(Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS)

CBS will officially launch a new soap opera in January 2025. The network has ordered The Gates, a series written by Michele Val Jean (above). The series will revolve around a wealthy Black family living in a posh gated community.

Word of the series being in development last month, with The Talk potentially being cancelled to open up a slot in the network’s daytime lineup (most of the daytime timeslots are controlled by local affiliates). The Gates will be CBS’ third soap opera, joining the popular The Young & The Restless and The Bold & The Beautiful series.

CBS revealed more about the new series in a press release.

CBS today announced the series order for the new daytime drama THE GATES for broadcast on the Network in January 2025. The specific time period, launch date and other series details will be announced at later dates.

THE GATES follows the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. Michele Val Jean, who has written more than 2,000 episodes of daytime dramas and won multiple Daytime Emmy and WGA Awards for her work on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL and “General Hospital,” will serve as writer and showrunner. Val Jean will also be an executive producer alongside Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner.

THE GATES was developed from the joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP. The series will be produced by the CBS Studios/NAACP venture in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble.

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.

The specific premiere date and casting for The Gates will be announced later.

What do you think? Are you planning to check out this new CBS soap opera when it launches next year?