Latest news with #SheilaDucksworth
NBC News
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
'Beyond the Gates' makes and reflects Black history at a critical time on screen and off
Black firsts in the 21st century are often surprising. 'Beyond the Gates' is no exception. The first daytime soap solely focused on a Black family premieres this week on CBS and comes as the daytime genre is disappearing. 'Passions,' which debuted in 1999 and ended in 2008, was the last new soap opera. But it was nothing like this. Even behind the scenes, it is not lost on executive producer Sheila Ducksworth and creator Michele Val Jean that they are television pioneers. 'It is 2025 and it's very true that Michele and I, from all accounts, appear to be the first two Black female executive producers doing a daytime drama,' she said during a virtual news conference in January. Tamara Tunie, who plays matriarch Anita in 'Beyond the Gates,' also remarked about the historic nature of this soap. 'The stark difference for me is the leadership of this show and the executive producer — being Sheila Ducksworth, an African American woman — and the showrunner, executive producer, head writer, being Michele Val Jean, is the first time in history as well,' Tunie said. The soap is the first fruit of CBS' partnership with the NAACP that was announced in July 2020, about two months after George Floyd was killed, to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for both linear television and streaming. Previously, Ducksworth, who is also the president of the CBS Studios/NAACP venture, served as co-producer of the Showtime series 'Soul Food.' Val Jean spent her career writing for the soaps 'Santa Barbara,' 'General Hospital' and 'The Bold and the Beautiful.' 'She and I have known each other for over 25 years, and we always said that we were going to do a soap together, and this was just an idea that I thought was right, and there was a time for it,' Ducksworth told NBC News during her appearance at this year's SCAD TVfest with 'Beyond the Gates' cast members Clifton Davis, Karla Mosley and Daphnée Duplaix. 'And fortunately, not only did CBS feel the same, but Michele felt the same, and now 200 other people that are working on it feel the same.' While some may consider 'Generations' — which ran from 1989 to 1991 and featured Vivica A. Fox and Debbi Morgan — television's first Black soap opera, Val Jean, whose first foray into writing for the genre was on that soap, offers more clarity. ''Generations' had a Black family, and all due credit for that for sure, but there was still your white family,' Val Jean explained. The NBC series, set in Chicago, revolved around a Black family and a white family. 'Our show is based around a centralized Black family. Everything comes from the Duprees.' The Duprees are essentially royalty of the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., area, who rule their gated community, Fairmont Crest. Tunie, beloved as attorney Jessica Griffin from 'As the World Turns,' plays a performer who met her husband during the Civil Rights Movement. Clifton Davis — perhaps best known for his leading roles in the classic comedies 'Amen,' opposite Sherman Hemsley, and 'That's My Mama' — is her husband, Vernon, a civil rights activist and respected political leader. Their daughters, the spitfire Dani Dupree and dutiful Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson, are played by 'The Bold and the Beautiful' and 'The Young and the Restless' alum Karla Mosley and Daphnée Duplaix from 'One Life to Live' and 'Passions.' On TV, 'you have not seen this many Black people in the middle of the day,' Val Jean promised. Davis said he modeled his character, Vernon, partly off congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, who died in 2020 at age 80. 'Beyond the Gates,' he said, is a result of the civil rights struggle. 'I think we find out in our show that much of the promise has been delivered. Certainly, you can see it behind the scenes,' he told NBC News at SCAD TVfest. From executives at the network, to the heads of hair and makeup, Wankaya Hinkson and Stevie Martin; to the head of production design, Bruton Jones; and, of course, Ducksworth and Val Jean, Black people are involved in all levels of decision-making for the show, he said. 'I think this is particularly the right time with a battle going on that's trying to remove Black history from the books and the pages of America. We're making Black history again, brand-new,' he said. 'We are living in the future with our new show.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Come 'Beyond the Gates' for the first Black-led soap opera — the first new network soap in decades
NEW YORK (AP) — The first thing viewers of 'Beyond the Gates' see is a black Mercedes gliding past manicured lawns and stately estates. The sedan pulls up at an elegant country club and the valets come out. The Emotions' funky tune 'Best of My Love' is playing. That car and the glamorous woman behind the wheel are driving into TV history on Monday as CBS begins airing the first Black-led daytime soap opera — and the first new network soap since 'Passions' premiered in 1999. 'I think that not only will it change daytime, but it'll also change the landscape of TV,' said Sheila Ducksworth, president of CBS Studios/NAACP Venture and an executive producer. 'I think it really will be something that will have far-reaching effects, and I look forward to it.' See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Set in an affluent, gated Maryland community, 'Beyond the Gates' has drama, joy and heartbreak played by very attractive people with a strong pocket-square vibe. But even the rich can lose it: The first episode ends with a roundhouse punch. A later episode has a golf club raised in anger. 'We want people to be entertained. We want people to have fun with it,' said Ducksworth. 'There's a lot of unpredictable stuff that's going to be happening, a lot of juicy storylines. We have a lot of scandal and secrets and lies embedded in this world of power and prestige.' Four generations represented Actor Daphnée Duplaix, a veteran of 'Passions' and 'One Life to Live,' is the driver of the Mercedes and therefore won the distinction of being the audience's first glimpse of life in upscale Fairmont Crest. 'It was pretty awesome when I realized that I am the opening scene into this new world that we're creating. I was like, 'Oh, that is fun and exciting,'' she said. 'That meant a lot. It really did.' The premiere episode airs after 'The Young and the Restless' and 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' capping a three-hour block of CBS soaps. NAACP has partnered with the network, and Procter & Gamble, connected with soaps for decades, is a sponsor. It will stream on Paramount+, giving it a global reach. The show is centered around four generations of the Dupree family, from a grandfather who is a civil rights icon to grandchildren who are social influencers. 'We just wanted something that felt fresh, new, different, really glossy, fun and really epic,' said Ducksworth. Characters born on index cards Michele Val Jean, an Emmy-winning veteran daytime writer, is the creator, executive producer and showrunner. She created the characters in her mind on morning walks, jotting down ideas on index cards. 'By the time I was ready to start writing, I had this big stack of index cards. And once I sorted everything out, the characters were there,' she said. 'It's hard to describe. It's almost like I'm a stenographer and the stuff just sort of came through me.' Val Jean wanted to create soap characters viewers hadn't seen before and describes one pairing — played by Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis — as if Diana Ross married the late Rep. John Lewis. One of their daughters — played by Karla Cheatham Mosley — has no filter and holds a fearsome grudge against her ex-husband. 'I love the characters that come into your house five days a week and sort of get inside you,' she said. 'That's what I want this show to do. I can think of many times I would have loved to have taken a golf club to somebody's desk.' Another thing that differentiates 'Beyond the Gates' is the music. Tunie, who has a degree in musical theater from Carnegie Mellon, is one of a few cast members who will sing. 'The writers told me, 'We're going to have you singing on the show,'' she said. 'And I was like, 'Oh, OK. Didn't know that, but OK. Let me let me dust off my cords.'' Black excellence on screen 'Beyond the Gates' is the long-gestating dream of Ducksworth, who has been watching soap operas since she was 10 but yearned for more representation: 'I have to say, for many years it's been very few and far between having real diversity on soaps.' The show is grounded in real Black excellence. Ducksworth points out there are pockets of affluent Black families in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. 'It's something right here in our backyard that many people may not be aware of,' she said. Duplaix said Black wealth is often only portrayed as enjoyed by athletes or entertainers, so to be able to show Black doctors, psychologists and lawyers is important. 'This is normal. It's not a fluke. It's not a one-off. Black excellence is everywhere. So I'm so excited for that to be normalized Monday through Friday on television,' she said. The series is filmed in Georgia on 27 sets over 35,000 square feet with a cast and crew of some 200 people. They've been working long hours since the end of October. Val Jean recalls watching the first episode and gasping at the moment it all became real: A scene when all the Duprees gather as their grandfather tells a story. 'My God, there they are — my babies,' she recalled with a laugh. Inclusivity with intention Ducksworth points out there's something for everyone — from people who have money inside the gates to those with less outside, lawyers and entrepreneurs as well as nurses and firemen. All races and sexual orientations are depicted. 'While it is primarily a Black cast, we intentionally wanted to include everybody,' she said. 'What was important to me was what I felt was missing in so many of these soaps, which is real inclusivity.' The cast and crew will be working to create more episodes on Monday, so they won't be able to tune in and see TV history being made. But there's a screening party planned at the end of the day for the first two episodes. 'Then we'll pop some Champagne and have some food and fellowship together and celebrate our accomplishment,' said Tunie. 'We need a moment to mark the moment and celebrate what we're doing.'
The Independent
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Come 'Beyond the Gates' for the first Black-led soap opera — the first new network soap in decades
The first thing viewers of 'Beyond the Gates' see is a black Mercedes gliding past manicured lawns and stately estates. The sedan pulls up at an elegant country club and the valets come out. The Emotions' funky tune 'Best of My Love' is playing. That car and the glamorous woman behind the wheel are driving into TV history on Monday as CBS begins airing the first Black-led daytime soap opera — and the first new network soap since 'Passions' premiered in 1999. 'I think that not only will it change daytime, but it'll also change the landscape of TV,' said Sheila Ducksworth, president of CBS Studios/NAACP Venture and an executive producer. 'I think it really will be something that will have far-reaching effects, and I look forward to it.' Set in an affluent, gated Maryland community, 'Beyond the Gates' has drama, joy and heartbreak played by very attractive people with a strong pocket-square vibe. But even the rich can lose it: The first episode ends with a roundhouse punch. A later episode has a golf club raised in anger. 'We want people to be entertained. We want people to have fun with it,' said Ducksworth. 'There's a lot of unpredictable stuff that's going to be happening, a lot of juicy storylines. We have a lot of scandal and secrets and lies embedded in this world of power and prestige.' Four generations represented Actor Daphnée Duplaix, a veteran of 'Passions' and 'One Life to Live,' is the driver of the Mercedes and therefore won the distinction of being the audience's first glimpse of life in upscale Fairmont Crest. 'It was pretty awesome when I realized that I am the opening scene into this new world that we're creating. I was like, 'Oh, that is fun and exciting,'' she said. 'That meant a lot. It really did.' The premiere episode airs after 'The Young and the Restless' and 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' capping a three-hour block of CBS soaps. NAACP has partnered with the network, and Procter & Gamble, connected with soaps for decades, is a sponsor. It will stream on Paramount+, giving it a global reach. The show is centered around four generations of the Dupree family, from a grandfather who is a civil rights icon to grandchildren who are social influencers. 'We just wanted something that felt fresh, new, different, really glossy, fun and really epic,' said Ducksworth. Characters born on index cards Michele Val Jean, an Emmy-winning veteran daytime writer, is the creator, executive producer and showrunner. She created the characters in her mind on morning walks, jotting down ideas on index cards. 'By the time I was ready to start writing, I had this big stack of index cards. And once I sorted everything out, the characters were there,' she said. 'It's hard to describe. It's almost like I'm a stenographer and the stuff just sort of came through me.' Val Jean wanted to create soap characters viewers hadn't seen before and describes one pairing — played by Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis — as if Diana Ross married the late Rep. John Lewis. One of their daughters — played by Karla Cheatham Mosley — has no filter and holds a fearsome grudge against her ex-husband. 'I love the characters that come into your house five days a week and sort of get inside you,' she said. 'That's what I want this show to do. I can think of many times I would have loved to have taken a golf club to somebody's desk.' Another thing that differentiates 'Beyond the Gates' is the music. Tunie, who has a degree in musical theater from Carnegie Mellon, is one of a few cast members who will sing. 'The writers told me, 'We're going to have you singing on the show,'' she said. 'And I was like, 'Oh, OK. Didn't know that, but OK. Let me let me dust off my cords.'' Black excellence on screen 'Beyond the Gates' is the long-gestating dream of Ducksworth, who has been watching soap operas since she was 10 but yearned for more representation: 'I have to say, for many years it's been very few and far between having real diversity on soaps.' The show is grounded in real Black excellence. Ducksworth points out there are pockets of affluent Black families in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. 'It's something right here in our backyard that many people may not be aware of,' she said. Duplaix said Black wealth is often only portrayed as enjoyed by athletes or entertainers, so to be able to show Black doctors, psychologists and lawyers is important. 'This is normal. It's not a fluke. It's not a one-off. Black excellence is everywhere. So I'm so excited for that to be normalized Monday through Friday on television,' she said. The series is filmed in Georgia on 27 sets over 35,000 square feet with a cast and crew of some 200 people. They've been working long hours since the end of October. Val Jean recalls watching the first episode and gasping at the moment it all became real: A scene when all the Duprees gather as their grandfather tells a story. 'My God, there they are — my babies,' she recalled with a laugh. Inclusivity with intention Ducksworth points out there's something for everyone — from people who have money inside the gates to those with less outside, lawyers and entrepreneurs as well as nurses and firemen. All races and sexual orientations are depicted. 'While it is primarily a Black cast, we intentionally wanted to include everybody,' she said. 'What was important to me was what I felt was missing in so many of these soaps, which is real inclusivity.' The cast and crew will be working to create more episodes on Monday, so they won't be able to tune in and see TV history being made. But there's a screening party planned at the end of the day for the first two episodes. 'Then we'll pop some Champagne and have some food and fellowship together and celebrate our accomplishment,' said Tunie. 'We need a moment to mark the moment and celebrate what we're doing.'
Associated Press
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Come ‘Beyond the Gates' for the first Black-led soap opera — the first new network soap in decades
NEW YORK (AP) — The first thing viewers of 'Beyond the Gates' see is a black Mercedes gliding past manicured lawns and stately estates. The sedan pulls up at an elegant country club and the valets come out. The Emotions' funky tune 'Best of My Love' is playing. That car and the glamorous woman behind the wheel are driving into TV history on Monday as CBS begins airing the first Black-led daytime soap opera — and the first new network soap since 'Passions' premiered in 1999. 'I think that not only will it change daytime, but it'll also change the landscape of TV,' said Sheila Ducksworth, president of CBS Studios/NAACP Venture and an executive producer. 'I think it really will be something that will have far-reaching effects, and I look forward to it.' Set in an affluent, gated Maryland community, 'Beyond the Gates' has drama, joy and heartbreak played by very attractive people with a strong pocket-square vibe. But even the rich can lose it: The first episode ends with a roundhouse punch. A later episode has a golf club raised in anger. 'We want people to be entertained. We want people to have fun with it,' said Ducksworth. 'There's a lot of unpredictable stuff that's going to be happening, a lot of juicy storylines. We have a lot of scandal and secrets and lies embedded in this world of power and prestige.' Four generations represented Actor Daphnée Duplaix, a veteran of 'Passions' and 'One Life to Live,' is the driver of the Mercedes and therefore won the distinction of being the audience's first glimpse of life in upscale Fairmont Crest. 'It was pretty awesome when I realized that I am the opening scene into this new world that we're creating. I was like, 'Oh, that is fun and exciting,'' she said. 'That meant a lot. It really did.' The premiere episode airs after 'The Young and the Restless' and 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' capping a three-hour block of CBS soaps. NAACP has partnered with the network, and Procter & Gamble, connected with soaps for decades, is a sponsor. It will stream on Paramount+, giving it a global reach. The show is centered around four generations of the Dupree family, from a grandfather who is a civil rights icon to grandchildren who are social influencers. 'We just wanted something that felt fresh, new, different, really glossy, fun and really epic,' said Ducksworth. Characters born on index cards Michele Val Jean, an Emmy-winning veteran daytime writer, is the creator, executive producer and showrunner. She created the characters in her mind on morning walks, jotting down ideas on index cards. 'By the time I was ready to start writing, I had this big stack of index cards. And once I sorted everything out, the characters were there,' she said. 'It's hard to describe. It's almost like I'm a stenographer and the stuff just sort of came through me.' Val Jean wanted to create soap characters viewers hadn't seen before and describes one pairing — played by Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis — as if Diana Ross married the late Rep. John Lewis. One of their daughters — played by Karla Cheatham Mosley — has no filter and holds a fearsome grudge against her ex-husband. 'I love the characters that come into your house five days a week and sort of get inside you,' she said. 'That's what I want this show to do. I can think of many times I would have loved to have taken a golf club to somebody's desk.' Another thing that differentiates 'Beyond the Gates' is the music. Tunie, who has a degree in musical theater from Carnegie Mellon, is one of a few cast members who will sing. 'The writers told me, 'We're going to have you singing on the show,'' she said. 'And I was like, 'Oh, OK. Didn't know that, but OK. Let me let me dust off my cords.'' Black excellence on screen 'Beyond the Gates' is the long-gestating dream of Ducksworth, who has been watching soap operas since she was 10 but yearned for more representation: 'I have to say, for many years it's been very few and far between having real diversity on soaps.' The show is grounded in real Black excellence. Ducksworth points out there are pockets of affluent Black families in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. 'It's something right here in our backyard that many people may not be aware of,' she said. Duplaix said Black wealth is often only portrayed as enjoyed by athletes or entertainers, so to be able to show Black doctors, psychologists and lawyers is important. 'This is normal. It's not a fluke. It's not a one-off. Black excellence is everywhere. So I'm so excited for that to be normalized Monday through Friday on television,' she said. The series is filmed in Georgia on 27 sets over 35,000 square feet with a cast and crew of some 200 people. They've been working long hours since the end of October. Val Jean recalls watching the first episode and gasping at the moment it all became real: A scene when all the Duprees gather as their grandfather tells a story. 'My God, there they are — my babies,' she recalled with a laugh. Inclusivity with intention Ducksworth points out there's something for everyone — from people who have money inside the gates to those with less outside, lawyers and entrepreneurs as well as nurses and firemen. All races and sexual orientations are depicted. 'While it is primarily a Black cast, we intentionally wanted to include everybody,' she said. 'What was important to me was what I felt was missing in so many of these soaps, which is real inclusivity.' The cast and crew will be working to create more episodes on Monday, so they won't be able to tune in and see TV history being made. But there's a screening party planned at the end of the day for the first two episodes. 'Then we'll pop some Champagne and have some food and fellowship together and celebrate our accomplishment,' said Tunie. 'We need a moment to mark the moment and celebrate what we're doing.'
New York Times
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A New Soap Opera Looks to Rekindle the Past While Breaking New Ground
As a student at Yale, Sheila Ducksworth often rushed home to indulge in two favorite guilty pleasures. She'd stop for dessert at Durfee's Sweet Shoppe before catching up on her soap operas with a friend. She had grown up watching her stories. 'Generations,' the NBC soap opera that debuted in 1989 and the first to highlight a Black family from its inception, became must-watch television while she was in college. She saw herself in the characters, and she yearned for the 30-minute show, ultimately short-lived, to be stretched into a daily hour like most other soaps. Ducksworth started a career in television production with the idea of one day producing a soap opera even as they began to disappear from the airwaves. In 2020, with her treasured daytime serials still front of mind, she agreed to lead a new partnership between CBS and the N.A.A.C.P., and immediately set out to resuscitate the faltering genre. That doggedness will result in something that has not occurred this century: a daytime soap debuting on a major television network. 'Beyond the Gates,' premiering on Feb. 24, will be the first since NBC introduced 'Passions' in 1999. And it will be the first ever that's completely centered on a Black family. 'This is really almost a 30-year passion, the point of getting this made,' Ducksworth said from Assembly Atlanta, the studio complex where the show is filmed, as cast and crew careened from scene to scene filming the story that centers on the Dupree family in suburban Maryland. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
