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Ron Carlivati Talks Tales of ‘One Life to Live,’ Decision to Exit ‘Beyond the Gates,’ Soap Writers and the Blame Game

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: ABC

This week on all-new episode of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart, multi-Daytime Emmy and WGA winning writer, Ron Carlivati is the special guest. Carlivati, who over his expansive writing career, has been the head writer at One Life to Live, General Hospital, Days of our Lives and most recently was part of the writing team at Beyond the Gates for its first 200 episodes.

Throughout his sit-down, Ron shared his journey to the show he loved the most, One Life to Life, to the show he watched first growing up, General Hospital and becoming its head scribe, plus how he came up with some of his more memorable storylines and characters, and the intensity of writing for the machine that is a daytime soap opera that has with no end, and why he is now stepped away to refocus himself on his own projects and what’s next in his career.

Carlivati revealed that during his tenure at One Life to Live, his favorite storyline actually sprung out of six-time Daytime Emmy-winning star, Erika Slezak’s (Viki) annual summer break, where usually they would send Viki off to a conference or something. But not this time!

Photo: JPI

VIKI DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE

Ron explained, “My favorite storyline happened when Erika Slezak took her summer break. It was a thing where Dorian (Robin Strasser) challenged Viki about life is short and what are you going do with the rest of your life? Viki really didn’t know. We did this thing where Viki was seeing her kids off and all the people that came home for Asa’s (Phil Carey) funeral. She was seeing them off at the airport, and at the end of the episode she walks up to the counter and she goes, ‘Give me a ticket on the next flight out of here.’ And they’re like, ‘Where to?’ And Viki goes, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ She asks for a one way ticket on the next flight out and she gets on and leaves. Then, I had her vacation time to figure out, ‘Where was Viki?'”

“So, I wrote this story where I basically ripped off the sitcom Alice,” he continued. “When Erika came back finally after her vacation, Viki’s kids were like, ‘I haven’t heard from mom. It’s kind of weird.’ They finally got her on the phone and you don’t really see her close up. Viki says, “I’m in Paris.” Then when she hangs up, you pull back and she’s in a waitress outfit and she’s in Paris, Texas.”

Photo: CBS

“We got Brian Kerwin to play Viki’s new love interest, and he was a big Broadway actor and a star. That turned out to be a great couple …Viki and and Charlie. Frank Valentini was completely supportive and game that we had this amazing diner set. It was called the Bonjour Cafe. On the soaps, there used to be so much more time and attention to detail. We had an Eiffel Tower with a cowboy hat on it on every table in the diner. It was fun.”

FALLING THROUGH THE ICE

In addition, Carlivati pointed how over the years when he would pitch producers at the soaps ideas of stories, it would often take the higher-ups some time to agree to it, but eventually they would come around.

One in particular One Life to Live fans will recall from 2010, “I wanted to do this thing on One Life to live where Gigi (Farah Fath) was walking on a frozen lake and she falls through the ice, and you know what the budgets are, you know what the sets are, and asking for a frozen lake with a water tank underneath is a lot of money.”

Courtesy/ABC

Frank (Valentini) is like, “Absolutely not.” And then, he gets excited about the idea and he doesn’t want to be the “no” person. So, he calls me up an hour later and he goes, ‘All right, here’s how we’re going to do it,” To make it work, this thing has to break out from under her. They did a controlled explosion to make this plastic ice break and her to fall through!”

FROM SALEM TO FAIRMONT CREST

After Ron’s exit as the head writer of Days of our Lives, he had planned to refocus himself, take a break from the rigors of head writing a show, when literally less than two months later, Michele Val Jean (creator, head writer, executive producer, Beyond the Gates) called Ron up and asked him, if he would want to join her writing team to launch the new soap opera After first resisting it, Carlivati shared how he came around to saying, yes.

Photo: CBS

“I had this five and a half hour drive back to New York City and I’m talking to my husband about it and he’s like saying like, ‘Well, you said you wanted to do less and you would have less responsibility with this job where you’re not the boss.’ So, there was that factor. Then, there was sort of the historic factor that this was the first new soap opera in over 25 years. It was the first hour-long soap centered around a black family. I had worked at ABC and NBC, but never CBS. Also, Michele had Bob Guza on board.  I’d never worked with him and he’s a legendary writer. All these pluses are adding up. I was like, ‘I only have to write one episode a week? Not oversee this whole thing? OK.”

Next, Ron explained his decision to leave the series after he satisfied the initial run of shows he came on for, “At that point (when I signed on), Beyond the Gates was greenlit for 200 episodes. So, the writers were all only hired for that, because no one knew if it would go further than that. I agreed to come on for that, which I’m so glad I did. Everyone was amazing. It was fun to be creating a new show.”

SOAP WRITERS OFTEN FACE FAN BACKLASH

Greg Rikaart, who’s current Days of our Lives character of Leo Stark was created by Carlivati, brought up the subject of how soap opera writers receive a disproportionate amount of criticism online from viewers, as opposed to saying something they watched was so incredible or well-written.

Photo: Peacock

Carlivati responded, “They will definitely blame the writer before the actor, because you guys are the ones they see on TV. That’s who they love. And, if they are doing something terrible, they’re like, ‘Oh, poor Leo had to do this thing that they made him do that wasn’t in his character.” So, yes, the writer does get disproportionate more of the criticism.”

Fans can listen and catch episodes of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart on Audacy or wherever podcasts are available, and can watch full video episodes weekly on the CBS Brand YouTube Channel.

So, what did you think about Viki’s Paris, Texas journey being one of Ron’s favorite from his time head writing One Life to Live? From, OLTL, GH, Days and BTG, which soap during his tenure have you enjoyed the most?  Drop your thoughts in the comment section. You can check out the full interview with Carlivati below.

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Carlivati responded, “They will definitely blame the writer before the actor, because you guys are the ones they see on TV. That’s who they love. And, if they are doing something terrible, they’re like, ‘Oh, poor Leo had to do this thing that they made him do that wasn’t in his character.” So, yes, the writer does get disproportionate more of the criticism.”

And why shouldn’t we? The actor is only playing what’s on the script, which the writer wrote.

I loved the storyline of Viki winding up working at the cafe in Paris TX including the introduction of Gigi and Moe & Noelle. Glad they integrated those characters into the show. Would have liked to have seen more of January Lavoy and John Rue.

Love Ron to bits one of the best daytime writers ever.

Ron is so cute too 🙂

Hearing Ron talk about One Life to Live brings such joy to my heart because that’s my show too. I saw the debut episode and was immediately intrigued by the fascinating characters. Over the years I watched the show grow and develop and expand. Not a single day goes by that I don’t miss One Life to Live. Thank you to Ron for being a part of that amazing show.

Nice interview. Very curious as to what the project he is working on. Would love to have heard what he thought Vicki and Dorian from OLTL would be up to now, and if he would be willing to write a one off tv movie for the soap. Have heard past rumors about AMC doing something similar for lifetime, but nothing concrete.

He’s probably bound by an NDA or it’s in the early stages of development.

I thought Ron’s writing brought a unique style of storytelling to One Life To Live and General Hospital. It’s cool that he used to work for David Baldacci.

During the interview, did it resonate with anyone else that when they brought Erika Slezak on GH as Ronnie, that she played a waitress, again??? I thought that was a nod to Ron.

I just thought about that after the interview.

I think he is one of the all time great writers not just because of the stories he wrote. I think Doug Marland, Bill Bell, Agnes Nixon were better story tellers. But he gets high marks because from me of his assistance in saving General Hospital and Days from outright cancellation during a time when television executives wanted out of the soap business altogether. He had a much tougher fight.

Spot on. Although his ego was massive. And he is very thin skinned. He loved blocking his critics instead of engaging with them.

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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