I’m still hooked on the newest soap to enter the field. General Hospital is still my ride or die show, but Beyond the Gates is one of the very few CBS/Paramount shows I watch. None of them are news programs. Smitty and Lulu Spencer are better sources. Ahem.

In one year, they’ve had a vengeful ex-wife shoot up a wedding, a very big secret historical trauma story, a kidnapping by a crazed fan, sudden inheritance, at least four engagements but one wedding, arch rival half-sisters, an undercover police story, a con no one seems to see coming, the return of a biological mother in recovery, unknown children, a stroke, a character who hid that he could walk and stayed in wheelchair to keep his lady love, recovery from substance abuse, gambling addictions, double lives, infiltration of a family for a big ‘he’s my daddy’ reveal, and so much more.

There’s also been a lot of talk about racial justice and hard core racism, classism, lots of education about civil rights movements, and the history of music. That’s new and it is vital to the shows success.

What I love about it:

Tamara Tunie (Pittsburgh native) She is why I began watching and her Anita Dupree character is just everything. In every scene, she seems both professional and enjoying herself. Tunie also plays her character’s drag impersonator – hilarious.

Shanice. She’s the gossipy nurse/physical therapist who got bumped up to a steamy love story with dreamy doctor. She’s a great character who is tied into the elites and the everyday folx.  Ernestine Johnson Morrison is a breakout.

Joey Armstrong. He’s the best baddie who takes all of his meetings in a poker room. Jon Lindstrom hits that sweet spot from his Ryan/Kevin dual roles on GH – a bad guy with a heart of gold? Not quite.

June is another excellent character. She moved from being unhoused to staying in a long term shelter and working at Orphey Gene’s. She’s building relationships with her kids and the assorted characters who come in and out of Orphey Gene’s. I like that June is not living in the “guest house” of Smitty and Martin or leveraging some other relationship to get ahead. As a server at the restaurant, she plays a visual pivotal role rotating from customer to customer.

Sisters. Nicole and Dani are iconic. Very different, but fiercely devoted to each other. They never lose faith, never falter. We get lots of sister screen time. I think I like Dani a bit more because she’s a bit unhinged.

The immersion in Black culture, sometimes with explanations and sometimes not. The conversations around socio-economic class, gender, and the debutante scene has been enlightening.

The sets are amazing.

The unabashed embrace of propping P&G products. Nicole in particular seems to enjoy promoting Febreeze. I’m fine with the props because someone has to pay for the show.

The clothes. Need I say more?

What I don’t love about it

Samantha. The 16 year old daughter of Martin and Smitty is played by a 31 year old woman. I can’t get past that. She looks uncomfortable playacting in a John Hughes movie. I’m sure she’s a fine actress, but this is incredibly cringe. I barely watch her scenes because my mind is screaming “Jeffrey Epstein files” the whole time. It is newly weirder because she’s playing 16 with a love interest of 21 playing like 19. Not blaming the actress, the casting director screwed up.

Martin and Smitty have zero chemistry as a gay couple. Or just as a couple. I do love that a cishet actor plays Martin and he actually nails it on his own, just not as a couple.

The recurring character storylines. Laura. Ashley. Mona. Jan. Ashley does get storyline, but she is incredibly boring. She props Naomi as her BFF, her mother works for Vanessa, and now has two ridiculous love storylines. Mona and Jan just prop Leslie, Ashley, and Laura. And Orphey Gene’s.

Cady McClain doing her best Auntie Mame impersonation is sort of hilarious, but that’s not what they are going for.

Making Leslie two dimensional, veering on a stereotype. Occasionally showing her vulnerability and genuine anything helps.

What I’d like to see in future storylines:

A big soapy ‘switched at birth’ story about Kat and Eva.

A pregnancy. One that is welcome news and can dive into storylines about Black women and maternal health. Laura gets pregnant, she and her bf move into Nicole’s guesthouse and somehow Leslie is involved.

Andre’s backstory

Derek works in the clinic and moves away from Ashley storylines to his own. He has charisma and is only tied to Jacob. A Derek/Leslie alliance would probably be hilarious. A Derek/Eva friendship would be good as well.

A trans and/or nonbinary character played by a trans/nonbinary actor.

Someone returns from the dead.

Identical twin, known or unknown.

Joey gets some family.

What do you think?