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Get out the popcorn; after 35 years, a new drama is in development. A Black daytime soap opera is coming to CBS. In collaboration with the NAACP, the network will be producing “The Gates.” According to a press release, the series is about the “lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community.”
Daytime Emmy and WGA Award-winning writer Michele Val Jean will write and serve as the show’s showrunner. She’s written over 2,000 soap episodes for “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital.”
Val Jean has been updating followers on X about the series’ progress.
“I just wanted to thank everyone who expressed support for #TheGates . I can actually feel your encouragement, and it’s a beautiful thing,” she shared in another tweet.
An experienced team with a vision is bringing “The Gates” to life.
Sheila Ducksworth, president of the CBS Studios NAACP partnership, will be an executive producer. Alongside Ducksworth, executive producers include Val Jean, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson, and Kimberly Doebereiner.
“The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” Ducksworth said in a statement. “This series will salute an audience that has been traditionally underserved, with the potential to be a groundbreaking moment for broadcast television. With multi-dimensional characters, juicy storylines, and Black culture front and center, The Gates will have impactful representation, one of the key touchstones of the venture.”
“I’m excited to develop this project with CBS and P&G, two of the longest and most passionate champions of broadcast and daytime television, and the NAACP, whose enduring commitment to Black voices and artists is both powerful and inspiring,” continued Ducksworth. “I also want to thank CBS’ George Cheeks, NAACP’s Derrick Johnson, and P&G’s Marc Pritchard for their personal involvement and support to take our next step forward with ‘The Gates.'”
Ducksworth was appointed to lead the shared endeavor between CBS and the NAACP in 2020. “My career has always focused on telling captivating and compelling stories while increasing representation in front of and behind the camera, and this new venture is an opportunity to continue that mission in a dynamic way,” Ducksworth told Variety.
“The Gates” isn’t the first Black daytime soap opera to air on network television.
Fans have waited 35 years for another show to center Black characters. “Generations” was the first soap opera to feature a predominantly Black cast. The half-hour drama told the stories of two Chicago families. It aired on NBC from March 1989 to January 1991, per Entertainment Weekly.
“The Bold and the Beautiful” was CBS’s last show, which debuted in 1987. Currently, only four daytime soaps are still in production: “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Young and the Restless,” “General Hospital,” and “Days of Our Lives,” which streams on Peacock.
P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble, will produce “The Gates” in partnership with CBS Studios and the NAACP. If you’ve been waiting for a Black daytime soap opera, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. CBS will premiere the new show in January 2025.
The author’s content and opinions have not been pre-reviewed, approved or endorsed by Discover.