CBS has greenlighted “The Gates” the first Black daytime soap opera in 35 years.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community, and will debut in January 2025. The specific time period, launch date and other details will be revealed later.
The official series pickup comes a month after CBS announced it was teaming with the NAACP to develop The Gates, with the news marking a show of confidence in the script. Michele Val Jean, who previously penned more than 2,000 episodes of The Bold & the Beautiful and General Hospital, will serve as showrunner and exec produces alongside Sheila Ducksworth, president of the CBS Studios/NAACP venture.
“The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” Ducksworth said in March when development of the project was first announced. “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.”
