Beyond the Gates, the first daytime soap opera to premiere on a broadcast network in over 20 years and the first hour-long daytime soap to feature a predominantly Black cast, has revealed its opening date. The series will premiere on Monday, February 24, 2025, and air on weekdays at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on CBS. It will also be available on Paramount+.
“This is such an exciting time in television. To launch the first daytime soap opera in over a quarter century and to be the first hourlong daytime soap in TV history to feature a Black cast is remarkable,” Sheila Ducksworth, executive producer of Beyond the Gates and president of CBS/NAACP Production Venture, declared exclusively to EBONY.
Beyond the Gates is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., in one of the most affluent African American counties in the United States. The Duprees are the powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that reigns as the posh gated community’s Black royalty. But behind the pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. And anyone outside the gates is watching all the drama closely, waiting for their moment to get in.
Michele Van Jean, a soap opera veteran and one of the few Black writers in the genre, is the creator, executive producer and showrunner of the new series. The cast features a slew of TV veterans, including Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis, Karla Mosley and Daphnee Duplaix, as well as new faces to the daytime scene.
“As we explore all things Beyond the Gates, we invite all to join us on day one as we break new ground,” Ducksworth concluded.
