AceShowbiz - CBS has given a green light to "The Gates", an upcoming black daytime soap opera. The new series, announced on Monday, April 15, will mark the first black daytime soap opera in 35 years.

According to the network, the planned series, which is a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP, is slated to premiere in January 2025. Other details, including the exact launch date and casting, will be revealed at a later date.

"The Gates" "follows the lives of a wealthy black family in a posh, gated community." Michele Val Jean ("The Bold and the Beautiful", "General Hospital") is on board as showrunner in addition to executive producing alongside president of the CBS Studios/NAACP venture Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner.

Back in March, Ducksworth teased, " '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," she continued. "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."

She added, "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'."

"The Gates" will be the first black daytime show in almost 3 decades. The last black-themed daytime sudser was NBC's "Generations", which ran from 1989 to 1991. Meanwhile, CBS' decision to greenlight "The Gates" came after it pulled the plug on "The Talk" after airing for 14 years.