Michele Val Jean is headwriter of CBS’s newest soap opera.
CBS and the NAACP, in partnership with P&G Studios, are collaborating on a new soap opera called The Gates. It’s a whole new story for daytime television, and P&G hasn’t invested in a soap since Guiding Light, As the World Turns and Another World went off the air.
The Gates
Deadline reported that former The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital writer, Michele Val Jean helms the project as both the head writer and the showrunner. The multi-Daytime Emmy winner has written more than 2,000 episodes of daytime television throughout her career. Additionally, Val Jean will executive produce with CBS Studios NAACP Venture President Sheila Ducksworth. Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson, and Kimberly Doebereiner will also executive produce the new soap, which will join Y&R and B&B on CBS.
The Gates will follow the lives of wealthy Black families who live inside a gated community. “The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” promised Ducksworth. “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.”
The Gates represents the first new daytime drama from a traditional television network since 1999 when NBC debuted Passions. Currently, only The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and General Hospital remain on network TV (CBS and ABC respectively). Peacock streams former NBC soap opera, Days of our Lives.
So far, there’s no word on when The Gates will begin airing, but we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest details. Are you excited to delve into a whole new daytime drama?