It’s always fun on soaps when a character comes back from the dead. And in its second season, Beyond the Gates finally got to execute one of those special cliffhanger moments. It turns out that Doug McBride isn’t dead after all. And he’s just shown himself to his daughter, Deanna. In this edition of Comings & Goings, we play catch-up on recent guest stars, familiar faces, and departures. Plus, look ahead to the week of May 25.
Key Takeaways
- Jason Graham returns to Beyond the Gates after Doug McBride’s shocking, not-so-dead reveal.
- Ben Gavin exits the series following Derek Baldwin’s emotional death.
- Several recurring performers return next week, including Alex Cheeks, Greg Vaughan, Ernestine Johnson, and Angela Fairley.
A McBride Returns to the Land of the Living
Jason Graham is apparently back in at BTG. The actor, who plays Doug McBride, was written out last September when it was revealed that Doug had a wild night of gambling and drinking, and then was killed off after he drove drunk and got into a fiery car accident.
This whole time, we’ve thought that Joey had engineered the events leading up to Doug’s death. Instead, he engineered the events leading up to Doug’s…disappearance. But now Doug is back in the DMV, and he has made contact with his daughter, who has been grieving her father ever since she found out.
Graham’s name popped up in the credits at the end of the Wednesday, May 20 episode. And that’s how many people learned that Doug was indeed alive.
Comings & Goings: Week of May 18-22, 2026
The plasma ring bust and the cotillion were responsible for several new and familiar faces joining the action on BTG. However, aside from the news that Graham has returned, the biggest story was the loss of an original cast member. Ben Gavin, who played Derek Baldwin, is out. The former firefighter turned free clinic general manager was killed in the warehouse shootout involving the plasma ring.
In an interview with TV Insider, Gavin said his character’s death “was definitely a complete shocker.” He received the news in late 2025. Producers told him that “it had to be someone that they started to really care about to hook the audience, and I understood that.” The actor recently posted a video on Instagram, in which he called being part of BTG “a badge of honor that I will wear for my entire life.”
The guest stars this week included Donny Carrington, who appeared once again as Ren. The character was arrested after the cops busted the plasma ring. Ren is also the plasma ring enforcer who killed Derek. Jordi Vilasuso’s Grayson Perez was also involved in the plasma ring drama, as was Cecelia Specht, aka Dr. Lia Whitmore.
On the police side of things, Malachi Malik and Darryl W. Handy staked out the action from their car. And at one point, Maurice. P. Kerry’s Randy joined them after he was nabbed scouting the warehouse. Additionally, Jerri Tubbs returned as Jan, who helped support her daughter as Ashley grieved for Derek.
Over at the cotillion, recurring players Najah Jackson (Samantha), Jaden Lucas Miller (Tyrell), Alex Cheeks (Donnell), Angela Fairley (Deanna), and Jasmine Burke (June) were all heavily involved. We finally met the parents of Camryn Jade’s character, Jessica Harris. Dwight Hicks and Tarina Pouncy played her mom and dad, Joyce and Hal Harris. The debutantes, escorts, and family members included returning faces Timeca Seretti (Anastasia), Madison Alsobrook (Francesca/Chessy), and Brennen Suttle (Nathan).
Comings & Goings: Week of May 25-29, 2026
Next week, there will only be four new episodes of BTG. On Tuesday, May 26, several recurring actors pop up. Fairley is back at it when Deanna meets up with a blast from the past, who can only be her father. So that means Graham will return, as will Doug’s son, Donnell, played by Cheeks. Alex Alegria appears again when Tomas deals with yet another order from Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett). And Greg Vaughan’s Kial shows up in scenes with Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix).
On Wednesday, May 27, Ernestine Johnson is in as Shanice, who gets to give Ted her answer about their future. Meanwhile, Miller is back as Tyrell. And look for Karan Kendrick and Tubbs to share scenes as Mona and Jan, respectively. And finally, on Thursday, May 28, Kenjah’s Madison thinks about her family as the fallout from this lawsuit continues.
