Soap operas, or melodramas with massive ensemble casts, have been a staple in popular culture for nearly a century. Though long-running soaps like “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital” have dominated day-time television for decades,

It’s premiere week for the first daytime soap opera in 20 years, and it just so happens to be the first, one-hour Black daytime soap as well. This week, Beyond the Gates viewers will meet the core characters and families in the CBS soap opera,