The floodgates have finally opened! Since CBS announced the creation of a new daytime drama featuring the Duprees, a wealthy Black family living their best life in a luxury gated community, fans have been waiting for the casting news. That time is now, and here’s what we know about Beyond The Gates.
Title and Time
Until now, the project that CBS Studios is producing in conjunction with the NAACP has been known as The Gates. However, with this casting windfall comes news that the title has changed. From here on out, the first soap created in 25 years will be known as Beyond The Gates.
What’s even better news is that Beyond The Gates (BTG) will be the first Black one-hour daytime drama to air on television. In fact, Generations, NBC’s groundbreaking African-American soap that aired in the early ’90s, was a 30-minute show.
READ THIS: Follow Soap Hub‘s Beyond The Gates Fans page on Facebook.
First Three Roles Cast
To say that the casting for Beyond The Gates has been highly anticipated is an understatement. Fans and various media outlets — including Soap Hub — have made countless predictions and wish lists. The first three actresses that CBS announced definitely live up to the hype. All three are recognizable names to daytime, primetime, and beyond. Let’s take a look:
Tamara Tunie stars as Anita Dupree
On daytime, the great Tamara Tunie first hit it big on As the World Turns as fierce lawyer Jessica Griffin. Of course, she also originated the role of medical examiner Dr. Melinda Warner with a now landmark 23 seasons on the legendary series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In addition, she has held recurring roles on shows including Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, and Elementary for the Network. And Tunie happens to be one of our dream casting choices.
Tunie’s Character: Anita Dupree, matriarch of the family. A famous singer back in the day, Anita worked hard for her success and raised two daughters with her now-retired senator husband. But underneath her glamorous and refined exterior is a fierceness she gained from her humble beginnings in Chicago.
READ THIS: Here are some of the other characters causing drama on BTG.
Daphnee Duplaix stars as Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson
Daphnee Duplaix boasts an illustrious acting career that has spanned over two decades. Most notably, she earned an NAACP Award nomination for her outstanding portrayal of Rachel Gannon on One Life to Live. Plus, in the mid-2000s, she starred as Valerie Davis on Passions.
Duplaix’s character: Daughter of Anita and Dani’s sister, Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson, is a high-achieving and competitive philanthropist and psychiatrist who exudes warmth, empathy, and compassion. Nicole’s success in life extends to her marriage to her surgeon husband. She has the perfect life…from the outside.
READ THIS: Check out some more of the characters that will be populating BTG.
Karla Mosley stars as Dani Dupree
Karla Mosley — who was also on our wish list — starred as Maya Avant Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, for which she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Additional credits include Guiding Light, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Deadly Cheer Mom, and Burn After Reading.
Mosley’s character: Dani is Anita’s other daughter, a former model turned momager who gave up her career for love. She is the Dupree family’s wild child. Free-spirited, headstrong, and uninhibited, Dani dropped out of school to pursue a high-flying modeling career and has always marched to the beat of her own drum.
The Synopsis
According to CBS, “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.
And those that live outside these gates are watching closely. These are the places where our characters live, love, work, and play. Those who have ‘made it’ and those who haven’t are all trying to navigate life…and some with more grace than others.”
READ THIS: Find out more info on BTG, including the executive producers.
The Behind-the-Scenes Players
BTG is a CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, led by Sheila Ducksworth, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Proctor & Gamble. Other names behind the scenes: Michele Val Jean, formerly of Santa Barbara, Generations, General Hospital, and B&B, is the creator, executive producer, and showrunner. Other executive producers include Robert Guza Jr., Julie Carruthers, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson, Kimberly Doebereiner, and Anna Saalfeld.
What do you think of the casting news for Beyond the Gates? Will you watch? Let us know in the comments!
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