It’s September 2024, and Beyond the Gates is becoming increasingly real. The title transitioned from The Gates to Beyond the Gates. Three members of the cast were announced, two of whom Soap Hub placed on its Dream Casting Wish List for the first new soap created in 25 years. And Karla Mosley — who will play Dani Dupree on the one-hour CBS soap — posted from Atlanta and is excited about being a part of this journey.
Excitement is Building
CBS originally announced its plans to create the first soap opera in 25 years back in April. And there’s more news to come as the highly anticipated production builds up steam to its premiere in early 2025.
The Dream Casting List: The Actors
If you recall, we already dream-cast a list of the female actors we’d love to see when populating the residents of BTG. Many great male actors are out there whose impact would instantly be felt. Some of them are soap opera veterans — the best in the business.
Others we plucked from primetime and TV movie territories. And there are those currently on soaps who are underutilized. They could benefit from being on a show that will let everyone shine courtesy of a Michele Val Jean-led writers’ room. Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments below. And if we’re missing anybody, add them to the list!
Darnell Williams, All My Children
He’s the male half of the extraordinarily popular and groundbreaking Angie and Jesse super couple from AMC. Then and now, he’s a charismatic actor who knows the ins and outs of daytime soap operas. We definitely need Williams back on soaps.
Lamman Rucker, As the World Turns & AMC
Lamman Rucker’s soap street cred is serious. He played lawyer Marshall Travers, a love interest for Tamara Tunie’s Jessica Griffin (Tunie, who happens to already be cast on BTG). His primetime claim-to-fame is playing Lynn Whitfield and Keith David’s son on OWN’s Greenleaf. Sure, this guy can play nice, but he’s so much more fun when he’s a villain.
Rome Flynn, The Bold and the Beautiful
Rome Flynn is hot, talented, and charismatic. Plus. the actor knows the daytime grind. As Zende on B&B, we paid attention. But we didn’t get the truest sense of his talent until he appeared on shows like The Haves and The Have Nots, How to Get Away with Murder, Netflix’s Raising Dion, and Prime Video’s With Love. Who knows if Flynn would come back to daytime, but it’s worth an ask, right?
READ THIS: Here’s what you need to know about the characters.
Joseph C. Phillips, General Hospital
As far as we’re concerned, Joseph C. Phillips has been TV royalty for years. First, he played Lt. Martin Kendall, Denise Huxtable’s military husband on The Cosby Show. Second and most significant for this list, he played the OG Justus Ward on GH. Justus was Edward Quartermaine’s grandson, District Attorney of Port Charles, ELQ Board Member, and cousin to Keesha, who fell in love with Jason Quartermaine. He would make a great patriarch on The Gates.
Shemar Moore, The Young and the Restless
There was some hope that since Shemar never forgets his soap roots, once CBS canceled his longtime police procedural, SWAT, he’d consider going back to daytime. Then CBS decided to save the show from cancellation and let it live for another season. So, hopefully, the powers that be can keep an eye on Moore and pounce whenever the popular actor frees up.
Lawrence Saint-Victor, B&B
What’s great about Lawrence Saint-Victor on B&B is that he doesn’t just wait around for the powers that be to give his character something to do. He started writing for the show. The problem is he’s a solid performer that’s underutilized on every level. How great would it be if BTG came knocking?
Lamon Archey, Days of Our Lives
Lamon Archey often returns to his DAYS roots despite making primetime appearances on shows like The CW’s All-American. That means he hasn’t closed himself off from soaps, right? Hire the charismatic actor, and fans will love you for life.
Aaron D. Spears, B&B
B&B brought Aaron D. Spears’s character back this summer for the double murder storyline. However, they barely used him. So, he’d be a great choice to add to the BTG cast.
A Martinez, Santa Barbara, GH, OLTL, and DAYS
Michele Val Jean knows A Martinez from their Santa Barbara and GH days. He’s a great actor who is also high-profile. It would be wonderful to have his presence on the ground floor of a soap opera like he was on SB.
Matt Cedeno, DAYS
DAYS fans continually wanted Matt Cedeno back on their soap so he could, once again, help flesh out Nicole’s family. But now that Nicole lives in Paris, why not set up camp Beyond the Gates instead? Even though Cedeno hasn’t been on daytime in a long time, his primetime credits are often soapy, including his stints on Devious Maids, Ambitions, The Oval, and Ruthless.
Sean Blakemore, GH
Sean Blakemore’s primetime career is doing just fine, thank you, but we still miss him on daytime television. Namely, we miss him on GH. However, if you haven’t seen him on All Rise, Greenleaf, Cruel Summer, and The Quad, where have you been?
READ THIS: Get to know the creative geniuses behind BTG.
Peter Parros, ATWT
Much like Rucker, Peter Parros also starred opposite Tamara Tunie on ATWT. Another reason he’d be perfect on BTG is his series regular run on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and The Have Nots. He was one of “The Haves,” if you’re wondering. He is one of those actors with the exterior of a good guy but really shines when he’s playing the different shades of a character.
Gavin Houston, GH, Guiding Light
After playing Remy Boudreau on Guiding Light (Saint-Victor also played this role), Gavin Houston went on to play Parros’s son on HAHN. Wow, his character was such a hot mess on that soapy drama. More recently, he had a brief run on GH where he had fans paying attention. They still talk about Zeke and how he would make a great match for Jordan (Tanisha Harper). However, since he hasn’t returned to GH, we will most certainly take him on BTG.
Terrell Tilford, GL
While Terrell Tilford’s extensive acting resume includes credits on OLTL, DAYS, and Y&R, he’s best known to us as one of the David Grants on GL. Meanwhile, his primetime credits include Single Ladies and guest-starring spots on everything from the Magnum PI reboot to OWN’s Cherish the Day to FOX’s Lucifer.
Greg Vaughan, DAYS, GH, Y&R
If Greg Vaughan isn’t a series regular on DAYS any longer, then he can go anywhere. He can return to primetime and act on Hallmark and other TV movies. He can also go to another soap. A Daytime Emmy winner for his role as Eric Brady, he would be a great addition to BTG. Also, head over to Hulu right this very minute and catch him on OWN’s Queen Sugar. Trust us.
Kendrick Cross, GH
Nobody should sleep on Kendrick Cross. He currently has a recurring role on GH. Unfortunately, he doesn’t air with any regularity, but when he does, he’s a standout. And he should be because his primetime credits are good. While his debut role was as a medic on the TV show Dawson’s Creek, he’s gone on to guest star in everything from One Tree Hill to Will Trent. But he’s had more sizable roles in movies and TV shows like Stranger Things, which might be a show people have heard of, right?
Grant Aleksander, GL
Grant Aleksander played a spoiled rich teen turned sometimes-villain Phillip Spaulding on GL. When his character was good, he was charismatic. But when Phillip ran around on the dark side, Aleksander became electrifying. We would love to see him mix it up on broadcast soaps again.
Robert Burgi, Another World, GH, and Y&R, Robert Newman, GL and Y&R
We’re grouping these guys together because they are formidable actors who are truly mesmerizing. Robert Newman was part of one of the all-time great super couples in the history of soaps, GL’s Josh and Reva (Kim Zimmer). Richard Burgi is a veteran actor with soap credits that include Another World, OLTL, and DAYS. Burgi and Newman both played Ashland Locke recasts on Y&R, who crushed their time on the show—so much so that we’d love to see either or both on BTG.
Filming for BTG reportedly starts in Atlanta in November. Who would you add to this dream TV wish list for Beyond the Gates? When CBS announces the rest of the BTG cast, we’ll all see if we guessed right, so let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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