The Gates - CBS - January 2025

Fake news, OP. We all know this is a bio series about Bill & Melinda Gates!

Lol you had me op

Its actually true r2.

Character descriptions:

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OP is Jamey Giddens, trying to get the bacon grease off his tablet screen

R2 here. My jaw has dropped. Then again white people soaps tried to freeze an entire city with a cubic zirconium diamond, had psychiatrists get possessed by the devil and had a leading character with twelve distinct personalities. I might give this soap a try. They better have a baby switch within the first three months though. I just love me a baby switch!

R7, um the Cassadines tried to freeze the whole WORLD! And Viki had SIX alters, not 12! Nice try!

Can we name Viki's six alters? Niki, Jean Randolph, Princess, Tommy, Victor... who did I miss or get wrong?

Tori is the other one r9

I was hoping for a reality show about Bill.

Thanks r10

Princess was always whimpering. I thought she was a dog.

It will probably turn out that the adopted kids of the gay couple were adopted illegally.

The real parents of the adopted children will obviously be somewhere in town. And they will likely come back to claim the children.

Yet don't these stories sound more interesting than Lily, Devon, Nate, et. al. sitting around the old Dark Horse offices talking about business deals and what "Neil would have wanted."

I really want this to work for Michele. Fingers crossed.

I'm hoping the cast is diverse.

I wonder if this will still happen...CBS and Paramount are cutting ever cost corner they can.

Have they cast the trans, the Asian, and the hooker with the heart of gold yet?

R20. TALBOT HUDDLESTON!!!

Okay, I cackled at that R21

Elizabeth, Stacy, Courtney, Jillian and Diane? How relatable.

Do they need a nun with a high Q rating?

Why do they have all these black bitches with white bitches' names?

Throw in a 1980 Tercel to sweeten the deal and I'm there.

Mama?

Oh Lord...Clara?!

It will have gay characters! It's been confirmed.

I hope they find gay actors to play the gay characters. I'm not averse to straight actors playing gay roles, but with soaps there's (hopefully) a longer-term attachment to the characters that develops, so seeing gays playing gay becomes more meaningful. e.g. On Days it was entertaining seeing out actors, Greg Rikkart and Peter Porte, in a relationship as "Leo & Dmitri."

I don’t know. They’ve already changed the show’s name to Beyond The Gates and they will have 8 Executive Producers!!! 8. Sounds like a mess behind the scenes already and with 8 EP’s, there can’t be 1 vision because all 8 ep’s will want to justify their salary. I give the show a year, tops.

First cast members announced.

Last week, CBS announced that "Beyond the Gates" is assembling its debut cast in preparation for its early next year launch on CBS Daytime.

Notably, seasoned daytime stars Tamara Tunie (formerly Jessica Griffin on "As the World Turns"), Karla Mosley (formerly Christina Moore Boudreau on "Guiding Light" and Maya Avant Forrester on "Bold and Beautiful"), and Daphne Duplaix (formerly Valerie Davis on "Passions" and Rachel Gannon on "One Life to Live") have joined the cast as members of the influential Dupree family.

Sigh, I miss Maya and Rick. But, I digress...

I love Tamara Tunie—-would want to be her morgue patient though

She will need time off to play Kamala on the Max movie about the 2024 election…which is surely on the table as we speak.

Tunie already played Kamala in a play.

There you go…

I have been denied a role on this theatrical enterprise.

I am insulted!

I won't be tuning in...

R40 😆 but is anyone planning to tune in?

Aside from Luis, they're bringing another Latino character, Tomas "Tom" Hernandez, described as Latinx, sure of himself, handsome and an attorney in his 20s.

Also Mike, Caucasian male in his 50s. Joseph's best friend, best man at his wedding and a prominent attorney in his own right. Mike will have to deal with a scandal pertaining to sexual impropriety in tbe workplace.

R19 Since the NAACP and P&G are involved this will probably be left alone.

If they are willing to create a new soap, it is not crazy for the canceled soaps to come back. I mean if they brought back "murphy brown" and other shows it is possible to see guiding light, as the world turns, etc. back. I would have told you were crazy last year that a broadcast network would create a daily daytime soap.

I think they realized even though soaps are expensive they get more viewers and they get more consistent viewership too. People will skip an episode of a talk show or game show-- but there is more pressure to watch a daytime soap everyday even if you don't like the current storylines as you never know when things get better. And because there are multiple storylines and characters you will generally have at least one storyline to look forward to. I also think they realize that although many people DVR shows, some people still watch live making lead-ins still important.

A soap about a gated community is boring. I wish they would have created a show centered on crime/mystery like the edge of night or one centered on college. Given the popularity of true crime and cop procedurals-- it is a no brainer that a crime based soap would have more of a mainstream and cross over appeal. And a college based soap would appeal more to younger people. It is like soaps are obsessed with the lives of the rich although it has been done to death.

I'll give it a look when it starts.

But I think this is too much of a throwback to the 80s - rich people being dramatic. A daytime soap might have done something interesting if it were more like Eastenders.

r46

Yeah, I think the reason daytime soaps don't do well is because they tend to be conservative and stuck on stereotypical 80s soap dynamics. They seem to ghettoize themselves too. Desperate housewives was a soap opera about middle class people and was widely popular. I am not interested in a work class soap like Eastenders but can we move away the tycoon and high powered attorney crap.

This is a calculated (and formulaic) attempt to extend the heavily black audience of Y&R by an hour, even though many of them drop off during B&B. Otherwise, there would be no reason for P&G to be involved. Eyeballs on advertisements.

[quote] A soap about a gated community is boring.

Maybe that's why someone spoke up and said, "Maybe it should be called 'BEYOND the Gates.'"

This will fail. A million viewers, at best.

LET ME IN YOU BITCHES!

I luv The Blacks!

They can play my maids!

Let’s have a maid called Mamie!

r53 I never understood why YR was so popular with black people. All of their black characters had racist origins. Drucilla was an illiterate street person. Mamie was called mamie. I mean there are black people like that, but they dipped into all stereotypes.

R50 A million viewers would probably be enough to continue it as a streaming-only series on Paramount+. It's been guesstimated that Days on the 'Cock gets something under a million unique IPs.

R54 Two of the main characters in the Barber-Winters quad - Olivia and Neil - didn't have "racist origins." .. Olivia entered the canvas as a doctor and former sorority sister of Ashley Abbott's. Neil was an MBA from Stanford. And prior to that, neither police chief, Frank Lewis (the wonderful Brock Peters) nor his daughter, Amy Lewis (the memorable Stephanie E. Williams) have such origins. Tyrone and Jazz Jackson were like the precursors of Neil and Malcolm Winters. Admittedly, while the former was well-educated and high-achieving, the other was more urban and streetwise.

It makes me sad that people have forgotten about the short lived soap Generations which was a focused on a black family.

R57. I loved Generations.

"Generations" was mentioned by many mainstream media sources when they reported on the original announcement about "The Gates."

Will there be tap dancing, negro spirituals, and perhaps some jive talking by poor black woken with large asses?

R60 We can only hope!

I'll teach them to read, through rap!

R56 Stephanie E. Williams being replaced by Valarie Pettiford at Y&R, is this possibly a first in daytime, where there were only two actresses who've played the same role, on different soaps? Valarie was replaced by Stephanie as Sheila Price on OLTL in the 90's; Stephanie left Y&R when Valarie debut on OLTL.

R63 Hmm, maybe?

Open the damn gates!

CBS allowing them to hire walking lawsuit Vicky Rowell?

Maybe if she hadn't tried to SUE them.

Where are the mens?

We need some actor announcements.

Timothy J Stickney please!

Could we get Kyler Pettis (ex-Theo Carver on Days) for the gay househusband (Daniel) who's married to the ambitious politician (Marcus)?

R69, I second that idea! He’s sexy as hell.

I will watch on the strength of Tamara alone. She is wonderful.

We need some good BBC!

Looking to cast more than just BBC. .. Of course, there's a "Luis."

[quote] “Tom” is a Latinx male in his late 20s. Tomas “Tom” Hernandez is an extremely handsome and supremely confident attorney. This is a contract role.

[quote] “Mike” is described as a white male in his 50s. He’s a high-powered law partner of “Joseph’s” – and also the best man at his wedding. However, Mike has now been accused of sexual impropriety in the workplace. This is a non-contract role.

[quote] “Luis” is a Hispanic/Latino male in his late 20s to early 40s. Luis is described as sexy, attractive, and drop-dead gorgeous. He’s a personal trainer at the Fairmont Estates Country Club. Luis has an eye on one of the married women in the gated community. He is charming, likable, and (of course!) extremely fit. The character of Luis is non-contract.

Tom, Mike, Patrick, Sam, Elizabeth, Diane, Jillian, Stacy, Courtney, Marcus and Luis.

Sounds more like "Loving."

R74, minus Trucker and Dinah Lee...

Beyond The Gates is gonna FAIL! Soap operas aren’t the “in” thing. Duh.

I mean hopefully they’re planning some gaming tie ins with viewer avatars and augmented reality experiences to be cutting edge of sponsorship opportunities…

Never mind.

Probably better to just watch Saints and Sinners reruns.

If the gay husbands actually have a sex life that we see, and the "drop dead gorgeous" personal trainer is also into wealthy men, then I may watch.

This portion of down low sex in the DC burbs is brought to you today by:

Proctor & Gamble's Secret.

Secret. Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.

R80,

It’s Procter & Gamble.

-Nancy Lee Grahn

Has Mickey Dwyer Dobbin commented yet? Are any wizened old men going to be on this show?

R82 There's supposed to be an old Black man named "Patrick" in his 60-70s described as follows:

[quote] Patrick is gentle, humble, and generous with his experience and knowledge. Patrick was in the thick of things during the 1960s civil rights movement. He marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King. He kept on marching into an illustrious career as a Senator. Now retired, Patrick is living his best life as he enjoys his golden years in his beautiful home with his wife Betty. However, he’s also hiding a dangerous family secret!

I think the show sounds good. I wish it well, and will definitely watch.

Does anyone know if it has been given a least a year? I think that’s how Another World and the Agnes Nixon’s shows were able to make it.

R84 US Weekly reported that the soap had been given "a full-season order." Not sure exactly what that means since it's starting in January instead of September. The "seasons" for the other CBS soaps, Y&R and B&B, basically coincide with the Fall television season and run for a calendar year.

Real Andrews in as well

This will bomb.

Maybe, R87. Maybe it will do well. I wish it success.

Real Andrews will bring in the viewers!!

I wouldn’t sell Real Andrews short like that. He was very popular on General Hospital and most of the show’s fans are still wanting him to come back to that shit show.

With so many soaps canceled in thr last 20 years, there are many former and would be soap actors needing work. Let's hope BTG is a hit and more new soaps follow in its wake, before those poor hunks have to turn to pornto support themselves.

On second thought....

Rounding out the cast.

Is the actor playing "Martin" gay or just play gay? Brandon Glaybon was gay on "Grey's Anatomy." He's handsome.

Who can watch this shit. Modern day soaps are so bad. This will bomb.

(I will say that new Newman Ranch set on Y&R made me really happy- it looks very good considering how cheap Y&R looks now)

Hour or half hour? Any return of a soap that gets rid of The Talk is good. Poor Natalie Morales having to interact with the dipshits like O'Connell and the unfunny Sheryl Underwood. The black guy was hot - maybe he'll end up on The Gates?

I don't think Y&R "looks cheap." After all, they built five very luxe-looking sets just for Ashley's DID arc in Paris earlier this year. The issue is they have most of the show's action taking place in the same three sets far too often (Crimson Lights, Society and the GCAC). That makes the show seem cheaply-made. They should have taken three of those Paris sets, made some changes, and repurposed them as sets back in Genoa City.

I really would like to know more about the economics of this new show. What does it take for this soap to be a financial success? A soap could be a great way for streamers to retain subscribers. Now that the pie isn't growing anymore it's all about retaining the ones that have signed up. A soap might be just the right way to accomplish that. So maybe it'll move to P+ altogether in its second season. How do soaps on Peacock work out?

The thing though is that soaps are more viable if they reach other countries, too. Isn't there one soap that does particularly well in the Middle East? And Neighbors got a new life because it is supposed to draw in viewers all over the world on Prime and Freevee. Beyond the Gates sounds comparatively special interest at this point. I am curious if it can gain a fanbase beyond Afro-Americans.

is this a NYC soap? or LA?

Atlanta, r98

This seems more of a return to soap origins. P&G is an active sponsor, likely in exchange for unlimited advertising during the broadcast hour, reaching their target consumers. It might even be more financially appealing than buying ad blocks with hefty price tags. It lessens the burden on CBS, as well.

R97 The streaming services see content like daily soap operas and telenovelas as "gateway" shows that get viewers to their platform regularly and often.

Soaps produce 20+ episodes per month, so multiply that times the number of minutes in each episode, and one can see how such shows can help boost their numbers in the minutes streamed per month column.

So with soap operas, it's not so much about the number of unique IPs being brought in, but more about the number of minutes being streamed. And because of the number of visits a regular soap opera viewer typically makes per month, the streamers see the potential in these visits, hoping viewers stick around to stream something else while there: the gateway factor.

Also, on platforms that are advertiser-supported, the soaps are no longer tied to that 18-49 female demo. They may not know exactly whose eyeballs are on the other side of the device, but they have analytics that do a pretty good job of determining sex, age, etc. of the viewer, so they can try to direct ads that they deem more relevant. And for the platforms that are subscription-based, all viewers are created equal, because everyone is paying.

[quote]The streaming services see content like daily soap operas and telenovelas as "gateway" shows that get viewers to their platform regularly and often.

When Days went to Peacock, I signed up only for Days alone, but discovered shows like the classic Columbo, Girls5Eva, Pokerface, etc. There is a ton of content that I never would have known about if it wasn't for Days on Peacock.

The Gates is gonna fail! Mark my words. Oh yeah, they already changed the name of the show. Not a good sign.

Great news! Mike Manning has been cast as the gay husband.

[quote] Mike Manning as Bradley “Smitty” Smith, husband to Congressman Martin Richardson and father to teenagers Tyrell and Samantha. A former political reporter turned househusband, Smitty is a fantastic dad who has guided his children with warmth and good humor. Smitty is thinking of resuming his writing career but is hesitant to tell Martin, who likes their home life the way it is. Mike Manning’s credits include as previously mentioned The Bay, Days of our Lives, plus This Is Us.

Final cast announcements included ....

He's hot.

Mike Manning looks weird. Of course he’s whoring his ass out for a job.

r103 = professional trash Sharon Osbourne

Jesus Christ. That FAT fucking SLOB Jamey Giddens posted a pic of him and Michelle Val Jean. He is such an obese fat slob! He’s 4 times her size. Disgusting. Look it up on twitter but beware - you can’t unsee it! I’m not posting it here because you shouldn’t be traumatized. He is a disgusting FAT pig!!! She better not hire him.

[quote] At the center of this community are the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that is the very definition of Black royalty. But behind these pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. And those that live outside these gates are watching closely.

This sounds very stale. I suppose the by-the-book premise can be remedied with fully fleshed out characters and exciting plots. What has Michele Val Jean done before in terms writing or producing?

R108, Michele will hire Jamey just as he hired her for Ambitions. Welcome to show business.

R108, excellent question. Bill Bill co or head wrote AtWT for 9 years and then, DAYS for another 7 before he got Y&R.

I suppose anyone could watch a month's worth of soaps and get a feel for his to do this. If you run out of names, just go to a spice rack for help.

Your heroine can be named Cinnamon; the lovable aunt is called Ginger. The crazy cousin is Nutmeg.

Mix and match. Lather rinse repeat

His = how

Oh God! They’re filming in Atlanta but the show itself is set in Washington, DC. As a native Washingtonian, I’ll have to put up with them passing off backlots and Atlanta streets as DC streets. 🙄

It's funny. I thought soaps were fantastic back in the 80's when everyone thought that they were trash. I have rewatched many and Y&R/OLTL/GL hold up extremely well and were great damn shows. I was pretty little in the 80's when I watched with my grandparents but late 80's OLTL still has me on the edge of my seat when I watch all of these years later. That being said, soaps are ATROCIOUS today. They are just -bad-.... It does sound like Days IS a success on Peacock? So maybe this show will be as well? It sounds as trite as fuck so far-even the character descriptions- its like Lifetime TV shit.. I hated when people said this back in the day- ..but now? How the fuck do people watch this shit? The magic is gone. (I will say the clips of that new Newman Ranch set, got me feeling nostalgic and that set looks top tier- like old Y&R)..

I will be very surprised if this show makes it past 2 years.

[quote] Oh God! They’re filming in Atlanta but the show itself is set in Washington, DC. As a native Washingtonian, I’ll have to put up with them passing off backlots and Atlanta streets as DC streets.

It's not that soaps necessarily aim for an accurate depiction of life. They will highlight the wealth, not the local intricacies. As long as it looks boogie they don't care if it's real.

[quote] I’ll have to put up with them passing off backlots and Atlanta streets as DC streets.

If it's like most soaps you won't see streets at all. Most soaps just show interiors and on the occasions they do show someone outdoors it's usually not walking down a street.

A new soap in 2025 will not be a success. I predict this show will get about the same ratings as The Talk. 1.2 million viewers. Soap fans are not going to invest in a new soap. They would invest in the old ones back (which isn’t gonna happen).

Jamey Giddens couldn't fit through the Gates if he tried.

R117 LOL! That fat slob is an insurance risk. Heart attack waiting to happen.

Jamey Gidden's blood type?

Ragu!

Jamey has to buy all 3 seats when he flies.

Maybe with some strategically applied Crisco. Wave a Twinkie in his face to coax him.

Where’s all this hate for Jamey Giddens coming from?

R122. Experience...

R122- The call is coming from inside the house

I agree with R122, the vitriol is unnecessary.

[quote] Where’s all this hate for Jamey Giddens coming from?

the SPCT

R125. As is your comma...a period or even a semi-colon would be correct.

R125 is Jamey-

Here, have a piece of bread- Maybe you'll feel better

+snickers+

Jamey Giddens went inside my mother in Myrtle Beach!

She was crushed when he left!

R128. You're disgusting, Kim.

R130 Shut up you beast!!!!!

"He doesn’t live in the prestigious Fairmont Estates but rather in a brownstone in Washington D.C. Marcus feels it’s important to live in the district he represents."

Washington, DC, doesn't have any congressmen (or senators). It has one delegate, who can't even vote on bills on the floor.

For me, the Giddens hate comes from his podcast back in the day. He talked SHIT about everyone and boasted that he knew how to do a soap. Fast forward to fatso writing his own show and it FAILED!!!! The fat slob isn’t as good as he thought. He owes everyone that he trashed on his podcast an apology. Fat fucking pig. He has an emmy or two and writers guild awards but it is because he works under Ron Carlivati. Fatso could not survive on his own.

Stay the fuck away from Beyond The Gates you fat pig, Jamey.

Garin Wolf at R133.

Jamey received the same vitriol here when folks made fun of his wanting to write TV.

But he made that dream come true; I'm hoping he gets his health under control. It's a toll on the body.

I've recently lost some weight and am more fit and it feels great. It can be addictive.

[quote] I'm hoping he gets his health under control. It's a toll on the body.

Given how obese he is, he's probably diabetic, so Ozempic would be covered by insurance.

One wonders what he's trying to do? Channel James E. Reilly and Hogan Sheffer?

R137. And their weight struggles ended up so well for both of them.

Now that boring LaGiddens has been discussed ad nauseam can we get back to Beyond the Gates?

They had a ribbon cutting ceremony at the studio in Atlanta. Video put up at Paramount press site.

I am sorry- this premise and entire vibe of this show is HOKEY AF... I will eat my words if it succeeds- even mildly.

According to the Paramount "article," the first table read was 10/30. Soaps don't have table reads...they have rehearsals, if even that. How the hell are they going to have enough filmed final episodes in the can for a January 2025 launch unless they write and film 24/7? This has disaster written all over it.

Agree, Sister cuntface! ^^

R142. I wrote you the Great Port Charles Earthquake of '92 and this is the THANKS I get?!

[quote]I am sorry- this premise and entire vibe of this show is HOKEY AF

It sounds like the premise of just about every soap opera ever produced, a continuing story. You start with the characters, and then the opening episodes will be the tipping point.

Table reads are not uncommon for soaps, especially new soaps. Eventually, they disappear because of time and when the cast has gelled. And since the vast majority are new to the genre, there is a certain rhythm they have to develop that's different in primetime and film. Early table reads, help.

Well, no as a general rule, table reads at soap operas were abandoned a long, long time ago. But I could actually see a new soap opera having one, just so all the actors can meet one another and hear the same message(s) from the producers and writers about the stories and characters all at once, so that everyone "is on the same page" so to speak. That way, TPTB don't have to repeat themselves, and it could actually prove to be a more efficient way to start. For those same reasons, I know that the daily telenovelas produced by Telemundo and Univision generally have table reads when they start.

Time will tell. Daytime audiences, in my opinion, are not looking for a new soap opera.

I am open to a daily soap. But as every working adult I can only watch it after work, and there is only so much time available.

[quote] Daytime audiences ...

Time of day is not as relevant any longer, especially when it comes to soaps. As R147's post points out, they have to prove themselves with the "Anytime audience" who stream (and binge) on their own schedule.

This show isn't intended for a streaming audience. It's to hold the several million linear viewing eyeballs that tune in to Y&R and B&B every day for an additional hour.

My guess is that CBS will flip the timeslots for Y&R and B&B, cancel B&B soon after, give the 12:30 back to affiliates and have a two hour block of stories.

[quote] My guess is that CBS will flip the timeslots ....

There is no standard CBS daytime schedule among affiliates. Do some traveling, and you'll find that the order and time of day for the network shows don't air the same in NYC as they do in L.A., or in Salt Lake City, or in Honolulu, or in Boise, or in Albuquerque etc, etc.

Will any of the characters be named Mamie?

No, and no characters named Drucilla- Ms Rowell! R151

You SURE have burnt all those bridges---

Haven't you!

Table read = publicity event.

That is all.

THE GATES EATS SHIT!

Assuming this will also be streaming on paramount +, I’ll give it a shot.

No antenna tv though.

I contacteded The Gattes ti hire me. Bill Ball toldd them not to hire mee after I made Y&R number won!! Bill Belks stolded my monie! Now he is tolded The Gaytes to not hirre me!!!!

You are in good company, honey-

What are you guys opinion on Michele val Jean and Bob Guza head writing together with Ron Carlivati and Sara Bibel also on their writing staff? Of course MVJ and Guza have a long history of writing together, going back to their time together at Santa Barbara before GH, but I know their style of writing is somewhat different than Ron's; I love Ron btw but I know some don't particularly care for his style

Ron and Sara are pros, and will probably help contemporize the writing of Val Jean (75) and Guza (70), the latter of whom has been out of the game since 2011.

I'd be more concerned about eight(!) Executive Producers with vastly differing experience. Remember Derek J. from Real Housewives of Atlanta? He's one of them.

MVJ is 75?? I had no idea. Jesus. Retire already and collect your social security! Like that ancient Ed Scott at 80 is gonna revive Y &R to the younger crowd. Yes. I see disaster at this show with so many EP’s. They’ll all want to earn their pay by offering their input and there will not be a cohesive vision for this show. DISASTER!

R159 Ron and Sara definitely are pros and are good at contemporary writing, those are excellent points.

The different brew of EP's is definitely concerning. However, Derek J, the wig maker/bestie of Kim Zolciak? 😳 He's one of their executive producers?

R160 Right Ed Scott is back at Y&R isn't he 😁 well hopefully Michele will have success with this show, seeing how she's wanted this for awhile. However, the EP's are above the limit

Actually R161 , I got that wrong about Derek J.

Derrick Johnson is the EP in question. His name was misspelled on the script for Episode 1. Not a good sign in itself.

Gregori Martin is a writer. Interesting. It's a mix of the old and the new guards.

Is the character of "Bessie" today's answer to "Mamie"?

Did they cast Bessie yet? I'll try anything at this point!

They won't answer Rowell's phone call, because she might file a lawsuit that they denied her an audition to play a token Asian character in her 30s.

I’ll donate a wig I have laying around to anyone who wants it.

Ed Scott may be 80, but I was watching Y&R today and I noticed right away that Crimson Lights seemed more...lively. More like a real coffee shop.

Then, I saw his name on the credits; he's going to revive that show's look. If he can convince TPTB to let him bring in a new writer, then there's hope for Y&R.

Meanwhile, how many people at B&B will start phoning it in with Ed gone? Maybe. Maybe not.

Video preview of 13,000.

The DuhVon-Blabby wedding will be showcasing the NuOldRanch even more.

Black tie event. Will they produce a new cast photo?

Slay, Tamara Tunie!

Looks like Feb. 24 is the premiere date. Wise for them not to do it too early in January.

Yeah because Tamara Tunie is gonna bring in an audience!

The Gates looks CHEAP and CHEESY!

The Newman ranch on the other hand looks UBER LUXE-- I do not watch soaps anymore but that set is every bit on the level of classic Y&R production standards- Stunning.

Why are they waitng 6 weeks to debut the show? It was supposed to start in early January.

Where are they shooting this. CBS Television City? CBS Radford?

As long as there is a good restaurant set for their first Sheila and Lauren crossover.

R174 They're shooting this someplace in Atlanta, GA.

btw - Television City and Radford are no longer owned by CBS.

Some call the old CBS Television City "TV City" and others call it "Lachman" (sp?) the name of the company that bought it.

it's kind of sad.

I’m guessing the premiere was pushed back to take advantage of black history month.

[quote]Some call the old CBS Television City "TV City" and others call it "Lachman" (sp?) the name of the company that bought it.

Television City is now owned by Hackman Capital Partners.

Hackman also owns Radford Studios in Studio City and the Culver Studios in Culver City, among others.

[quote] They're shooting this someplace in Atlanta, GA.

Specifically, “Beyond the Gates” is being done at Assembly Studios in Doraville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta about 15 miles northeast of the city's center.

I've read that "The Late Late Show with James Corden" was the last CBS-owned show to tape at TVC. It's replacement show, "After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson," is being done at Paramount Studios over on Gower in Hollywood.

R178, I agree but why not earlier in February? By debuting it at the end of the month, they must be looking to get all the lead time they can get.

It only took about a week's worth of episodes for us to realize Passions was a joke. Bad acting, bad dialogue. The Sheridan and Princess Diana connection was bizarre with no payoff. Honestly, Reilly laughed all the way to the bank on that one.

It was clear early on PC was going to be GH lite.

Great writing is hard to come by; I hope we get great production values with BTG.

Not with 8 Executive Producers! BTG will be a cluster fuck disaster.

R181, remember when Passions was going to have a Saved By the Bell type spinoff to air on Saturday mornings?

Here's the complete writing staff.

(Another source indicates the scriptwriters are all black.)

R172 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 (Tamara Tunie is a good actress but that was too funny)

R181 The Sheridan Crane/Princess Diana connection storyline was bizarre; it was panned by soap critics/viewers, while also considered laughable; they even tried to recreate Lady Diana's accident somewhat with Sheridan, iirc.

R183 I remember that planned Saturday morning spinoff for Passions 😆 😆

R181 They probably delayed the January start date based on production starting on November 1st; with the holidays occurring, they're going to break, so they needed more time. Wonder if that means The Talk will air new episodes until then, since they more than likely weren't scheduled to return after the holidays

R184 Thanks. Pretty solid writing team assembled by MVJ

I have been trashing this show since it was announced, but I am VERY impressed by that writing team--

If the show takes shit seriously and has some suspense, it could make it..

That photo presumably from the set made the show already look CHEAP AF, and the sheer amount of producers is a recipe for disaster.

But people today have no standards and do not watch for sets or anything else from the 80's.

So fuck it! I wish this show well!!

Val Jean is already heading back to live in California. The old bitch won’t even be at the studio. You’re 75. Retire already!

R184. Could they not get Jamey Giddens covered under the show's health insurance?

R191

R191 Back in September 2024, LaGIddens was named head writer of "Sistas" (for Tyler Perry on BET). At that time, he indicated he would be pulling double-duty and doing both Days and Sistas.

Hey / Giddens is dieting. He’s up to 799 lbs!!

R193. Thanks for the info! That news didn't set the world on fire when it was first released, did it?

r172 = Mariska Hargitay

Jamey Giddens is cashing Sony and Tyler Perry checks, and you're posting nonsense on a message board. Jamey may be fat, but you're still a nobody.

R197. I'd rather be a nobody than be Jamey Giddens. Go bake him a pie.

I don’t know Jamey, but I admire him.

The world is burning and someone's pressed over Jamey Giddens.

Jamey can burn and provide enough heat for decades. He’s a FAT slob! I will never say anything good about him.

Jamey had so many haters here over his desire to write for TV.

Now, he's got the haters over his weight.

What will people hate on if he loses the weight?

R202, that’s exactly right. He’s a guy (fat or not) who worked hard and made his dream come true. His story should be aspirational and inspirational.

As a youngster all I wanted to do was wrote for a soap opera. I didn’t put my money where my mouth was the way he did.

I’ve got nothing but admiration for him and his well-deserved, hard-earned success.

What the hell is Sistas? Never heard of it. That’s success, Fat Jamey! Thank GOD he is not part of Beyond The Gates. I’m sure he couldn’t fit through the gates.

R203, it's never too late. Jamey plugged away at this for years.

He happened to interview a woman who connected him with Will Packer (Packard?), who had connections at OWN or BET (both?)

He LIKED Jamey and gave him a shot.

That's. All. it. Takes.

One person to like you. Once you're in the club, you're in the club. the same daytime folks who snubbed Jamey were like him like white on rice (brown on rice?) once he had Ambitions under his belt.

Jamey did a podcast as a soap fan and said things that soap fans say, and some people held that against him, I guess. He got into the business and learned that soaps are a business and that fan desires don't always mesh with network and budget realities and personalities. His show wasn't canceled because no one was watching it; it was canceled because it kept going over budget, and Tyler Perry had a new show in development. The show Sistas is highly rated in black households. Jamey's writing isn't exactly my cup of tea, but as said above, his story inspires many people working hard trying to break into this business. So what if he's fat? A lot of people are fat. If that's all you got, that he's fat - what's wrong with you? Are you 12?

I’ve said it before. Jamey owes ALOT of soap people apologies. IF his fat ass apologizes, I may begin to forgive him. He trashed soap writers and Execs. Fat Jamey found out that perhaps maybe it wasn’t the choice of those he trashed but the higher ups made decisions. Fat fucking Jamey found that out when he broke into the business. Until FAT Jamey apologizes to those in daytime he trashed, he is dead to me.

Fat fuck Jamey doesn’t get a pass. He learned that higher ups make decisions he doesn’t agree with and the writers/EP get blamed for the decision. Apologize Jamey.

I prefer to admire Ryan Quan, who similarly was a a young (gay) soap watcher (same age) who worked his way into daytime, but has never been big and loud along the way.

R207, at the height of Mal Young's ineptness, Jamey posted something about owing Maria Bell an apology.

He meant it.

I remember on the old media domain, a GL fan wrote: we said it couldn't get worse after Laibson and then we got Rauch and then we said this can't get worse and then we got Conboy and this CAN"T get worse and then we got Ellen.

I think that was the order of the final EPs.

Fat slob Jamey needs to apologize to more than Maria Arena Bell.

I had such a crush on Ryan Quan.

I love a good FAT joke but some of this is getting creepy.

I happened to catch about five minutes of The Squawk today. I always thought it was stupid, but it's totally unwatchable now. No wonder CBS cancelled it.

Whatever Beyond the Gates has in store, it has to be better than that mess.

“The Squawk” 😂😂😂

what I'm constantly amazed at is networks and studios continuing to hire people who simply don't know the show they've been hired to helm.

When Ron is bad, he's absolutely horrible -- BUT when he was great, he was great. His first few years on GH were sensational. Having Heather recreate the LSD laced iced tea with Olivia? He and Frank brought back Bobbie, Anna, and so many others.

But Y&R hires Mal who simply doesn't know the show. Bell doesn't even know his own series or he just may not care to connect dots. So many dangling storylines that are never revisited. People falling in and out of love so easily. The Luna lunacy...she's a good girl, no a killer, wait...she's back.

I give up.

R216, you’re so right! Your post is reason enough to have hope for Beyond the Gates.

I hope Beyond the Gayes has been guaranteed at least one year to find its footing and audience.

Who the fuck watches soaps?

This reads like a Tyler Perry show

R219, I do.

Me, too.

The irony is that the Gates can't fuck up its history because it has no history to fuck up yet.

The Gates show will fail. A new soap is not what the audience wants.

r224 why do you say that. I would say it is better than another talk show. Daytime doesn't have a lot of variety. A soap opera is a good break.

r220 I hope it doesn't end like a tyler perry show. I hope they aren't too campy or too focused on affairs and love children. If this show doesn't do well they will unfortunately view it as an indictment on soaps in general. Hopefully some older soaps can be revived if the ratings a decent with beyond the gates.

R218 See R85.

When I read the thread title I thought this was going to be a reboot of The Gates, that featured DL fave Colton Haynes. WEHT James Preston and Travis Caldwell?

That looks like Beyond the Ultra White Gates.

WHET Colton Haynes?

[quote]The Gates show will fail. A new soap is not what the audience wants.

I want it to work, and with Michele, Guza, and Julie involved, it has a solid foundation. I think the audience wants a new soap; I'm just not sure this is the soap they want, and I really want to be wrong about that.

Why don’t the fuck we just wait until the first episode to render judgment for God sakes?

Oh, dear.