CBS’ Black Soap Opera ‘Beyond the Gates’ Reminds Us That the Present Is the Past
variety.comAramide Tinubu Soap operas, or melodramas with massive ensemble casts, have been a staple in popular culture for nearly a century.
Though long-running soaps like “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital” have dominated day-time television for decades, CBS‘ new series, “Beyond the Gates,” is the first new soap to debut on daytime TV in nearly 25 years.
The Michele Val Jean-created series is also the only soap since 1989’s “Generations” with a predominantly Black cast. Soap operas aren’t considered prestige programming, but this new show offers viewers something more unique than over-the-top storylines and tawdry romances.
During a time when minority-led series are vanishing from the small screen and the current government is rampantly attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, “Beyond the Gates” is a reminder that Black people and people of color can’t be erased.
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