There’s a brand new soap opera on broadcast television — the first to premiere in 25 years — and it boasts a stacked cast of rising stars and TV legends alike.

Beyond the Gates premiered on Feb. 24 on CBS, welcoming viewers into Fairmont Crest, a rarefied gated community for the Black elite of a fictional Maryland suburb. From the dynastic Dupree family to the conniving social climbers bent on usurping their place at the top of the social hierarchy, the historic new daytime drama is all about its characters. Conceived by creator and showrunner Michele Val Jean, the characters are brought to glorious life by the series’ cast, which ranges from TV legends and soap veterans to film stars and promising newcomers.

Soaps have played an outsized and often underappreciated role in both launching the careers of talented young actors and providing a jolt of vitality to actors who find themselves looking for the next big part.

A-listers and titans of their craft like Kathy Bates, Laurence Fishburne, Julianne Moore, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Morgan Freeman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Demi Moore all got their start on soaps. Then there’s an actress like Deidre Hall, who has starred on Days of Our Lives for over 45 years. Hall has become so renowned for her tireless performance as Marlena Evans that she was recently cast in a role on the popular comedy Hacks that winks at her Days fame.

Beyond the Gates is similarly filled with stars that viewers will immediately recognize and young actors thatno one will be able to forget. Dive into each of their backgrounds below.

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Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree)

The matriarch of Fairmont’s Dupree clan and the jewel in Beyond the Gates‘ diadem is Tamara Tunie, who plays EGOT winner Anita Dupree. Tunie got her start on Broadway opposite Lena Horne in the Old Hollywood legend’s Grammy-winning production of Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. Her big break came in a plum role on the CBS soap As the World Turns. She portrayed strong-willed attorney Jessica Griffin from 1987 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2007. Tunie has appeared in films like Eve’s Bayou, Flight, and the Oscar-winning Wall Street, but viewers are most likely to know her as Dr. Melinda Warner, the medical examiner that Tunie has portrayed on and off on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and several other franchise properties since 2001.

Clifton Davis (Vernon Dupree)

Ever-threatened by scandal and nefarious interference, Clifton Davis holds the Dupree family together as patriarch Vernon. Davis has a staggeringly diverse and impressive resume, getting his start as a songwriter (he penned the Jackson 5 hit “Never Can Say Goodbye” in 1971), being nominated for a Tony for Two Gentlemen of Verona, and serving for decades as the ordained minister of a Baptist church. He’s appeared in films like Max Keeble’s Big Move and Any Given Sunday, but is best known for his television work. Davis’ signature role is that of Reverend Rueben Gregory on the NBC sitcom Amen, and he’s also appeared in shows like That’s My Mama, Blue Bloods, and Madam Secretary.

Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree)

Beyond the Gates‘ undisputed breakout star is Karla Mosley, who plays the fiery, vindictive, utterly unpredictable Dani Dupree, the daughter of Anita and Vernon. Mosley slices through scenes with the utter assurance of a veteran of the demanding daytime drama format — because that’s exactly what she is. Her acting career began while still in college on the Australian children’s TV show Hi-5, but her big break came with a role on the CBS soap Guiding Light. That led to the groundbreaking role of the mysterious, glamorous ex-con Maya Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful, who was revealed in a 2015 episode to be transgender. She then appeared on The Young and the Restless and in the Lifetime movie Deadly Cheer Mom before pulling into Fairmont Crest.

Daphnée Duplaix (Nicole Dupree Richardson)

Vernon and Anita’s other daughter, Nicole, a level-headed psychiatrist and pillar of her community, is played by Daphnée Duplaix. The actress is another fixture of soap world, having appeared for five years on the NBC drama Passions as Valerie Davis, the female alter ego of psychotic manipular Vincent Clarkson (Phillip Jeanmarie). She then went on to a two-year stint as Rachel Gannon on One Life to Live, and has also appeared on The Mindy Project, CSI, and The District.

Timon Kyle Durett (Bill Hamilton)

The most contemptible character on Beyond the Gates is played with sympathetic pathos by Timon Kyle Durett. His lawyer Bill Hamilton leaves wife Dani for a younger woman (who happens to be their daughter’s best friend, to boot), shunting Dani into the downward spiral that leads to her bringing a gun to his wedding. Durett is best known for his regular role as Davis West, the affable basketball player and husband to Dawn-Lyen Gardner’s Charlotte Bordelon West on Queen Sugar. Like his Beyond the Gates cast mates, Durett is no stranger to soaps either, having appeared in The Young and the Restless and Melrose Place.

Marquita Goings (Hayley Lawson)

Marquita Goings plays Hayley Lawson, once a great friend to Dani’s daughter Naomi (Arielle Prepetit), who then became a paralegal at Bill’s law firm before eventually joining him at the altar. Goings hasn’t starred on any of the major network soaps, but did make an appearance on the CW’s Dynasty reboot in 2019 and the Bounce TV primetime soap Saints & Sinners. She also starred in the Hallmark original Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, Tyler Perry‘s BET+ original series Bruh, the Hulu comedy Woke, and the Dianne Houston film Freedom Hair, which also featured her Beyond the Gates co-star Lauren Buglioli.

Sean Freeman (Andre Richardson)

Sean Freeman plays Fairmont’s resident player, Andre Richardson, the nephew of Nicole’s husband Ted who has both an affair going with Dani and a flirtation going with nurse Ashley Morgan (Jen Jacob). Freeman’s first acting credit dates from 2018, and he has since appeared in the Irv Gotti series Tales (which also featured Goings), the sports drama Boxed In 2, and the B. Simone comedy Finding Happy.

Brandon Claybon (Martin Richardson)

Though Dani’s unhinged antics have been taking up a lot of screen time, Nicole’s composed, well-behaved congressman son Martin Richardson is perhaps the series’ most concerning ticking time bomb, given the story’s allusions to a dark past and violent dreams that interrupt his sleep. Richardson is portrayed by Brandon Claybon, who has appeared in episodes of some of the most popular and beloved TV series of the past decade, from Grey’s Anatomy and 9-1-1 to Shameless and How to Get Away With Murder.

Lauren Buglioli (Vanessa McBride)

Vanessa McBride holds the keys to the kingdom that is Fairmont Crest as the community’s go-to realtor. The actress that portrays Vanessa, Lauren Buglioli, has been working steadily since the mid-2010s, with guest appearances on series like FBI and the Dynasty reboot (which also featured Goings), and films like Jessica Lange‘s The Great Lillian Hall and the horror anthology film Horror Noire.

Arielle Prepetit (Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne)

Dani and Bill’s eldest daughter Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne grew up to be a lawyer, just like her dad. But after he kicked her mom to the curb, Naomi wants nothing to do with him. She’s played by Arielle Prepetit, who previously appeared as a lawyer in the Loretta Devine eviction drama Bull Street. Prepetit also appeared on a 2023 episode of Found, NBC’s new crisis PR drama starring Shanola Hampton; the Tyrese Gibson actioner The System; and Disney’s recent Haunted Mansion.

RhonniRose Mantilla (Chelsea Hamilton)

Dani and Bill’s other daughter, Chelsea, is less furious over her father’s betrayal, but only because she has such a busy model/influencer career to keep up with. Beyond the Gates is the first screen credit for RhonniRose Mantilla, who portrays Chelsea on the show. Before recieving the call to join the cast of series regulars, Mantilla performed exclusively on stage. She appeared in the company of regional productions of musicals like Into the Woods and Jesus Christ Superstar and last year made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of Harmony the Musical.

Colby Muhammad (Kat Richardson)

Kat Richardson is daughter to Nicole and husband Ted, sister to Martin, cousin to Andre, Naomi, and Chelsea, and business partners with the latter. Like Mantilla, Richardson is new to television but has an extensive resume of stage roles. She appeared in productions of Pride and Prejudice, Anything Goes, and Romeo and Juliet at her two alma maters, Howard University and University of California San Diego. Last year, she joined the national tour of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.

Maurice Johnson as Ted Richardson

Maurice Johnson stars on Beyond the Gates as Ted Richardson, husband to Nicole, father to Naomi and Chelsea, and uncle to Andre, who Ted kindly brings into the Dupree fold after his parents die. Johnson has appeared on episodes of popular series like Nashville, The Vampire Diaries, Devious Maids, and Good Girls. In 2021, he appeared in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT, and is also available to stream on Paramount+.