The Gates, First Black-Led Soap Opera in 35 Years, Promises ‘a Fresh Perspective’ on Daytime Genre

For the first time in 35 years, the soap opera will have a predominantly black cast.

According to a statement from CBS Studios and the NAACP, CBS’ possible upcoming daytime series Door will follow the lives of a rich black family in a posh gated community. Per The Hollywood Reporterthe series is the first to do so after the series Generations broadcast in 1989

Michele Val Jean — known for Brave and beautiful — has signed on as a writer and showrunner for the project, which aims to prioritize POC stories alongside all the usual drama daytime TV viewers have come to expect. The series is in development, which means that CBS will still have to decide to pick up The Gates for official TV placement.

Couples from soap operas who met and fell in love on the set

Brave and beautiful.

Courtesy of Sean Smith/The Bold and The Beautiful

“Door will be everything we love about daytime drama, from a new and fresh perspective,” CBS Studios NAACP President Sheila Ducksworth said in a statement.

Culture and character will be at the forefront of the series, with an emphasis on the black experience, according to the press release. “This series will welcome a traditionally underserved audience, with the potential to be a watershed moment for broadcast television. With multidimensional characters, juicy stories and black culture in the foreground, Door they will have an impressive representation, one of the key foundations of the venture,” added Ducksworth. “I am excited to develop this project with CBS and P&G, two of the longest and most passionate supporters of broadcast television and daytime television, and the NAACP, whose enduring commitment to black voices and artists is both powerful and inspiring.”

Soap stars who have played their roles for 40 years or more

Passions.

Joe Pugliese/NBC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Not only could he Door to be revolutionary in terms of black representation on screen, but it could single-handedly revive the soap opera genre. Although it shows including Days of our lives, Brave and beautiful and General Hospital beloved by viewers for decades, there hasn’t been a new soap opera premiering on CBS since 1987. The most recent soap opera on the networks was NBC’s Passionswhich premiered in 1999.

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No news has been announced about the cast or premiere Door at this time.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education