New Daytime Soap Opera in the Works at CBS

CBS is expanding its daytime television lineup. Variety reports that the network is developing a new soap opera with NAACP. Titled The Gates, the series will follow “the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community.” It would air on CBS with CBS Studios NAACP production producing in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble.

Michele Val Jean, who has written for General Hospital and Santa Barbara and has been a writer for The Bold and the Beautiful for 12 years, will serve as executive producer, showrunner, and writer. Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick, and Kimberly Doebereiner will also executive produce the new soap opera.

“The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” Ducksworth, who is also president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture, said in a statement. “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. I also want to thank CBS’ George Cheeks, NAACP’s Derrick Johnson and P&G’s Marc Pritchard for their personal involvement and support to take our next step forward with The Gates.”

News of this new soap opera comes on the heels of The Young and the Restless. The long-running soap, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, was recently picked up by CBS for four more seasons. The quadruple renewal will take the series through its 55th season during the 2027-28 season.  The Gates will be in good hands on CBS, surrounded by The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, and it’s going to be exciting to see what stories and representation it will bring.

As of now, a premiere date for The Gates or cast has yet to be announced. It will be CBS’ first new daytime soap opera since 1987, when The Bold and the Beautiful premiered, so the network will more than likely go all out for it. Hopefully, more information is released soon, but in the meantime, fans will be able to theorize just what the new soap will bring to the table.