Beyond The Gates Execs Hint At ‘Hot’ New Cast Addition, Discuss Week of Reruns and More

Daytime’s newest drama, Beyond the Gates, officially hit a major milestone in its broadcast journey on Tuesday, July 29, when the CBS sudser aired its 100th episode. In honor of the momentous occasion, Creator Michele Val Jean and Executive Producer Sheila Ducksworth gave Deadline a sneak peek at what’s ahead for the residents of Fairmont Crest — including some sizzling casting news!

Hot To Go

A new promo for BTG revealed that Young and Restless star Bryton James (Devon) will be crossing over from Genoa City to Fairmont Crest next week. And as it turns out, Val Jean and Ducksworth shared, there is more exciting casting news coming down the pike for the show. “We have a cast addition that I think the soap opera world will be very, very happy about. And it’s a male,” teased Val Jean, further adding, “He’s a hot male.”

Val Jean and Ducksworth weren’t yet ready to divulge the handsome guy’s identity, but the EP promised that “longtime soap fans all know and love him!”

A pair of reality stars are also headed to Fairmont Crest for a guest appearance: Gizelle Bryant and Wendy Osefo from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of the Potomac are slated to appear on the soap this fall. (The affluent real-life community of Potomac, MD, is also a suburb of Washington, D.C., just like the fictional Fairmont Crest.) “They both recently joined us for a day on set, and they have some super fun scenes that we can’t wait to share,” raved Ducksworth.

Rinse and Repeat

The execs also addressed why the soap aired encores of its first five episodes during the week of the July 4^th holiday. Val Jean revealed that the decision came from above her, and while she hopes it won’t be a frequent occurrence, she appreciated the benefit that the rebroadcasts offered to new viewers. “I saw the value of that first week… because if you didn’t watch it from the beginning, then you could get introduced to the world.”

Ducksworth noted that watching BTG’s debut episodes all over again also allowed eagle-eye viewers to search for the breadcrumbs that were dropped way back in February. “And for those superfans who know soap equals subtext, it gave our most stalwart fans an opportunity to rewatch and look for clues foreshadowing all the upcoming juicy story,” she stated.

Truth and Consequences

Speaking of juicy storylines, Val Jean and Ducksworth addressed why it was important to them to tell one of the show’s most provocative storylines to date: Martin was violently attacked by racists on a deserted country road, killed one man, and severely beat the other, and the whole thing was covered up to protect his political career. “The Martin storyline is just real,” mused Ducksworth. “And that’s what we’re looking to give our viewers. Realness on every level.”

Val Jean further explained that her hope for the storyline was to showcase something never before seen on daytime. “I’m telling a story from the Black experience. A lot of it is based around a Black family who is privileged and wealthy, but at the end of the day, they can still be accosted on the side of the road by racists.”

Acknowledging that she meant for the “controversial” storyline “to be very shocking,” Val Jean gave props to Brandon Claybon (Martin) and the other actors involved, as well as the show’s production department, for the “amazing job” done so far. And the fallout from Martin’s secret finally coming to light is far from over, as it has long-lasting effects on numerous characters.

“Martin still has a lot of healing to do because he’s sublimated so much of that because he had to. Nicole still has a lot to work out because she’s so angry at being left out, and she feels like she could have helped him [in] her role as a psychiatrist,” pointed out Val Jean. And while Vernon and Anita believed they were doing the right thing at the time by covering it up, they “are now feeling the repercussions of that. Now another guy is dead, and they’re in debt to Joey Armstrong. So yeah, the tentacles to live on.”

Which familiar face from the world of daytime do you think might be joining BTG next? Are you looking forward to seeing what comes next in the storyline surrounding Martin’s attack and cover-up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!