“Welcome to Fairmont Crest.” That’s how the teaser for CBS’s upcoming Daytime Drama Beyond the Gates begins. From then on, we’re treated to 30 seconds of Black excellence. Since it was announced earlier this year that a soap opera featuring an affluent Black family living in a gated community would be hitting our TV screens in the new year, I have been counting down the days and keeping track of every piece of news I can get. This teaser drop arrived just in time.
As a long-time watcher and fan of soap operas, I have seen my fair share, so I can safely say that although some have a diverse cast, they don’t often treat them with the same value and equity regarding stories. Most soap operas I have seen with Black characters tend to keep them in the background, and they don’t get a lot of storylines that center on them. But with the arrival of Beyond the Gates, which long-time Soap Opera aficionado Michele Val Jean created, I am more than confident we will be getting that and so much more.
Beyond the Gates is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., and in one of the most affluent African American counties in the United States. Here, you’ll find a posh gated community with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions to call home. 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.
In the teaser for Beyond the Gates, we get a glimpse of the palatial Fairmont Crest as well as the Dupree family, which consists of the Matriarch Anita (Tamara Tunie), the Patriarch Vernon (Clifton Davis), and their adult daughters Dani (Karla Mosley), and Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix). From the looks of this family, we are in for some major soapy drama. Someone is confronting Anita, and Dani is taking a golf club to some man’s desk; it’s just what I’ve been waiting for in soap because it feels like some of the remaining soap operas have lost the edginess they once had. My hope is Beyond the Gates will bring that all back. And can I take a minute to express how stunning Tamara looks? The cast is all beautiful, but she demands that you pay attention, and every bit of her demeanor screams, “I run this.”
As mentioned in previous pieces on this series, there has not been a soap opera featuring a Black family in 35 years. So, as stated in the voiceover, “This is going to make history.” It’s long overdue, and I hope that people tune in and tell their friends about it because a series like this is another reminder that representation matters. The show is already off to a great start with a diverse team in front of and behind the camera.
Beyond the Gates, created in partnership with P&G Studios, will premiere on February 24, 2025. It will air on weekdays at 2 pm ET/1 pm PT on CBS and stream on Paramount+. The series also stars Alex Alegria, Lauren Buglioli, Brandon Clayborn, Timon Kyle Durrett, Sean Freeman, Ben Gavin, Marquita Goings, Jibre Hordges, Jen Jacob, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, Mike Manning, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad, and Arielle Prepetit.
See the first teaser for Beyond the Gates below:
Beyond the Gates premieres in February 2025 on CBS.
