CBS, in partnership with civil rights organization NAACP, announced the development of “The Gates,” a soap centered on a wealthy Black family living in a posh, gated community. The network currently airs the long-running daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful
‘The Gates’ will be written by Emmy winner Michele Val Jean, whose credits include more than 2,000 episodes of iconic soaps including “The Bold & The Beautiful” and “General Hospital.” The 72-year-old daytime veteran served as a script writer for the Black-led “Generations,” which aired on NBC from 1989-1991. Val Jean will also serve as showrunner on ‘The Gates’.
CBS Studios/NAACP president Sheila Ducksworth said in a statement: “The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective. 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.”
CBS Studios’ development deal with the NAACP was “established to help elevate a diverse range of voices as well as increase the visibility of Black artists on broadcast and streaming platforms in an ever-evolving media landscape.” If The Gates comes to fruition, it would mark broadcast television’s first new daytime soap opera since the launch of NBC’s now-defunct ‘Passions’ 25 years ago.
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