CBS Studios NAACP Venture To Develop New Daytime Drama For CBS Called ‘The Gates’

In a move that could bode well for the future of daytime dramas, CBS Studios and the NAACP, in partnership with P&G Studios, is developing a new sudser for CBS that would follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community.

Dubbed The Gates, the new daytime drama is from Michele Val Jean, who has written more than 2,000 episodes of daytime dramas and won multiple Daytime Emmys for her work on The Bold & The Beautiful and General Hospital. She will serve as writer and showrunner and will also executive producer alongside CBS Studios NAACP Venture President Sheila Ducksworth, along with Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner. 

“The Gates will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” said 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.”

“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,” continued Ducksworth. “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.”

It’s been years since one of the broadcast networks launched a new daytime sudser. There are only three still existence between CBS and ABC — B&B and The Young and the Restless on CBS, and General Hospital on ABC.

CBS continues to rank No. 1 in daytime with its dramas but all three of the soaps are down in the key demos versus last year. Days of Our Lives is now streaming on Peacock — having moved from NBC to the the platform in 2022.

The CBS Studios’ production venture and 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. 

P&G Studios is a division of Procter & Gamble.

Michele Val Jean was represented by Gersh in the deal with CBS and the NAACP.