Secrets, lies and scandals are nestled Beyond The Gates.

Making history as the first hour-long Black daytime soap opera, the brand new series is set to premiere Feb. 24 on CBS and Paramount+. Beyond The Gates also marks the first daytime soap to premiere on a broadcast network in over 25 years. Starring Tamara Tunnie, Clifton Davis, Karla Mosley, Daphnee Duplaix, and rising actors, Beyond the Gates takes place in a Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C..The Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family, are at the center of a gated community in one the most affluent African American counties. The series follows the drama of those who live inside and outside the gates.

Daphnee Duplaix and Tamara Tunie in ‘Beyond the Gates’. Photo by Quantrell Colbert/CBS

Beyond The Gates also has a predominantly Black crew–including on set and in the writers room. Behind the groundbreaking series is entertainment veteran Shelia Ducksworth, award-winning television writer Michele Val Jean and casting director Kim Coleman. “There’s a reason that the soap opera genre has been around for as long as it is,” Tunie tells MadameNoire exclusively. “…It’s inevitable that you get caught up in what’s going on with these people, because we become like family. We’re in your home every single day, and you’ll love us.”

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MadameNoire was present for the Beyond The Gates screening on Feb. 20 at the Paley Center; hosted by CBS Mornings’ Vladimir Duthiers and presented by Citi. We spoke to executive producer Shelia Ducksworth as well as leading cast members Daphnine Duplaix and Tamara Tunie, ahead of the series premiere.

Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

MadameNoire: This has been years in the making. After pitching the idea and getting the approval, you began working with soap writer Michele Val Jean. Can you elaborate more on the development process?

Shelia Ducksworth: It’s incredible. The feeling is incredible. This has been something that’s been a mission of mine. I have to say, since I was 10 years old I’ve always wanted to do a soap opera. And in these last couple of decades, as I honed in on what the premise of this soap should be, it’s just been burning inside. So I have to say, it’s really incredible to be at this point. We’re right at the precipice of this, being on the air for not just people in America to watch, but being on P Plus–Paramount Plus it’s for new people all around the world. It’s more than I ever dreamed. So today is a great day. Leading up to Monday is going to be the continuation of great days. And this whole odyssey of getting here has been one I wouldn’t trade for anything.

MadameNoire: Without giving too much away, what can you tell fans [about the show]?

SD: You’re in for a treat on Monday! Fans can look forward to juicy storylines; They can look forward to unpredictability. It’s a little bit of everything. Something to keep people on their toes, keep them satisfied, but wanting more. It’s going to be a story about – really at the heart of it, love and family and bonding and people that will do anything for each other.

We think that there’s a lot of glue that people are going to just fall in love with in these storylines and do these characters. But it’s going to be fun. It’s still a soap. There’s going to be a lot of secrets and lies. You know, power plays and you name it. So it’s going to be terrific. I think that people are going to be really surprised with these storylines and these characters.

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MadameNoire: The primary audience for soap operas are women between ages 18-49. Are you expecting a new wave [of viewers], especially with streaming?

SD: So, when we put this soap together. It was intentionally put together for a little bit of something for everybody. We have four generations of Duprees. From the matriarch and patriarch, that’s Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis, to their children, to their grandchildren, to their great-grandchildren who are 16 and 17 and in high school. We have something for everybody, storylines for everybody.

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

And also we wanted to mix it up and make sure that there was a lot of inclusivity. So even though it’s a predominantly Black cast, we have White characters, Asian characters, Latinx characters, we have characters bearing this sexual identity. All of these topical things that we want to explore, we’re doing it in this soap.

MadameNoire: Your character Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson is the elder Dupree daughter. She essentially has it all. She’s a high-achieving psychiatrist and philanthropist. Ironically, what family advice would you give your character?

Daphnee Duplaix: “What advice would I give my own character? Ooh, I would honestly say ‘go with the flow’. Don’t let anything rile you up, get you in a tizzy. It’s definitely not worth it. I feel like that’s the advice that my character gives to my [her] sister a lot because she’s the wild child and she goes off the cuff a lot. But yeah, that would be my advice ‘just go with the flow’.”

Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

MadameNoire: It’s been a little over 15 years since Passions ended. Do you think daytime soap operas can develop the same loyal following or have that longevity today?

DD: “You know, I hope that we have decades and decades of longevity. We are producing something that is really amazing and I really do believe it’s going to stand the test of time. People are going to be so excited and it’s invigorating. It’s not your normal traditional soap opera tone, right? It’s real, it’s current, it’s vibrant, it’s relevant. So yeah, I hope we stand the test of time.

MadameNoire: Previously you starred in another CBS soap opera As the World Turns as Jessica Griffin. How are you channeling Anita Dupree in Beyond The Gates?

Tamara Tunie: Anita is Jessica all grown up. You know what I mean [laughs]. No, she’s very different. It’s a very different character. Jessica was an attorney. She was very straight-laced. She was very righteous. Anita comes from the entertainment world. She is very sophisticated and glamorous–and righteous in her own way. But she also can be a little more cut throat than Jessica. And when it comes to her family, [Anita] she is very protective and fiercely loyal to her family. And will do whatever it takes to protect her family.

MadameNoire: What’s different on set this time around; whether in front of the camera or behind the camera?

TT: When I was on As the World Turns oftentimes I was the only Black person in the room. And on this show, we have a community of black people telling different stories. So as we know, the Black community is not a monolith. We are very different things. We want very different things. We live very different kinds of lives. And so we’re going to see some of that on this show. We see the family who lives behind the gates, and then we see the people who live on the other side of the gates. So, it’s every echelon and level of Black experience. We’re looking forward to that.

Beyond The Gates premieres Feb. 24 on CBS at 2 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT, airing weekdays and streaming on Paramount+. The new daytime soap opera is produced by a CBS Studios/NAACP production venture in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble.

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The post Tamara Tunie & Daphnée Duplaix On Making History With ‘Beyond The Gates’ — Daytime’s First Black Soap In 25 Years [Exclusive] appeared first on MadameNoire.