CBS’s ‘Beyond the Gates’ Expands Cast for Groundbreaking Black Daytime Soap Opera

CBS has announced new cast members for Beyond the Gates, its upcoming Black daytime soap opera. Joining stars Tamara Tunie, Daphnee Duplaix, and Karla Mosley are Brandon Claybon, Timon Durrett, Sean Freeman, Marquita Goings, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad, and Arielle Prepetit. The newly added actors portray members of four prominent families — the Duprees, the Richardsons, the Hamiltons, and the Thomases — navigating lives filled with secrets in an upscale Maryland community.

Here’s the official description of the series:

BEYOND THE GATES is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington D.C., 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.

Developed through CBS Studios and NAACP Ventures with Procter & Gamble’s P&G Studios, this new series marks the first-ever one-hour Black daytime soap opera. It’s also the first new daytime drama since Passions in 1999.

The series, created by Michele Val Jean and produced by a powerhouse team including Sheila Ducksworth and Robert Guza Jr., will air in early 2025. With 1,400 slot machines and 80+ live table games, the show’s setting mirrors luxury with mystery, wealth, and tangled ambitions — all within the grandiose world of the Duprees.

Character Highlights:

• The Richardsons: Maurice Johnson stars as Ted Richardson, a renowned plastic surgeon, while his son, Martin (Brandon Claybon), is an ambitious congressman aspiring to be the first openly gay Black President.
• The Hamiltons: Timon Durrett portrays Bill Hamilton, a charismatic criminal attorney, with daughters Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) and Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) navigating law and social media fame, respectively.
• The Thomases: Trisha Mann-Grant and Ambyr Michelle bring intensity to their roles as mother-daughter duo Dana and Eva Thomas, who carry a mysterious agenda into the lives of the Duprees.
• Beyond the Gates’ central family, the Duprees, whose multi-generational power and prestige define this upscale Maryland community. Known as “Black royalty,” the Duprees are an affluent, high-profile family with an air of perfection on the surface but a history of hidden secrets and mounting conflicts within.

With CBS aiming to diversify its daytime lineup, Beyond the Gates introduces complex relationships and high-stakes drama set against the backdrop of Black affluence, making it a historic entry for network television.

Photos: CBS