The ratings are out for the week of September 7-11, 2026 and while all of the long-running daytime dramas were down in total viewers week-over-week, it was the newest soap opera on the block, Beyond the Gates, that showed gains and much promise. Let’s take a look.

According to Soap Opera Network, not only did Beyond the Gates add +12,000 tuning-in for the week, it is narrowing the gap between itself and current #3 soap, General Hospital in total viewers, and tied with the venerable ABC series for actual household ratings share.

Beyond the Gates averaged 1,689,000 for its audience for the week while General Hospital had 1,769,000, that’s just an 80,000 difference that separates the two shows. While Beyond the Gates had a year-over-year increase for the ratings week, GH showed the biggest loss of all the soaps year-over-year with -231,000 and the biggest loss in viewers week-over-week with -142,000.

Photo: CBS

BEYOND THE GATES

In addition, Beyond the Gates once again bested GH in the key 18-49 women’s rating share and also for the week, the women’s 25-54 ratings share, now putting them firmly in the third place. It should be noted that both Beyond the Gates and General Hospital aired an encore presentation on Labor Day, September 7.

Here’s what had viewers tuning-in on Beyond the Gates: Hayley (Marquita Goings) faced mounting pressure as Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett) grew suspicious of her lies and a major secret came to light. Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) went through a paranoid spiral noticed by Dani (Karla Mosley), while Heather Armstrong’s (Ashley Jones) behavior became increasingly unhinged, Deanna (Angela Fairley) reached a breaking point under mounting pressure and decided to return to school and Smitty (Mike Manning) was digging deeper into the death of Lia Whitmore.

Courtesy/ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

On General Hospital, the week in story was highlighted by: Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) admitting she was the other driver in Jordan Ashford’s (Tanisha Harper) accident, leaving Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) furious and demanding answers and ultimately Chase (Josh Swickard) walking out on Brook Lynn!

In addition, viewers witnessed, Anna (Finola Hughes) nearly killing Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud), but instead firing a shot at a hallucination of Peter August (Wes Ramsey) as Jason (Steve Burton) tried to talk Anna down. Meanwhile, Drew (Cameron Mathison) and Ava (Maura West) dealt with the fallout and complications surrounding the disappearance of Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna).

Courtesy/CBS

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Over at B&B, the soap remained in second place behind sister soap, The Young and the Restless for the top spot in total viewers; although it should be noted they continued to close the gap for the race to #1. For the ratings period, The Bold and the Beautiful average 2,695,000 tuning-in, but was down week-over-week -83,000, but with the biggest soap gains year-over-year at this time with +228,000.

In other good news for the show, it came in at #1 for the key women’s 18-49 rating share defeating Y&R, and came in #2 for the women’s 25-54 rating share behind Y&R.

In story for the ratings week: Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) goes into panic-mode after a positive pregnancy and breaks the news to Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor). Katie (Heather Tom) tries to meddle in Will’s (Crew Morrow) love life with Dylan (Sydney Bullock), thus having Katie visit Electra (Laneya Grace) and telling the young woman to try to win Will back. Finn (Tanner Novlan) tries to give surrogacy advice to Carter and Daphne (Murielle Hilaire) unaware of his wife Steffy’s drunken night with Carter, and the true cause-effect of that moment.

Photo: JPI

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Once again, Y&R remained as the number one most-viewed broadcast television daytime drama of then all, clocking in with 3,059,000 tuning-in, but down -130,000 week-over-week, but still up + 159,000 year-over-year. Y&R also remained in the top spot for household ratings share and atop the key women’s 25-54 rating share.

In story for the week: Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) escaped custody and tracked down Matt Clark (Roger Howarth). Meanwhile, Kyle (Michael Mealor) and Victoria (Amelia Heinle) continue their affair and are almost caught by Phyllis (Michelle Stafford). Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) and Marie (Jade Harlow) shared a heartfelt goodbye before she leaves town to continue her recovery. Jack (Peter Bergman) sets a trap for Patty as he collapses at Society.

Of note: Nielsen ratings are based on the Live+Same Day Big Data+Panel model.

So, what do you think about the latest ratings picture and how Beyond the Gates is gaining on General Hospital in total viewers while already besting them in both key demos? Which soap opera is piquing your interest the most? Which is not doing it for you? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

Next week on The Bold and the Beautiful, official spoilers and the video teaser for episodes airing September 28 through October 2, have Katie (Heather Tom) making it clear she wants Dylan (Sydney Bullock) to prove herself to her by helping lure Zende Forrester (Delon de Metz) over to her fashion house Logan.

If Katie is successful, she would have yet another acquisition from Forrester Creations which would continue to fuel the rivalry between herself and her sister, Brooke Logan Forrester (Katherine Kelly Lang),

In the video preview, Katie informs Hope (Annika Noelle), “Dylan has been tasked with talking to Zende, and if she wants any kind of acceptance from me, she’d better come through.” Is Hope getting leery of Katie’s machinations, or would she like to see Zende get a chance at showcasing his talents, something he had not been able to do of late at Forrester? If Dylan comes through for Katie, will she accept her son, Will’s (Crew Morrow) relationship with the young woman? Stay tuned.

Photo: JPI

GUESS WHO THE SURROGATE IS RIDGE?

Meanwhile, Daphne (Murielle Hilaire) informs Brooke and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) that she and Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) have found someone to be their donor and surrogate adding that said woman is “remarkable.” But, how would Ridge feel when he learns it’s his daughter, Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), who would be the woman giving the couple a child they so desperately want?

What Ridge and Brooke don’t know is that Steffy is already pregnant from her drunken night with Carter, and through Carter’s unrelenting pressure, he wants her to give up the baby she is carrying and give it to Daphne and him to raise as their own.

COERCION CITY

Finn (Tanner Novlan) has already told Steffy she should not be Daphne and Carter’s surrogate, when she tried to broach the lie to her husband. Now, he is out of town at a medical conference, when Carter stops by at the cliff house and Steffy addresses her concerns.

Carter fires back, “We have to do this now, Steffy! We don’t have time!” What will Steffy ultimately do? Go along with Carter’s plan, knowing she feels it’s wrong and wrong for her? Time will tell!

Now below take a look at the additional B&B spoilers for the action next week on the CBS soap.

Monday, September 28
Will defends his feelings for Dylan.
Katie puts her next move into motion.

Tuesday, September 29
Ridge encourages Brooke to reach out to Hope
Zende receives surprising encouragement

Wednesday, September 30
Zende is frustrated with being sidelined.
Carter tries to get through to Steffy.

Thursday, October 1
Will cautions Dylan about Katie’s demands.
Daphne shares baby news with Ridge and Brooke.

Friday, October 2
Steffy raises concerns about Carter’s plan.
Hope and Katie lay everything on the table.

Take a look at the B&B video preview for what’s coming up next week below.

Now weigh-in: do you hope Katie is able to sway Zende over to Logan? Do you want Steffy to tell Carter, she cannot go through with his surrogacy and donor plan and the deception? Do you think ultimately Steffy will just go through with it and be miserable for months on end? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

 

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Matthew Atkinson is launching a brand new series of his own called Into the Wilderness, and while we have not seen Thomas Forrester on-screen since December of 2025, on The Bold and the Beautiful, Atkinson continues to expand on his journey with God and how important and encompassing it has become in his life.

Taking to his Instagram account, Matthew offered up a teaser from the first episode of Into the Wilderness which is set to drop today September 25 on his You Tube Channel.

The video clip features Atkinson talking into a microphone and expressing, “Why am I sitting here talking to a camera? I was confronted by the God that I’ve always known. That’s how it started. The God that has existed through my entire life, that I’ve known but strayed away from, and he confronted me. The presence of him is a person that I know and I continue to learn about, and I continue to develop a relationship with, and I continue to understand on a deeper level. But it’s just a mystery that is more real than it feels like anything I’ve ever gotten or experienced.”

Courtesy/IntotheWildeeness

NEW SERIES TO EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BECOME FULLY HUMAN

The written post accompanying Matthew’s teaser video offers up the question: “What if the way we see God, ourselves, and the world isn’t quite the way things actually are?”

Then, Atkinson explains the log lines of the series: “Into the Wilderness is an invitation to question what we’ve inherited, rediscover what matters, and explore the deeper reality beneath the surface of everyday life. Through theology, philosophy, and the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us, we’ll explore what it means to become fully human. Not just to believe differently, but to live differently. I’m Matthew Atkinson. Welcome to Into the Wilderness. First episode drops tomorrow (Friday, 9/25). Follow along and join the conversation.”

Photo: JPI

MATTHEW ATKINSON MARRIAGE

In his personal life, Matthew is married to Brytnee Ratledge who exchanged their vows back in November of 2023, and the couple share two young children together, a son born in November of 2024 and a daughter welcomed last month in August of 2026.

THE FUTURE OF THOMAS FORRESTER

Before B&B, Atkinson played Austin Travers on The Young and the Restless from 2014 to 2015. He later became the fifth Thomas Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2019 succeeding Pierson Fodé. 

While not much is known of Atkinson’s status with the The Bold and the Beautiful at this time, previous reports shared that he had been on recurring status.

Take a look at the trailer for Matthew Atkinson’s new series, Into The Wilderness below.

Now let us know, will you be interested to see Matthew’s journey with God and what it means to become fully human as he teases? Do you hope one day he might return to B&B? What should the series do with the character of Thomas Forrester at this juncture?