Beyond the Gates
Ron Carlivati Talks Tales of ‘One Life to Live,’ Decision to Exit ‘Beyond the Gates,’ Soap Writers and the Blame Game
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.
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
‘Beyond the Gates’ and NAACP Partner for Contest to Give Winning Viewer a Guest Spot on the 15-time Daytime Emmy Nominated Soap
Hot on the heels of its 15 Daytime Emmy nominations, which is a record-breaking number for a freshman entry in daytime, comes word that one lucky viewer has the chance to win a guest spot on an upcoming episode of the CBS soap opera, Beyond the Gates and a trip to Atlanta where the series is taped.
The NAACP and Beyond the Gates announced on Thursday via Instagram that they are holding a contest for you to show your love for Fairmont Crest, the Duprees, the Richardsons and other assorted characters who make up the canvas of Beyond the Gates.
Sharing the contest rules, the NAACP post said, “Your love for #BeyondtheGates could pay off. The NAACP/Beyond the Gates Contest starts TODAY! Share an original video showing how you watch, react to, celebrate, or talk about the @beyondthegatescbs show for your chance to win. From watch parties to your favorite characters and unforgettable moments, show us what makes the series a must-watch.
Photo: CBS
HOW YOU CAN GO BEYOND THE GATES
The contest asks, “Want to win a guest spot on CBS hit show, and a trip to the Atlanta set?” Then, they state the rules which are:
There will be one winner, one role.
Post an original video showing how you interact with the show.
Tag @NAACP +@BeyondtheGates via Instagram
Use the hashtag #BeyondtheGates
This past Monday and Tuesday, as aforementioned above, Beyond the Gates received 15 nominations for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards to be held on October 30 from the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California with the plans for the ceremony to be streamed on Watch.theemmys.TV and associated apps.
Beyond the Gates 15 nominations were in the following categories: Daytime Drama Series, Lead Actress for Karla Mosley andTamara Tunie, Supporting Actress for Trisha Mann-Grant, Supporting Actor for Timon Kyle Durrett, Supporting Actor for Mike Manning, Emerging Talent for Ambyr Michelle and Arielle Prepetit, Guest Performance for Jasmine Burke, Writing Team, Best Music Direction and Composition, Best Technical Direction, Best Lighting Direction, Best Hairstyling and Makeup and Best Casting.
So, if you were to enter the contest for a guest spot on Beyond the Gates, what would you do to get the judges attention and show your love to the CBS soap? Will you enter the contest and try to win a trip to Atlanta and meet everyone at the show? Let us know via the comment section below.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Tamara Tunie Shares Bittersweet Moment of Learning She’s a Daytime Emmy Nominee Following the Loss of ATWT’s Scott Bryce
As many are celebrating their nominations for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on October 30, for some it was a “mixed bag of emotions,” as detailed by first time nominee Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree, Beyond the Gates), who was named as one of the five women in the coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress category.
The Lead Actress nominations were actually announced on Monday on Entertainment Tonight, ahead of the full nomination announcement by NATAS on Tuesday. Sadly, on Sunday night, Tamara’s longtime friend, and former As the World Turns co-stars, Scott Bryce (ex-Craig Montgomery) passed away from cancer at 68-years-old.
Michael Fairman TV first reported the heartbreaking news of Scott’s death, and his beloved son, Jackson took to his Instagram to announce the death of his father, sharing, “What began as stage three esophageal cancer eventually spread and became brain tumors that took his life away from him.”
Photo: JPI
THE LOSS OF ‘AS THE WORLD TURNS’ CO-STAR
Tamara spoke on receiving the recognition from peers while mourning the loss and trying to process the news of Bryce’s death via heartfelt message on her Instagram on Wednesday. Tunie had appeared on As the World Turns as Jessica Griffin from 1986-1995, 1999-2007 and 2009. She crossed paths with Bryce during several of his runs on the show 1982-1987, 1988-89, 1990, 1993-94 and 2007-08.
In her video message, Tunie explained she was at the airport in Atlanta (where Beyond the Gates is taped) and was heading to Pittsburgh for a speaking engagement, but she took a few moments to address these two moments in her life.
Tamara began her video with, “Hey family. I didn’t want to let any more time go by without expressing some of the emotions I had been feeling over the past couple of days. Many of you know that a dear friend of mine passed Sunday night. He was like a brother to me. We were friends for 40 something years and we actually met on the set of As the World Turns, a daytime drama. Monday, a mere 24 hours later, it was announced that I was nominated for an Emmy award for Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama.”
Sharing how the loss of Scott Bryce has deeply-affected her, Tamara added, “So, you can only imagine the rollercoaster of emotions that I have been feeling since Sunday night. I know my daytime soap opera brother is smiling down on me and cheering me on, and I am so grateful for this recognition from my peers. Being nominated for the first time it’s a mixed bag of feelings I have to tell you.”
Photo: CBS
BEYOND THE GATES FAMILY SCORES BIG IN EMMY NOMINATIONS
However, Tamara took some moments to recognize Beyond the Gates Emmy nomination haul, expressing, “I’m looking forward to the next couple of months leading up to the awards as we continue to create great television. I am so proud of the rest of my cast members, not only those who are nominated, but every single person who works on this show and gives a hundred percent of themselves every single time they show up. Our crew, our production staff, the Beyond the Gates family is truly special.”
“To have these 15 nominations is really extraordinary. Thank you family for watching. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for supporting me,” concluded Tunie.
You can check out Tamara’s emotional video message below.
Now, let us know, are you happy to see Tamara receiving the first Daytime Emmy nomination of her career for her role as Anita on Beyond the Gates? Do you remember when Tamara and Scott Bryce both appeared on As the World Turns? Share your thoughts on Tamara’s heartbreaking words on his passing via the comment section.
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Now that this year’s 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations have been announced, several of the acting nominees will share their reactions and more to learning they are going for gold when the ceremony rolls around on October 30.
However, tonight on Tuesday July 14 beginning at 8pm ET/5pm PT, Michael Fairman once again host his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations special live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.
Scheduled to appear thus far are: Beyond the Gates stars, Lead Actress nominee: Karla Mosley (Dani), Supporting Actress nominee: Trisha Mann-Grant (Leslie), and Supporting Actor nominees: Mike Manning (Smitty) and Timon Kyle Durrett (Bill).
From The Young and the Restless: Lead Actress nominee Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Lead Actor nominee Christian LeBlanc (Michael), Supporting Actress nominee Camryn Grimes (Mariah) and Supporting Actor nominee Sean Dominic (Nate).
In addition look for General Hospital’s Supporting Actress nominee Amanda Setton (Brook Lynn), from Days of Our Lives, Outstanding Guest Performer nominee, Christopher Sean (Paul) and from The Bold and the Beautiful Lead Actor nominee Scott Clifton (Liam) and Supporting Actor nominee Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) plus more featured guests.
So, what did you think of this year’s Emmy nominations for Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless?
Be with us in the live chat with your questions and comments on this year’s nominations and for our special guests.
For upcoming celebrity features, livestreams, special event coverage and more, make sure to “subscribe” to the Michael Fairman Channel.
So, looking forward to tonight’s special show with the nominees? Let us know via the comment section below and if you can’t be with us live, if you have any questions you want posed to our special guests and we just might ask during the broadcast.
‘Beyond the Gates’ and NAACP Partner for Contest to Give Winning Viewer a Guest Spot on the 15-time Daytime Emmy Nominated Soap
‘Beyond the Gates’ Tamara Tunie Shares Bittersweet Moment of Learning She’s a Daytime Emmy Nominee Following the Loss of ATWT’s Scott Bryce
‘General Hospital’s’ Amanda Setton Talks Her Reaction, Scenes, and Co-Stars After Becoming a Daytime Emmy Nominee for the First Time (Exclusive)
Grady Eldridge Makes His ‘General Hospital’ Debut as Music Executive Simon
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Tells Danny: ‘The Place They Were Holding Me Was Bad, Really Bad’
Scott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
Randolph Mantooth, ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Loving’ Actor, Dies at 80
‘The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards’ Nominations Announcement Date Revealed: Who Will Be Going For Gold?
Steve Burton Returns to ‘General Hospital’ on Its 16,000th Episode: How Will Jason Be a Changed Man?
‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
‘General Hospital’s’ Amanda Setton Talks Her Reaction, Scenes, and Co-Stars After Becoming a Daytime Emmy Nominee for the First Time (Exclusive)
TONIGHT: Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live: Nominated Guest Line-Up
‘General Hospital’s’ Steve Burton Shares Reaction to His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, ‘It Was to Honor Leslie Charleson’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
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As The World Turns4 days agoScott Bryce, ‘As the World Turns’ Craig Montgomery, Passes Away at 68
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Breaking News6 days agoRandolph Mantooth, ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Loving’ Actor, Dies at 80
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Beyond the Gates1 week ago‘The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards’ Nominations Announcement Date Revealed: Who Will Be Going For Gold?
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General Hospital7 days agoSteve Burton Returns to ‘General Hospital’ on Its 16,000th Episode: How Will Jason Be a Changed Man?
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Beyond the Gates5 days ago‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
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Beyond the Gates3 days ago53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 15
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General Hospital5 days ago‘General Hospital’s’ Rory Gibson Ties the Knot with Alicia Ruelas
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