The good news is that Beyond the Gates has already created a rabid fan base. The bad news is that those fans don’t appreciate a break in their stories.
After five months of airing originals, CBS put the the sudser in repeats for the July 4 holiday week. At least the network didn’t air any old reruns from the first daytime sudser to focus on a Black family; CBS chose to repeat the first five episodes from Gate‘s launch week in February.
Given the evolving landscape in broadcast TV, not to mention the challenges of launching a soap these days, it’s not particularly surprising that CBS would put the show into repeats. But week-long breaks are not exactly common for daytime dramas unless we’re in the throes of a pandemic. Typically, the sudsers only break for a day. (The network declined comment).
Creator Michele Val Jean has tried to be a voice of calm for fans on X. Before the week began, she wrote “to those asking: preemption-rerun decisions are made way above my pay grae so no insight into that. The good news is the upcoming reruns are premiere week so those of you who missed it can catch up with how it all began.”
A day later, Val Jean added, “just want to say to our #BeyondTheGates peeps, I love your passion for the show. And I thank you for it.” On Wednesday, star Brandon Claybon (Martin Richardson) continued with, “I know yall are upset. But enjoy the holiday week … we’ll be back in no time!!”
Anyone suffering significant withdrawals can find relief at tomorrow’s Essence Fest, where popular stars Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree) and Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree) will join EP Sheila Ducksworth for a panel discussion. And the sudser that follows attractive richies who live inside a fictional gated community called Fairmont Crest has already received a season 2 pickup.
