CBS Developing a New Soap Opera TV Series, First Black Daytime Soap in 35 Years!

CBS is developing a new soap opera!

The series, called The Gates, will focus on a wealthy Black family living in a gated community, and could become the first daytime TV drama with a predominately Black cast in decades, via THR.

Keep reading to find out more…

The Gates will be written by Emmy-winning daytime veteran Michele Val Jean, known for work on The Bold & The Beautiful, who will also serve as showrunner. She has written more than 2,000 episodes of daytime TV.

The last Black daytime soap was NBC’s short-lived Generations, which launched in 1989. Fox’s 2015 hit drama Empire was considered by some as a soap opera, but it aired in primetime.

“The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” said Sheila Ducksworth, president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture in a series.

“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.”

There are currently only three surviving daytime soaps on broadcast: The Young & the Restless, Bold & the Beautiful and General Hospital, with Days of Our Lives airing on Peacock.

CBS recently renewed a soap opera for four more years!