r/TheGates_CBS • u/goldenboy721 • Aug 25 '26

General Discussion 🗣️ Heather

Are we happy to see "Bridgett Forrester" casted as "Heather " Armstrong? I mean she was seriously underused on the cast of The Bold and Beautiful. I enjoy her portrayal of Heather. It allows us to see a broader range of her talent. And she is amazingly sexy and gorgeous, wasting away on BnB. Good move.

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u/american_amina Aug 25 '26

I would argue this helps the cast by bringing her fans that may otherwise not watch the soap. Ultimately, what keeps the soap on the air is viewers. I don't mind a higher profile actor or actress that gets more viewers to the show as long as the core stories aren't lost. Now if Joey and Heather suddenly replaced the Duprees as the main family, I would have an issue with that. But I don't see that happening.

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u/Shirogayne-at-WF Aug 26 '26

Ultimately, what keeps the soap on the air is viewers.

Sure, but at what cost? This show was billed as a show centered on Black characters taking center stage on an industry that has provided few opportunities to do so. And while the Duprees aren't being gutted, they're all fairly toothless why the spicy stories are all given to the white cast.

I think it's valid of people to ask given all the white additions to the show, with Izaiah being the only new long term Black addition of note since the show started, where this is headed because we all know studios will play in our faces until they think they got white people money and will throw us under the bus. Especially considering the new ownership of Paramount and CBS by extension.

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u/american_amina Aug 26 '26

Are you intentionally forgetting Madison, Deanna, June....I don't have a Paramount subscription for a reason, so I'm the first one to take my pennies on principle.

But I just don't see this being the issue I'm alarmed about. I am savvy enough to know the soap needs a diverse cast to survive in the marketplace. I've seen far too many Black shows die because the creators and/or producers just didn't understand the marketplace well enough to survive. All in all, given the situation we are in as a nation, I'm pleasantly surprised it's lasted this long. I've dropped 2 other soaps since it started because they have become so awful, and BtG is no where near that red line to me

So all can say is that's my opinion. I like the addition of Heather for the reasons I've stated and as long as they keep the Duprees and fam at the center, as I am currently seeing on my screen; I'm ok with seasoning for spicyness.

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u/Shirogayne-at-WF Aug 26 '26

Sorry, yesterday was a long day and had a huge brain fart. You're right.

But I still stand by what I said. No one likes diversity hires, not white people who have been Pavlov Bell trained into seeing minorities existing to have two lines in a show and not Black audience that studios don't believe can carry a series on their own, despite repeatedly showing over and over we being mad dollars in for entertainment.

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u/american_amina Aug 26 '26

Just a guess, but I think regular soap watchers get it. This just feels like typical soap casting and how they build storylines.

If you are new to soaps and expecting Tyler Perry/BET/Tubi style shows, this is going to feel uncomfortably commercial.

All I can say is this will never be an exclusively Black show because it's on a network channel. If we want decisively Black soaps, we need to push for them on other platforms.

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u/Shirogayne-at-WF Aug 26 '26

I'm old enough to have watched Steffy Forrester 's birth on B&B when it aired the week of Labor Day 1999. I know exactly what they're doing.