CBS is set to debut a new daytime soap opera called The Gates in January of 2025, marking the first Black-led series in over three decades. The show will follow a wealthy Black family living in a gated community, with former General Hospital and The Bold & the Beautiful writer Michele Val Jean serving as showrunner and writer. The show is a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP, with executive producers including Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson, and Kimberly Doebereiner. The Gates is expected to bring a fresh perspective to daytime drama with multi-dimensional characters, juicy storylines, and Black culture front and center.
The Gates is a groundbreaking moment for broadcast television, aiming to salute an audience that has traditionally been underserved with impactful representation. Ducksworth, the president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture, expressed excitement to work on the project with CBS and P&G Studios, emphasizing their passion for broadcast and daytime television. The show is also seen as a tribute to the NAACP’s enduring commitment to Black voices and artists. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909 and promotes civil rights and interracial advancement for African Americans.
In addition to being the first Black-centered soap opera in 35 years, The Gates is breaking the mold within the daytime soap genre. The last time a new daytime soap premiered was in 1999 with NBC’s Passions, and CBS has not launched a fresh soap since The Bold & the Beautiful in 1987. The daytime soap landscape has seen significant changes over the past decade, with only three soaps remaining on broadcast TV – The Young & the Restless, The Bold & the Beautiful, and General Hospital. Days of Our Lives moved to its streamer Peacock in 2022, while ABC canceled All My Children and One Life to Live in 2011.
Earlier this month, CBS announced the end of The Talk in December 2024 after 15 seasons, leading fans to speculate about The Gates potentially filling the talk show’s time slot. The Gates is set to bring a new and fresh perspective to daytime drama, with a focus on diverse characters, engaging storylines, and Black culture. The show aims to appeal to an audience that has historically been underrepresented in daytime television, with the potential to be a groundbreaking moment for both broadcast television and the soap opera genre. With a talented team of executive producers and writers, The Gates is poised to make a significant impact on the daytime soap landscape when it premieres in 2025.
