Beyond the Gates Is Redefining Daytime Television – Here’s What Makes It Special!
Beyond the Gates is only 10 episodes in, and already, we’re obsessed. No, CBS’ latest soap — daytime’s first newbie since Passions and daytime’s first Black-centric drama since Generations — isn’t perfect; when dialogue is pulled straight from character breakdowns, it shows. But every episode delivers a shot of adrenaline and a gasp of surprise if not a full-on spit take of shock. Don’t believe it’s that good? Keep reading, and we’ll shine a spotlight on 10 reasons we’re excited to go Beyond the Gates every day.
1. Karla Mosley’s Dani Dupree is a blast and a half. She’s like a loaded gun that could go off at any second. The only question is at whom or what she’ll be pointed when she does. (RIP, those wedding flowers.)
2. Trisha Mann-Grant and Ambyr Michelle’s Dana/Leslie and Eva make a dream scheme team. We don’t often use the word “delicious” to describe anything but desert. But “delicious” is exactly what their villainy is.
3. Marquita Goings’ Hayley Richardson Hamilton is a truly compelling heroine in that, on one hand, we feel for her, as horribly as the Duprees treat her, and on the other, we aren’t at all sure if we should sympathize with “the other woman.”
4. Timon Kyle Durrett’s Bill Hamilton is a modern-day J.R. Ewing, cunning and cutthroat… and at constant risk of being brought to his knees by his ex, Sue Ellen Dani. Plus, Durrett is a full-on presence with a capital P.
5. Sean Freeman’s Andre Hamilton is the quintessential soap playboy, an archetype we’ve been begging daytime to remember exists since its last libidinous Casanova zipped up. (Why did Bold & Beautiful “stallion” Bill stop adding notches to his bedpost?)
6. Daphnée Duplaix’s Nicole Dupree Richardson is an ideal voice of reason, level-headed and even-tempered and maybe just a smidgen on the side of too perfect — just enough for us not to mind the idea of Dana/Leslie throwing her for a loop.
7. Tamara Tunie’s Anita Dupree is poised and glamorous and regal… but what really draws us to her is the fire in her eyes. Though we’ve only glimpsed flashes of her anger so far, we’re dying to see what happens when the matriarch lets loose and reads someone for filth.
8. Clifton Davis’ Vernon Dupree is the antithesis of what we’d expect of a powerful patriarch — and it works. Instead of rule the roost with an iron thumb and a raised voice, Dani and Nicole’s softspoken father wields his influence with the casual confidence of a man who knows he doesn’t have to speak louder to make anyone listen closer.
9. Beyond the Gates doesn’t drag, it zips, seemingly remembering the days when our soaps were “miss a minute, miss a lot” affairs. And it doesn’t feel the need to flash back to twists we just saw and should already know. Two words: Thank. You. Thank you for acknowledging that your audience is smart.
10. Even when the show does need to fill in some exposition, it has on its hands a not-so-secret weapon who makes it fun.
What is your take on Beyond the Gates so far? Grade the show in the poll above, then hit the comments after you check out the below gallery of the cast telling all about their on-screen alter egos.
