Robert Guza Jr. Exits ‘Beyond The Gates’; ‘Secrets of Sulphur Springs’ Creator Tracey Thomson Joins As Executive Producer – EXCLUSIVE

After helping launch the show as co-head writer and one of eight executive producers, Daytime Emmy Award winner Robert Guza Jr. has exited “Beyond the Gates,” Soap Opera Network has learned.

While representatives for the daytime drama series did not respond to a request for comment at press time, it’s understood that Guza chose to leave after fulfilling the terms of his contract.

Renewed for a second season earlier this month, CBS inadvertently revealed in a press release that veteran writer Tracey Thomson (“The Young and the Restless,” “All My Children”) had joined the show as an executive producer, replacing Guza.

It’s unknown at this time whether Thomson will also serve as the show’s new co-head writer, working alongside creator and head writer Michele Val Jean in crafting the show’s long-term story, though it is likely considering her extensive writing career in daytime that also includes writing episodes of “General Hospital” and “General Hospital: Night Shift,” and her substantial time as co-head writer or associate head writer at “The Young and the Restless.”

Outside of daytime, Thomson created the live-action, time-travel mystery series “Secrets of Sulphur Springs,” which ran for three seasons at Disney Channel. She also served as an executive producer on the series.

With a soap writing career spanning decades dating back to his time as a writer on “Santa Barbara” in 1989, Guza is best known for serving as head writer of “General Hospital,” a position he held alone or with a co-head over for the better part of 15 years, including gaps.

He was first named co-head writer in March 1996, working alongside Karen Harris before taking over sole head writing duties from December 1997 to December 2000, when he exited. He returned to the series in June 2002 to work alongside Charles Pratt Jr. The two would continue overseeing the show’s writing until March 2006, when Guza was named sole head writer following Pratt’s exit.

By February 2007, Guza’s real-life wife, the late Meg Bennett, would become his co-head writer, a position she held until October 2007. By then, Guza once again became the show’s sole head writer until January 2008, when his name disappeared from the credits due to the 2007 WGA writers’ strike. Guza would return to the position of sole head writer again in March 2008 following the strike’s conclusion, and he remained at the show until his name disappeared from the credits again in July 2011.

In addition to “General Hospital,” Guza’s other writing work includes serving as head writer on “General Hospital: Night Shift” during the show’s first season on SOAPnet, as well as serving as a story consultant during the earlier run of “Port Charles. His credits also include the primetime soap “Melrose Place” and the beloved half-hour soap “Loving,” among others. He co-created “Sunset Beach” and served as the show’s head writer during the time he wasn’t working at “General Hospital.”

In July 2024, during the early production stage of “Beyond the Gates,” it was reported that Guza had joined the daytime drama series as an executive producer alongside former “All My Children” executive producer Julie Carruthers. Their roles were formally confirmed in November 2024 when CBS released the names of the show’s writing team, which included Guza as co-head writer.

With Thomson now included, executive producers for “Beyond the Gates” include Val Jean, who also serves as showrunner, Sheila Ducksworth, president of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, as well as Carruthers, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson, Kimberly Doebereiner and Anna Saalfeld.