When CBS launches Beyond the Gates this month, daytime television will welcome its first new one-hour soap in twenty-five years, and one of the most talked-about performances is already generating serious advance buzz.

Lauren Buglioli, the 38-year-old Italian-American actress who has quietly built one of the most eclectic résumés in the business, steps into the pivotal role of Vanessa McBride, a glamorous, razor-sharp real-estate powerhouse with secrets that could topple an empire.

Created by veteran soap writer Michele Val Jean (The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital) and executive-produced by the powerhouse team behind The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, Beyond the Gates centers on the wealthy Dupree family and their exclusive Maryland enclave, Fairmont Crest.

The series marks the first daytime drama in history to feature a predominantly African-American cast and creative leadership, a milestone the network has been developing for nearly three years.

For Buglioli, landing Vanessa McBride is the culmination of a career that has zig-zagged from indie horror to prestige streaming without ever chasing the spotlight.

Born in Los Angeles and raised between California and London (where her family relocated during her teenage years), she began acting as a toddler in commercials before stepping away to focus on school.

She returned to the craft as an adult, earning a degree in theater and making her feature film debut in the critically acclaimed 2020 psychological thriller Transference.

Supporting turns in Tyler Perry’s A Jazzman’s Blues, Netflix’s chaotic Florida Man, and Apple TV+’s darkly comic Bad Monkey opposite Vince Vaughn, follow in rapid succession, each role showcasing a different shade of her range.

“Lauren has this rare ability to be both magnetic and completely authentic,” says Beyond the Gates showrunner Val Jean.

“Vanessa is ambitious, complicated, and fiercely loyal, sometimes to a fault. Lauren brings all of that to life without ever feeling like she is ‘acting.'”

Vanessa McBride is described as the Dupree family’s unofficial enforcer: a successful businesswoman married into the dynasty, navigating high-stakes real-estate deals, a troubled marriage, and buried family scandals with the precision of a chess master.

Early casting breakdowns hint at a character who can deliver a cutting one-liner in a boardroom and unravel in private with equal conviction, territory Buglioli has already proven she owns.

Off-screen, Buglioli remains one of Hollywood’s most grounded rising talents.

Based in Atlanta with her two rescue dogs, she is a vocal advocate for mental-health awareness and animal welfare, regularly volunteering with the Lifeline Animal Project.

Friends and co-stars describe her as the person who remembers everyone’s birthday on set, shows up with homemade treats, and still finds time to foster puppies between shoots.

Beyond the Gates begins airing weekdays starting February 24, 2025, in the 2:00 p.m. ET slot previously held by The Talk.

Advance press screenings have already sparked enthusiastic word-of-mouth, with critics praising the show’s glossy production values, sharp writing, and a cast that also includes soap legends Tamara Tunie, Daphnee Duplaix, and Karla Mosley alongside fresh faces like Alexia McIntosh and Jibre Hordges.

If the early buzz is any indication, Lauren Buglioli’s Vanessa McBride may quickly become the character viewers love to hate, and hate to miss.

SeriesLiveUpdates.com will be covering every twist inside Fairmont Crest from day one.

Stay with us for episode recaps, exclusive cast interviews, and all the drama the Duprees can deliver.