News
TV Guide: Was OLTL too gay for America? New statement from ABC!
Courtesy/ABC
TV Guide Magazine in this week’s issue spotlights and examines the ongoing controversy of the abrupt and shocking ending and exit of One Life to Live’s Kish storyline. As everyone knows by now actors, Brett Claywell, and Scott Evans last airdates are next week. Key journalists who were interviewed for the feature included, AfterElton’s, Michael Jensen and Daytime Confidential’s Jamey Giddens, as well as actor, Claywell, and ABC Daytime Rep, Jori Petersen. A main contention through the report is could the same-sex wedding-athon played into the public’s turn-off of the entire gay storyline, as just to much? Of note are some very telling excerpts from Petersen and Claywell that you can read below.
Jori Petersen on why ABC canned canned Kish: “The Kish story did not have the appeal we hoped it would. We are going to spend our time on stories that have a more favorable reaction from our audience. We are sunsetting the storyline but Kish will remain in Llanview. The door is open.”
Brett Claywell on if the same-sex marriage shows could have turned America on Kish: “From the beginning, Scott and I were uneasy about that big gay political wedding. We were telling a slow, subtle love story about two guys who just happened to be gay. We didn’t want to make it in-your-face, which is what the wedding was. It pulled us away from what we were trying to do. We wanted to exist separately from that. It was too much and, in a way, Scott and I became the sacrificial lambs.”
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Honors HBCU Tradition with Banneker University Homecoming Episodes
Beyond the Gates is set to air two upcoming episodes on Friday, October 2 and Monday, October 5 on CBS, which will feature the residents of Fairmont Crest gathering at the Dupree family home for a spirited tailgate ahead of Banneker’s Homecoming, decked out in the university’s signature crimson and gold.
The episodes celebrate African American heritage by showcasing the longstanding homecoming traditions of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) through the show’s fictional Banneker University.
With five generations of the Dupree family having attended Banneker, Homecoming is more than a celebration – it’s a cherished family legacy. For the Duprees and the Fairmont Crest community, it offers an opportunity to honor their shared history, celebrate their HBCU pride, and come together for a special day filled with family, friendship, and tradition.
Photo: CBS
BANNEKER U. FIGHT SONG
The excitement culminates with a spirited bus ride to the game, where the entire group proudly sings “Fight On,” Banneker University’s beloved fight song and we know the cast members of Beyond the Gates CAN SING! Ahead of the episodes, CBS released some promotional photos and more to engage viewers to tune-in to the 15-time Daytime Emmy nominated daytime drama.
The series is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Photo: CBS
Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.
*(live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. *Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the episode airs.
So, are you glad to see Beyond the Gates continuing to shed light on Black excellence through its soap opera platform? Is the Dupree family, quickly, if not already, become one of your favorites families in all of daytime drama? Let us know via the comment section below.
Four cast members are officially on contract at Days of our Lives, according to the soap opera’s closing credits on Peacock and longtime Days expert and historian Jason 47.
Lauren Koslow (Kate), Sydney Malakeh (Sydney), Sal Stowers (Lani) and Jacob Martinez (Javi) are the names that appear in the closing credits in the contracted cast members section. Days of our Lives fans also note that the series tapes ten months in advance of streaming episodes.
As Days of our Lives fans know, Lauren Koslow has played Kate Roberts since 1996, and recently filled-in for Jess Walton in the role of Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless when Walton was unable to travel from Oregon to Los Angeles during the specific tape dates. But now, Koslow has been re-upped to contract status as of the September 8 episode.
Photo: JPI
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Sydney Malakeh is the newest member of the contract players when she debuted on contract status on the September 10th episode. Days fans first met Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) daughter in scenes in Monte Carlo around a gambling table.
As for Sal Stowers, the actress had been on contract from 2015-2022, then on recurring status with the soap, and would make appearances and limited runs since 2023. Soap fans first saw Sal as Cassandra Foster on Prospect Park’s revival of All My Children in 2013. Sal’s first new contracted episode was noted to be September 16.
Jacob Martinez, debuted on June 30 of this year as the successor to Al Calderon in the role of Javi Hernandez, and has now been bumped up to series regular as of the September 10 episode.
Photo: JPI
CREDITS
According to the referenced posting from Days of our Lives expert and historian Jason 47, he shared, “It took me four weeks to realize, but the same week that Sydney Malakeh (Sydney) debuted (9/7-9/11), “Days” also put Lauren Koslow (Kate), Jacob Richard Martinez (Javi) and Sal Stowers (Lani) on contract.”
Jason47 added, “This confirms the “errors” of Lani being listed in the credits the week of 9/7 but not appearing, and Kate and Javi appearing in the credits the week of 9/14 but not appearing. It also now makes sense why Javi and Sydney are being listed before Rafe and Philip in the credits.”
He also shared, “For the record, Lauren Koslow’s first date back on contract was 9/8, Jacob Richard Martinez was upped to contract on 9/10, Sydney Malakeh debuted on contract 9/10 and Sal Stowers’ first date back on contract was 9/16. The records will be fixed on the website in the coming days.”
So, glad to hear Lauren, Sydney, Sal and Jacob appear to be on contract with Days of our Lives (as of these episode airings)? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
News
‘Neighbours’ Storylines Featuring Margot Robbie to be Launched as Microdramas by Roseberry for Epis Platform
The ever-popular Australian soap, Neighbours is now reimagined as a premium vertical series via a partnership between its production company Fremantle and the vertical TV platform Roseberry.
In fact, the soap is being cut into short-form vertical video by RoseBerry Media for its “Epis” platform and it will kick-off with episodes from one of its biggest alumni, motion picture star, Margot Robbie.
Robbie starred as Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011 and there will be two storylines of Donna made into vertical episodes that will total 150 minutes of content which is standard vertical drama fare these days.
Photo: Neighbours
TRANSFORMING NEIGHBOURS WITH NOTABLE ALUMS
The project will transform storylines from the Neighbours archive through RoseBerry’s proprietary AI-assisted production workflow RedSnapper, which can scan decades of episodes to map character arcs, storylines and standout moments.
Neighbours premiered in 1985 and ended in 2025, and aired roughly 9,363 episodes. Other well known alum include: Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Jesse Spencer.
As Neighbours fans know, it was back in 2022 that the Australian soap opera lost its production partner after UK’s Channel 5 failed to reach a new agreement with Freemantle. Next, after its fan favorite alumni returned for the series finale, Amazon came in and revived the show with the series’ 40th and final season airing on Prime Video in 2025.
Photo: Freemantle
NEIGHBOURS LIBRARY OF STORYLINES TO BE CONVERTED INTO MICRODRAMAS
Guy Hameiri, co-founder and CEO of RoseBerry Media, said in a statement: ’Neighbours’ is an iconic piece of television history and exactly the kind of premium entertainment IP we believe can thrive in the vertical format, This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to apply RedSnapper to a long-running soap with such a rich library of characters, storylines and cultural moments, and Fremantle has been a fantastic partner in helping bring that vision to life.”
Jens Richter, Fremantle commercial and international CEO, shared on the new partnership and new way to utilize the series archive: “Working with RoseBerry allows us to explore an incredible archive in an entirely new way, bringing much-loved IP to new audiences while demonstrating how established television libraries can continue to evolve, find new relevance and, importantly, create new commercial opportunities. It’s an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value from our diverse catalogue and content library.”
SHOULD U.S. SOAPS UTILIZE THEIR CLASSIC STORYLINES AND MAKE THEM VERTICALS?
As microdramas continue to roll out, the vertical drama industry has been tasked with some companies using AI-generated characters instead of actors, taking jobs away from many in Hollywood, while others continue to build new vertical stars, loved by their passionate fan bases.
With the potential of Neighbours becoming scrolling-sized for your phone, might this become a way for the U.S. broadcast soaps to also repurpose their previous popular storylines through the years instead of just leaving them on the shelves, when soap fans crave seeing some of the classic storylines of the past? Food for thought.
So, what do you think of Neighbours’ storylines from their 4 decades being made into microdrama-sized vertical episodes, the first featuring Margot Robbie? Would you like to see shows like DAYS, Y&R, B&B and GH, with such deep history, utilize a microdrama app to serve up past storylines and archival footage, so fans could see them again in a new format? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
‘Beyond the Gates’ Honors HBCU Tradition with Banneker University Homecoming Episodes
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson
REPORT: ‘Days of our Lives’ Puts Four Actors On Contract
‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Weighs In on Who She Thinks is Trina’s Stalker (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Lulu Tells Charlotte Everything That Could Have Happened to Her With Drew
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Bests ‘General Hospital’ in Key Demos and Gains More Viewers Week-Over-Week
Alley Mills Returns to ‘General Hospital’ as Heather Webber
Judith Light Joins Cast of ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 in Recurring Role
Hayden Panettiere’s Memorial Service Attended by ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Nashville’ Alum Jonathan Jackson and More
‘Beyond the Gates’ Marquita Goings Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson
‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Weighs In on Who She Thinks is Trina’s Stalker (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Lulu Tells Charlotte Everything That Could Have Happened to Her With Drew
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Is Sonny Being Set-Up For the Beatdown of Curtis and Sidwell? If So, Who is the Real Culprit?
‘General Hospital’s’ Nancy Lee Grahn Marks 30-Year Milestone as Alexis Davis; Co-Stars Share Heartfelt Video Tributes
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Claywell speaks like he has a messiahnic complex. That’s annoying, and he’s not a “sacrificial lamb”. Claywell is now comparing himself to Jesus Christ? Wow, how delusional can he get? But at least this kish melodrama w/in the melodrama is finally fizzing out.
They kish fans are kishinitas? LOL! That’s pretty bad. So are the Nuke fans Nukettes? With all this publicity and his far better acting over Evans, Claywell should be able to secure a nom. They’re voting now right? Good timing is everything.
And BRAVO to tvg’s Michael Logan for actually having the balls to call out Carlivati’s bad storytelling as a major factor to the kish storyline dropping in ratings and the kish axings! If Wheeler’s regime had axed Otalia, or Goutman had extricated Nuke, many soap journalists would be carrying their pitchforks and torches demanding that Goutman or Wheeler to be sent to the guillotine. So bravo to Logan for that critique! No one has critiqued Carlivati for botching up Kish and the hate crime w/ Nick and Dorian’s race to the mayor’s office by fooling the lgbtq voters that she’s a lesbian.
And afterelton are self-satisfying hypocrites. Who the hell is Michael Jenson to speak for GAY people? Of course he makes this abt a homophobia issue.
Jensen and his partner host this 2 gay guys running commentary and of course show preference for out actors. They’ll complain abt Jodie Foster sharing her life as a mother and speaking abt her stalker to the media, so they’ll turn that around and say if Foster can speak abt that, why doesn’t she speak abt her being allegedly a lesbian? Who the hell are they to say how Jodie Foster should lead her life. Yes celebrities will be speculated on and even outed, but she does not have to come out or talk about her sexual orientation if she chooses not to.
And Jensen knows nothing abt soaps. They only follow soaps w/ gay characters, so his narrow perspective lends nothing to the article. At least Giddens knows his shit.
sorry, but if you don’t know what you’re talking about don’t talk.
I am glad to see that there is only one real and authoritative source on the OLTL Kish scenario. It has become clear that none of the rest of us knows what we are talking about.
This could have been a really good story for One Life to Live seems years ago they attempted this subject but shyed away from it. The only soap that comes to my mind that has had a gay male storyline for a long time has been As The World Turns so good for them for keeping a gay male couple pretty much a front burner story for a good while!!
ATWT had their moments w/ Nuke, GL had their moments w/ Otalia. And Claywell saved kish, but even Claywell admits in this interview that he had reservations abt the mass same sex marriages. Carlivati was making too political a statement w/ Dorian pretending to be a lesbian to win the lgbtq vote, Nick, a character no one cares abt being in a hate crime and then the mass same sex marriages. But none of these lgbtq arcs compare w/ AMC’s original coming out storyline for Bianca.
If Reigel submitted this ep instead of Bianca confronting Erica abt her planting the drugs on Frankie, then maybe reigel would have beaten Finnigan. And Lucci could have won her 2nd Emmy with this scene IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkMfrNX7q6g
I think Lucci’s fantastic in this clip. It’s so Erica Kane to make it abt her, and all of Lucci’s acting choices here are excellent like when Bianca asks when it’s going to be ok for her to have a gf, and Erica shrugs her head. Reigel’s great too, no other lgbtq char compares to Bianca.
Dialogue is full of gems. Bianca says she wants a rel like straight people and Erica says “Bianca don’t be that way.” I LOL bec it was so realistic since many parents would actually say that! The hesitation, queasiness and “I don’t wanna hear it” attitude of Erica was so on point.
Reigel’s delivery of the lines “it’s never gonna be ok for me to have a sexual rel, a sexual rel w/ a woman,” and “get over this gay thing” were really great. Erica saying “You have your whole life ahead of you…..” and Bianca countering “…….to meet a woman” was great dialogue. Lucci saying “You think every disagreement we have is bec of your sexual orientation, and it isn’t.” SO GREAT! And everytime Bianca throws it in Erica’s face that she’s a lesbian, Erica says “Will you please stop saying that.” So true of so many parents.
The writing is so organic, so character driven unlike the preachy, political kish crap. Hendrickson was so great as Frankie also, w/c shows she can act when given the rt material, since her acting as Chloe is crappy on MAB’s version of Y&R. She even looks like Frances Mcdormand in some angles.
AMC got it right. They hired a newbie w/ tremendous acting chops who could hold her own w/ La Lucci. Agnes Nixon’s writing was excellent. And it wasn’t about making a political statement. It was plain old solid soap writing at its finest. The scene I put is one of daytime’s best, if not the best.
I really really HATE ABC for dumping Kyle and Oliver and will NEVER watch OLTL again ever.
Awwwww, got his feelings hurt. keep continue condemning yourself.
I don’t think that’s what he was trying to get at.
It doesn’t matter, OLTL hit new record lows with ratings after Kish and the BGW storyline, proving that Kish wasn’t actually the cause of their slope.
I agree with you Brad, I will never watch OLTL ever again just because of their stupidity for dumping Kish! Unless they put Kish back on the show! 😉
i agree for dumping scott evans and brett claywell and a’m still watching one life to live as soon next year come april 2011 they will bring scott evans and brett claywell as acotr of kyle leiws and oliver fish their daughter seirra rose to bring them back a’m still keep on watching oltl all way to next year to put scott evans and brett claywell on-screen and to return to the show oltl