Will a previous TV and film star be featured as one of the leads? What we do now is The Gates is centered around a wealthy Black family who lives in a luxurious gated community.

Photo: CBS

One fan commented to Val Jean: “In addition to all of the great Black daytime vets (Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Victoria Rowell, etc.), I *really* hope you pick up both Micheal Easton & Trevor St. John. I’d love to see them on The Gates!”

Behind the scenes Val Jean is joined by Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner who also serve as executive producers. The Gates was developed through a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP. The series will be produced by CBS Studios/NAACP venture in partnership with P&G Studios, which is a division of Procter & Gamble.

As for Val Jean, she is well-known for her work as a writer for both The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital and she has won multiple Daytime Emmy and WGA Awards.

So, who would you love to see cast in ‘The Gates]? Not much is known publicly about the characters within the upcoming new soap, but serve as our armchair casting quarterback in the comment section below and let us know which actors you would love to see it it.

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It’s been mentioned multiple times that there is a possibility of bringing legendary soap actor Vincent Irizarry to this exciting new show and I couldn’t agree with this more. He has a huge fan base who miss seeing him daily on their screens and he would surely add to the appeal of this show as a regular:

I wholeheartedly concur Vincent would be a fantastic edition to the cast!!

I wholeheartedly concur! Vincent would make a fantastic edition to this epic show ! bar none ❤️

If there is a role available for Vincent Irizarry, I would love to see him on a soap again. He is missed. I would also love to see Debbi Morgan and Victoria Rowell back in action on the soaps as well.

Maybe LATER on this NEW ‘Soap Opera’…But PRESENTLY, We want VICTORIA ROWELL TO RETURN to Young & Restless as DRUCILLA and have her STORYLINE closed out PROPERLY!!….

He is on another show with Jordi Vilauso, “The Blvd” .

He is on “The Blvd.” With Jordi Vilauso.

I didn’t know Vincent was black!

Love her enthusiasm. Mine is dampened by ANY mention of P&G. Back in the day those Exec’s loved to put their stamp on shows no matter how dumb and were famous for exiting writers and being show killers no matter how popular a show was. Nope. A wait and see well into the first year moment for me. These networks just can’t hire a good EP and HW and sit back and be hands off for the sake of a rating point.

I’d love to see Brytni Sarpy on The Gates. She was wasted on YR.

It’s nice that she’s posting but she’s still so vague about The Gates. At least, give us a date of who, what, where and why? LOL!!!!! I have always assumed it would shot in Los Angeles but then others have commented saying maybe it would be in Atlanta because it could be cheaper. I know a lot of people want a lot of old vets and old timers. I could see one or two being cast as the main characters but I’m thinking there are going to be a lot newbies. It’s probably cheaper. Time will tell.

Vincent Irizarry Would be perfect for The Gates! I miss him on my screen!! I have been a fan for 41 years and Vincent always delivers top notch performances Please bring him back to daytime and on your show!! Did I mention he’s an Emmy Winner?!!

I hope they Cast Debbi Morgan, Loretta Devine, Victoria Rowell, Darnell Williams and Patti Labelle. The Gates needs well known soap actors. I hope The Gates is a big hit, I will be watching in January.

PATTI LABELLE??!!??

They need to get Gina Tognoni on board, you had a hit show right a way!

Oh please she’s too busy designing shoes

Really, I don’t think so! lol

Gina Tognoni is not BLACK……This is a SOAP OPERA with a predominantly AFRICAN-AMERICAN CAST!….

Uhm it cannot be all black if so many want Vicent in it -he’s not black either

I don’t know how one could even think about an actor, until you know what sort of charactor they would play. I certainly wouldn’t watch one of my favorite stars play a mean, rotten person, etc.

Most actors welcome the chance to play different types of characters. They don’t want to play the same type their entire careers; nor do film or prime time actors, stage actors, etc. I watched Cillian Murphy, a fantastic Irish actor, go from playing one of the toughest mob bosses on a great show, Peaky Blinders, to playing a woman in a film called Breakfast on Pluto, and he was brilliant in each role! A good actor can play anything and we go along for the ride….

Thanks for enlightening me, something you are so good at!

Snarky much?

I think Violet is being appreciative, not snarkly

Gina Tognoni would be fantastic. I loved her work with Lawrence Saint-Victor on Guiding Light. It would be wonderful to see them work together again.

If Raven Bowens were to leave Days, I’d like to see her in it.

Amelia Marshall and Victoria Rowell for sure also Arianne Zucker Austin Peck and Sarah Buxton and whatever happened to Robert Keller Kelly they would all be great additions!

They need to change the name it sounds dumb.

I’m trying to figure how is where they live called The Gates or do they live litteraly behind Gates which is an exclusive neighborhood or compound? I also don’t care for the name. It sounds kind of depressing.

They told us in the beginning that it is about a RICH,BLACK familythat lives in a gated community. Where I live this is nothing rare or unheard of. It’s lots of apartments, townhouses, condos, etc where you have keys to enter, strangers don’t just drive in at will. I think that’s why the name, The Gates.

Something more snazzy and soapish is in order tho, not The Gates for goodness sake!

Please educate these people!

Vincent is perfect for “The Gates” .
He is EXCEPTIONAL! He gives justice to every role he has ever played. He convincingly portrays his characters , delivers with great precision.

Sounds like many of you don’t know that this is going to be a predominantly black cast.

Roger Howarth, Trevor St John, and Michael Eston would be great additions to the cast in my opinion.

I thought this was mostly a black cast? They should cast newcomers it would make it more interesting.

Jonelle Allen who played Doreen on Generations was incredible. I still think of her performances 35 years later.

So do I. She was dynamite.

This article was pointless. It was little more than a boring tease. “Oh, the EP is excited and things are progressing.” One would assume so. If the date for more information was given or a name of someone in the cast were given, then that would be worth the read. Please wait until there’s some REAL news on this new soap that we are anxious to see before another blip comes out.

We have favorites, yes, but I’d like a large part of the cast to be up and comers who don’t carry baggage from past roles and shows. And to gove audience fresh faces. This is so exciting.

Me too

I think Starr Jones should play as an attorney or a Judge.

Oh yeah, how about Steve Harvey, while we’re at it, he can be so funny.

Now you’re going over the edge with NONSENSE!!…

Oh for God’s sake, lighten up a little and actually my idea was not as crazy as some I’ve seen here.

This is supposed to be a serious, new soap opera about high society, upper echelon Blacks…NOT a show of BUFFOONERY!!!.…

And NeNe Leakes who is her boss and treats her like dirt ooh child I’d be glued to my TV.

Absolutely NO STARR JONES…That’s worse than the person who suggested SINGER Patti LaBelle should be in ‘The GATES’!!!(RIDICULOUS!)….

Thank you they put Starr Jones on there it won’t last 2 weeks

I can only imagine the comments if there was going to be a Jewish soap opera about a wealthy Jewish famil and their “gated” community. I can hear the antisemitism now…

There you go again. It’s not an us vs. them nor is it an either/or situation.

We understand the desire for representation, but any negativity towards this new show is unwarranted. Any new network soap opera in this day and age should be applauded.

Yeah; and I’m going to keep on about it as long as there’s no change. And many in this soap community who are so thrilled about this soap can’t even stand with me to say yeah, there should be at least ONE Jewish character! Instead I’ve been called racist.

Why do you think attitudes toward the black community has changed so much in decades? REPRESENTATION. Popular culture. Kids being brought up with black characters on film, TV, etc. If we don’t do that for the Jewish population, one of the smallest populations on the planet, the cycle of antisemitism will never end.

And “there you go again?” Why do you think black people got to the point they are today? Because they didn’t stay silent. They were sick of not seeing themselves represented. The problem for me is that this very group mocks me, instead of relating to, what I’m saying. They of all people should get it. So, no. I have no desire to support this soap. And won’t.

OG Stead, I think she’s just a troll at this point looking for attention. Representation in all forms is important to many of us. That includes Jewish representation. I doubt she is self-reflective enough to realize it’s not the message but the messenger that’s the problem.

Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Scores Third Most-Watched Week Since Its Premiere With ‘The Young and the Restless’ Crossover Event

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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.

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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?

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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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Beyond the Gates

Phillip Boyd Makes His Debut on ‘Beyond the Gates’ in Recurring Role of Dr. Miles Arnold

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A new face emerged on today’s episode of CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when actor, Phillip Boyd made his debut in the recurring role of Dr. Miles Arnold.

In story, Dr Arnold is a doctor and surgeon and on the June 16 episode, Miles had to sadly deliver some disappointing new. Neither of Eva’s (Ambyr Michelle) parents, Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) or Leslie Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) is a donor match for the life-saving transplant surgery Eva desperately needs.

Eva, among others, was injured in the tornado that ripped through Fairmont Crest and its devastating aftermath. She sustained critical injuries during the storm and was trapped with her half-sister, Kat Richardson (Colby Nixon).

Courtesy/CBS

Phillip Boyd recently appeared on The McCord List, where he talked about his career between working in Los Angeles and Atlanta and said about his latest acting gig, “Dr, Miles Arnold works in the hospital. There’s something that happens, a natural disaster and a lot of the characters on the show are at this event and something tragic happens and they’re rushed to the hospital.”

The actor is also appearing in the final season of Tyler Perry’s Netflix series Beauty in Black where he shows up in 7 episodes. Boyd previously appeared in short term roles on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives. In primetime, he also played the role of Mitch on 90210 and played Oscar in Tyler Perry’s The Haves and Have Nots for five-seasons.

So, so you think Beyond the Gates might make Phillip Boyd’s role bigger over time on the soap? Will Kat be the match that Eva needs? If not, who? Many people were ruled out on today’s episode. Drop you thoughts and picks for the donor via the comment section.

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