The first soap opera to premiere in more that 25 years will feature a primarily Black cast, a historic breakthrough for a genre that is a throwback to an earlier time.

Less than a week remains until Beyond the Gates debuts on CBS, and the cast is sharing their excitement about the soap, premiering Feb. 24. Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis, who play Dupree family matriarch and patriarch Anita and Vernon, respectively, were among the actors sharing what brought them to the show with TV Insider.