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The last time a broadcast network debuted a new daytime drama, a good portion of America believed the President was a criminal, high-profile plane crashes were in the news, and Jay-Z was embroiled in a legal battle.
Daphnée Duplaix and Tamara Tunie on ‘Beyond the Gates’.
Quantrell Colbert/CBS
That was more than a quarter-century ago, when NBC’s Passions premiered in 1999. Call it serendipity or simply the cyclical nature of history, but conditions are once again ripe for a much-needed soapy escape as CBS prepares to unveil its new daytime drama, Beyond the Gates. Created by industry veteran Michele Val Jean (Generations, General Hospital), the new series — which follows the lives and loves of a well-to-do Black family and their gated-community neighbors — is soap opera in its purest and most enjoyable form. More importantly, this well-crafted saga of romance, backstabbing, and dark family secrets is a celebration of Black Excellence at a time when the U.S. government wants us to believe that “diversity” a dirty word.
“Best of My Love” by legendary girl group The Emotions is playing on the soundtrack as Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson (Daphnée Duplaix) cruises through the gates of Fairmont Crest, an exclusive neighborhood just outside of Washington, D.C. Nicole is the level-headed daughter of Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) — an EGOT-winning singer — and retired Senator/civil rights activist Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis). The Duprees are pillars of the Fairmont Crest community, which makes the recent drama surrounding their family even more shocking. All of Fairmont is abuzz with the news that Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) — ex-husband of Nicole’s sister, Dani (Karla Mosley) — is planning to marry his much younger girlfriend (and former Dupree family friend) Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings) at the Fairmont Country Club. Not only is Dani spiraling over the news (she vows to make the “cheaters pay for blowing up my life!”), but Bill’s daughters Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) and Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) are barely speaking to him.
Quantrell Colbert/CBS
After swiftly establishing its juicy, “this gated community ain’t big enough for the both of us” central conflict, Beyond the Gates introduces the other characters in the Duprees’ orbit, whose complicated backstories are designed to provide maximum story fodder. Nicole and her husband, renowned plastic surgeon Ted Richardson (Maurice Johnson), are surrogate parents to Ted’s nephew, Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman), a handsome and flirty photographer whose parents died in a plane crash. Meanwhile, their daughter, Kat (Colby Muhammad), is helping her cousin Chelsea plot an exit strategy from her successful modeling career — unbeknownst to Chelsea’s demanding momager, Dani. Nicole and Ted’s son, Martin (Brandon Clayborn), an ambitious congressman, is haunted by nightmares he can never remember, much to the chagrin of his husband, Smitty (Mike Manning). As Fairmont Crest’s preeminent realtor, Vanessa McBride (Lauren Buglioli) knows all the dirt on her affluent clientele — but even she may be harboring a secret from her heart-surgeon husband, Doug (Jason Graham).
The above description represents just a portion of the drama Val Jean and her writers manage to set up in the first five episodes of Beyond the Gates. Trust that many of the other hallmarks of an engrossing soap are there: Budding romances, dastardly revenge plots, and blissfully perfect couples who are just one dark secret away from being brought low. And of course, the first week builds up to another soap staple — a wedding — which in this case is less a happy occasion than a platform for a potentially outrageous showdown.
It’s an apt sentiment for our current political climate, which goes largely unacknowledged in the Beyond the Gates universe. The closest the show comes to referencing reality in the first five episodes is when Vernon reflects on his accomplishments as a civil rights activist. “Of course, a lot of that work is being undone,” he muses. But soap operas are meant to be an escape from real-world problems, and it makes even more sense here. In the real world, the residents of Fairmont Crest would be living a few minutes away from a White House intent on eradicating their ancestors’ lived experience from the history books. But the Duprees will not be erased — and their story is far too fun to ignore. Grade: B+
Beyond the Gates airs Monday to Friday at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on CBS.
