CBS & NAACP Hire ‘The Bold & The Beautiful’ Writer As Showrunner For Joint Soap Opera Series, First Centered Around A Black Family In Over 30 Years

Michele Val Jean

CBS & NAACP Hire ‘The Bold & The Beautiful’ Writer As Showrunner For Joint Soap Opera Series, First Centered Around A Black Family In Over 30 Years

A new fictional family meant to highlight the Black experience is headed to daytime TV.

CBS Studios recently announced that they’ve partnered with the NAACP to produce the new soap opera, which will be the first of its kind in more than 3 decades.

According to reports, the series titled The Gates, will follow a wealthy Black family living in an upscale gated community. It will be the first Black soap opera to appear on daytime since NBC premiered their short-lived drama Generations in 1989. Some consider Fox’s Empire, starring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, in the soap opera category. However, it’s widely disregarded from the genre since it premiered during primetime hours.

The forthcoming project is being produced as a joint venture between CBS Studios, NAACP Studios, and P&G Studios. Emmy Award-winning writer Michele Val Jean has been tapped as writer and showrunner for the series. In her career, Val Jean has written over 2,000 episodes of daytime TV and is most notably known for her work on soap opera hits such as General Hospital and The Bold & The Beautiful.

Michele Val Jean

Speaking about the forthcoming series, president of the CBS and NAACP partnership Sheila Ducksworth stated:

“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.”

Sheila Ducksworth

She added:

“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.”

At this time, there is no word on a tentative premiere date or a starring cast. We will continue to update as more information on the show is released.

[VIA]

Will you be tuning into The Gates? Let us know in the comments below!