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New Daytime Drama ‘The Gates’ in Development For CBS; Michele Val Jean to Serve as EP, Writer & Showrunner

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: CBS

In what would be an unbelievable boost to the soap opera genre, CBS Studios and the NAACP, in partnership with P&G Studios, are coming together to produce a brand new daytime drama that would air on CBS.

The new soap in development is entitled The Gates, and it will center around a wealthy black family who reside in an upscale gated community. A very well-known name to daytime fans, Emmy award-winning writer, Michele Val Jean, will serve as the series writer and showrunner and one of the series EP’s. Val Jean is best known for her work as a writer for The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital plus Generations and Santa Barbara.

Other executive producers of the soap would be NAACP Venture president, Sheila Ducksworth, plus Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereine.

Photo: JPI

Ducksworth (pictured below) president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture, shared in a statement, “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.”

“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,” added 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”

Photo: NAACP

The Gates would mark the first new soap opera in the CBS Daytime line-up since 1987 when The Bold and the Beautiful premiered. The new soap would join B&B and The Young and the Restless for an impressive block of programming for soap fans.

On the new series in development, it’s noted: “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.”

So, what do you think of ‘The Gates’ becoming a new CBS Daytime drama series in what would be the first new network soap opera since the defunct-‘Passions’ 25 years ago? Comment below.

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That’s terrific news, does this mean The Bold and The Beautiful will be cancelled? It only got picked up until 2025. Or The Talk could be cancelled or let’s make a deal. I prefer they cancel Let’s make a deal. The show is terrible. I love The Talk they promote the soaps with there actors.

The bold and the beautiful isn’t going anywhere, it’s the #1 serial in the world….the new show would be on after B&B and move the Talk to 3pm….

I think it is wonderful that CBS is investing in a daytime program that is a soap.

Let’s hope ABC follows their lead and brings back some form of AMC & OLTL or some sort of blend of both shows as one.

Not gonna happen. Disney is in crisis and losing billions. Theyre considering selling ABC even. Also GH’s ratings are not as good as YR and BB. GH has barely over 2 million total viewers and their youth demographic is even worse.

Let’s not forget GENERATIONS was the first daytime soap with a black family at its core 35 years ago. It was an excellent show that didn’t have time to catch on and I believe Bal Jean was a part of that writing team. I hope the timing is right now and THE GATES will be a great success.

Wow. I would NEVER have thought we’d see another new soap–ever.

I will give it a try,* if it comes to fruition, definitely. I would be very interested to see what MVJ can do.

*Caveat: unless P&G Studios turns out to be Procter & Gamble; I want nothing to do with anything soap-related from them, ever again. All they do is break soap fans’ hearts.

Not interested; won’t be watching.

Respected… but how about at least a “hip hip hooray” for daytime ?

I’m not “hip, hip, hooraying” for a soap geared toward a black audience. First we had many black characters come aboard General Hospital (for example) to the exclusion of most other “diversity.” We STILL don’t have one Jewish character on GH, but are expanding on the black characters. And now a black soap? The catering to this one segment of the population in all things media is unbalanced. So it’s a no for me for many reasons, whether you or anyone else agree or understand from my point of view. When Michael wrote a post on FB that a new daytime soap was in the works my interest was piqued and I was excited to hear the details so I clicked the link here. And then I read them…

Wow….just….wow.

This isn’t the first all black soap. Generations back in the 80s made history.

Generations was a flop lol. We dont need a “black” soap opera. Are nation has been divided enough along ethnic lines because of all the lies the media has propagated over the last 5 or so years.
Criminals have been enshrined as martyrs simply because they were killed by police in most cases because they were committing crimes. Now the average black youth thinks we’re back living under Jim Crow! Thats ridiculous. And Im a black man who was born in 1964. My parents marched with MLK. My father nearly suffered the same fate as Emmet Teal. But today is a different day. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BE A BLACK PERSON IN THE USA. THERE IS NO SYSTEMIC RACISM. EVERYONE AS LEGAL EQUALITY TODAY. Is racism gone completely? Of course not but today THE ONLY PERSON HOLDING ANYONE BACK FROM SUCCESS IS THEMSELVES! The left has lied to black folk and taken advantage of us far too long! Now we’re segregating our own selves. Its pathetic.

Don’t make it sound like it’s an us vs them situation. Your issue with a lack of a Jewish character on GH is similar to my distaste of B&B for lack of an LGBT character. That doesn’t mean I believe that spot is being taken by a black character.

All that matters is it good tv? Empire was successful because it was good soap for the first years. Yes, it had a predominant black cast but attracted viewers of all backgrounds.

I’m a red Devil and I thought Empire was a great show… well, at least until it all fell apart after the Jussie Smollett fiasco.

Satan, I would say your name before I would ever have “that” name in my mouth. It should only be spoken in terms of who has set many things back in time, sadly.

If you’d like, please read my replies to others on this thread and it will explain why I feel the way I feel. I agree about Empire; loved it. Any show can be great regardless of the ethnicity of the actors; that’s not my point.

Bye Rebecca. I hope The Gates starts a daytime resurgence and has unparalleled success just to piss you off.

It won’t piss me off any more than the vile antisemitism that emanates from the black community on a daily basis, from Farrakhan to Kanye, to the sports players to BHI to the anti-Israel crap and the racist narrative many black people have created about Israel. So, yeah, don’t count me as someone who cheers every time a black story or character or show or host or blah, blah, blah, happens. I’m way too plugged in to the hate spewed at my people for me to join the kiss-up crowd.

Rebecca, I would love to see Jewish representation. It’s needed. It’s necessary. I support it 1000% but I’m not going to shit on other communities in the the process. Your comments about outliers within the Black community are broad stroked. I’m Black and I find Kanye’s comments reprehensible but your comments are also insulting.

Have you watched “Transparent”?

It has pretty much all bases covered, and stars Judith Light in the unforgettable role as the ex-wife and mother.

Hi Brian; no I haven’t watched it.

Contrary to your statements CBS is not catering to any particular ethnic group. They are producing content for a demographic that actually watches their shows in large numbers and buys their advertising products. Its about the money!! Your argument is not with the African American community which demographically never abandoned the daytime soap community and played such a major role in keeping the daytime soap genre alive. Your complaints should be addressed to the existing soap community executives and producers whose movers and shakers are certainly not African American. Again, they are not embracing diversity due to wokeness. They are doing it because they want to make money!!!

I fully understand your frustration. It’s the same frustration that many people of color and the LBGT community felt for being sidelined on screen when we made up huge majorities of the audience. Our stories were never told and we were confined to being the loyal sidekicks. I can’t begin to tell you how many times we were told by industry soap journalists that our very presence offended middle America and grandma didn’t want to see us. Think about routinely reading that for decades. We are are now seeing a daytime community that looks more like America and the audience that watches it. More seats are at the table. So keep agitating for more Jewish representation on soaps and it will happen. Not because they are catering to a particular group because it deserves to happen. The pie really is big enough for all.

Unfortunately that’s not true for the Jewish population. My bet is once they start writing Jewish characters, they’ll be for Jewish POC. The “white” Jewish person has been stereotyped forever. On GH? Who was Jewish? “Bernie” the accountant. Hayden’s father, a non-character who was on for five minutes in a jail scene. What was he in for? A Ponzi scheme ala Bernie Madoff.

People think because there are Jewish writers and actors that Jews are “represented.” We’re not. And when we are? We get Bradley Cooper with a prosthetic nose (not sure why; as good-looking as he is his own nose would’ve done the trick, lol), Helen Mirren played Golda Meir, some woman whose name I can’t remember playing Carol King, and English actor Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders; great show) as Oppenheimer.

On GH? We had Matt Cohen play a priest, Sean Kanan play AJ, Stuart Damon play Alan Quartermaine, Tamara Braun play Carly, Rena Sofer play Lois, Amanda Setton play Brook Lynn, etc etc. All Jewish actors and yet the show can’t create ONE Jewish character let alone a Jewish family. And so people out in some area who never even met a Jewish person still have the Bernie stereotype or the hook-nosed caricature that circulates. Instead of representing Jewish people with attractive Jewish characters like they do with other minorities, they don’t. They seem to go out of their way not to. GH has been on sixty years; they’ve had Jake the doctor ((who was good-looking) and Bernie. That’s it. In sixty years and in this age of diversity. It’s an obvious omission. Glaring. And in the last few years? They didn’t just introduce black characters; they built up a family, they keep adding to the family, they have TJ with Molly and Trina with Spencer. We now have Latina representation with Blaze and her mom and Asian representation with Mrs. Wu, gay and lesbian…but no Jewish characters.

Now add to my resentment the very real antisemitism from the black community; it’s real and much of it is vile. And when I’ve mentioned that there are no Jewish characters, some black viewers have had a nasty reply; they’ve laughed and/or said “you’re white.” You’re represented. Really? If it was as easy as that there’d d be no Jew hate, no Hiter, no no Nazis, no Farrakkhan, Kanye, BHI. No hook-nosed caricatures and conspiracy theories specifically about “Jews.”

To watch one remake after another with black characters of classic shows, more black characters developed for soaps, while MY people are being thrown hate not just by white supremacists but by many in the black community and those who were part of BLM, to watch one black character and story line keep popping up on GH while I see that there’s STILL not one Jewish character…yes, I feel resentment. A lot.

And so no, I won’t be tuning into this new soap. If relations were better between the black community and the Jewish community, if they were standing with the Jewish community and Israel instead of spewing utter hate, I’d be happy to tune in. But just like any other human being, we react to how we’re treated and regarded. And it hasn’t been pretty.

So it’s not about the “pie being big enough.” It’s about the writers, producers, etc, not wanting Jewish characters on the show even as they diversify. It’s been brought to their attention; they ignore it.

With that said, thank you for your polite reply.

Hatikva is all I will say.

Says a lot.

I’ll take Karen’s for $2000.

This is great news never thought we’d see a new soap

CBS soaps have never aired down here in Hell, so I doubt we will see this one either. But all the same, it has to be a “net positive” sign that a soap is actually going on the air, as opposed to the trend of the last 2 decades, with the networks picking them off one by one.

I agree with you. It is a positive sign to see CBS on board with any soaps. I will dive the first week a try. So if you wish to watch it–get thee behind me, Satin.

So much for the genre being close to death.

P&G getting back in the daytime drama business after cutting the cords with ATWT & GL. That’s shocking.

Still be determined- will this be 30 or 60 minutes? Does it replace The Talk or Let’s Make A Deal? Or, is CBS taking time back from the affiliates?

As for casting – the first call must made to Debbi Morgan.

So P&G Studios really is Procter & Gamble. I so hoped it would turn out not to be.

Wonder what changed? P&G spent 15 years or so trying to get itself out of daytime; now they want back in, after all the damage they did? Hmmmm.

Proctor & Gamble had an “image problem” for a while, because some FundaMENTAList religious nuts started a rumor that the entire corporation was on MY payroll!

Entirely untrue of course. What would the Devil want with a soap company??

But it seems like they expanded their corporate portfolio into other areas (like Gillette razors) and seemingly got out of the TV business. But just like CBS, they apparently changed their mind about soaps as a “dead” genre.

Oh I hope Victoria Rowell gets cast in “The Gates.” Used to love her in Y&R as Drucilla Winters.

I don’t like it already! Not my thing . And if they cancel the Bold and the Beautiful I’ll be very disappointed! Bold and the beautiful is my favorite soap opera!

It was stated that the two Bell family soaps would not be cancelled for the new show. If they are smart at CBS then it would follow B&B. THE TALK could follow at 2:30 or 3. In NY the Judge Judy reruns may stop, for the East Coast. I wish that AS THE WORLD TURNS had not been axed, a part of daytime history since April 5, 1956. THE TALK then DR. PHIL could have followed. But instead poor writing killed Turns in its last two years. So legal issues sent newer Judge Judy shows & Dr. PHIL into limbo & here we are with tentative plans for a new serial, which is an expensive risk for CBS. But there is a slot for it. However the soap genre is dying & we need a new shot of adrenaline or it will vanish. So BEST OF. LUCK. to its success !!

No, no! I wish the soap genre never dies. I’d be lost without my soaps. As would thousands of soap fans, I’m sure.

I only just started watching B&B about 2/3 months ago, and now I am hooked.

B&B is the most popular soap in the world. It is distributed around Europe and brings in much more money that YR. It aint going anywhere lol. It will probably outlast YR.

I’m looking forward to this new soap. I love all the daytime soaps. But at the same time it saddens me because I’d entered a competition where you send a pitch for a TV show, and mine would have made a great daytime soap, but I didn’t win. Of course everyone thinks their stories are the best. But if I had money I would produce it myself. I guess it’s who you know in this business. (My motto: If you don’t succeed once, try try try again.)

I wish it well, but I can’t take on a fourth soap.

That’s OK. I appreciate you replying. I wish you all the best with “The Gates.” Looking forward to watching it.

My only wish is that they take Devon off Y&R and put him on the GATES! He is a scene crusher, ruined Abby and is nothing like Neil Winters. Y&R would be better off without him and that Mamie lady!

I agree about “that Mamie lady.” But I like Devon.

Hope it replaces The Talk, which is unwatchable — shouldn’t have ever replace As the World Turns.

Will it be an hour show?

It will be refreshing to see this come to daytime. Thank you
How can I become a actress on this program?

Ok for a new daytime soap but NEVER at the expense of B&B. The Talk needs to go away with its 1.6M viewers. The new soap can follow B&B, but will not take me away from GH. GH is the best soap for now.

Yeasssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!

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ABC Announces ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Texas Spin-Off Gets Straight-to-Series Order

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In a surprise move, coming a week after ABC unveiled its 2026-2027 fall television schedule, Grey’s Anatomy is getting a new spinoff co-created by the original series’ creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes.

The new untitled medical drama will be written and executive produced by Rhimes and Grey’s Anatomy showrunner/executive producer Meg Marinis under the Shondaland and 20th Television umbrella. In addition, long-running ‘Grey’s’ star Ellen Pompeo will also serve as an EP of the spinoff.

The upcoming new series will debut midseason in 2027. This will be the first of Grey’s franchise not set in urban city or West Coast locale. According to Deadline, the new “edgy drama is about a team at a rural West Texas medical center — the last chance for care before miles of nowhere.”

Photo: ABC

In a statement, Marinis shared, “I am incredibly excited to expand the Grey’s Anatomy universe. This opportunity will bring new characters and stories to life that will embody the same heart, emotion and connection audiences have loved from Grey’s for more than two decades — all set in my home state of Texas. I am so grateful to Shonda Rhimes for creating this dynamic world and feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of it.”

A NEW GROUP OF DOCTORS IN RURAL TEXAS

The Texas spinoff will feature a a new group of doctors, but there will be some connection to the OG Grey’s Anatomy and possibly to Debbie Allen’s character of Catherine Fox. The amount of episodes in the series order has not yet been determined. Previous Grey’s Anatomy spinoffs were the defunct Station 19 and Private Practice.

Previously, Grey’s Anatomy was renewed for its upcoming 23rd season while the amount of episodes is unclear.  The last two seasons the series produced 18 episodes.

It should also be noted, Grey’s Anatomy and the Texas spinoff would likely share a time period, which requires limited-run orders for both with Grey’s premiering in the fall, followed by the spinoff on the midseason programming block.

So, what do you think about a Texas spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy coming in 2027? Who would you like to see from daytime or primetime as some of the featured roles as new doctors? Put on your casting directors hat and let us know via the comment section below.

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‘Santa Barbara’ Alums A Martinez and Marcy Walker: In Conversation; Two-Hour Livestream Event with the Iconic Cruz and Eden Announced

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Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 7.  That’s when Daytime Emmy winners, A Martinez and Marcy Walker, also known as beloved Santa Barbara supercouple, Cruz and Eden, will participate in a global two-hour streaming event where they will be in conversation together for the first time in years.

The last time A and Marcy appeared publicly together was back in August of 2024, when both stars were in attendance at the 40th anniversary of Santa Barbara. Now, host Melissa Braverman, who has also penned the upcoming book, Santa Barbara: The Complete Story, will moderate this special event beginning at 4pm ET/1pm PT.

Fans around the world who continue to celebrate the enduring legacy of Santa Barbara will be able to watch Braverman lead an intimate discussion with the actors and go behind the iconic characters of Cruz Castillo and Eden Capwell.

Photo: JPI

In a statement, Braverman shared, “A Martinez and Marcy Walker didn’t just play a couple. They created a cultural phenomenon that resonated across continents. This event is a rare opportunity for fans to hear directly from A and Marcy about their chemistry, their favorite storylines, and the lasting impact of the show’s unique storytelling.”

She added, “A and Marcy’s partnership as Cruz and Eden was unforgettable. Bringing them together for a dedicated conversation about their SB journey is a true event, and a testament to their enduring appeal and the sheer popularity of the characters they created.”

The exclusive event will feature: a moderated discussion exploring the actors’ favorite memories from the Santa Barbara set. Behind-the-scenes insights into the show’s most famous location shoots and dramatic arcs, and a Q&A session where ticket holders can submit questions in advance to the stars.

Martinez, currently starring in AMC’s hit series Dark Winds is known for his multi-decade TV and film career. He won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1990 for his portrayal of Cruz. In the soaps, A has also appeared on General Hospital, One Life to Live, Days of Our Lives and The Bay. Walker, whose unforgettable daytime run began as Liza Colby on All My Children before her definitive turn on Santa Barbara, took home the Outstanding Lead Actress honors in 1989 for her work as Eden Capwell.

Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime reunion are $100, and registration is open now. For additional event information, visit Melissa’s author page on Facebook or www.melissabraverman.com.

So, if you are a Santa Barbara fan and one of the unforgettable Cruz and Eden, does this sound like the event for you? Let us know, and share your favorite Santa Barbara moment and storyline of Cruz and Eden’s via the comment section, But first, in case you missed it, the Michael Fairman Channel shared the arrivals at the 40th anniversary of Santa Barbara in this video below.

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Jennifer Harmon, ‘One Life to Live’s’ Cathy Craig, and ‘How to Survive a Marriage’ Star, Dead at 82

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Sad news to report for the One Life to Live family. Actress Jennifer Harmon who was the last actress to play the emotionally troubled Cathy Craig has passed away. Harmon, who also starred on the defunct NBC soap opera, How to Survive a Marriage, died in New York on May 9 at the age of 82. Harmon’s family made the announcement.

Jennifer was the fifth actress to play One Life to Live’s Cathy, following Catherine Burns, Amy Levitt, Jane Alice Brandon and Dorrie Kavanaugh. During her two year tenure with the soap, from 1976 through 1978, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series at the 5th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1978. The award that year went to Another World’s Laurie Heineman (ex-Sharlene Frame).

In her soap career, not only did Harmon have major success as Cathy on One Life to Live, but she starred on NBC’s new soap opera, How to Survive a Marriage as Chris Kirby and stayed with the series through its entire run which lasted just over a year from 1974-1975.   

Photo: NBC

How to Survive a Marriage told the story of divorced couple as they battle for custody of their daughter, and as the mom enters the workforce. In the span of a year, Chris got divorced, remarried and battled alcoholism. Rosemary Prinz was the featured name in the cast.

On One Life to Live, Cathy was the nemesis of Victoria Lord (Erika Slezak). Cathy blamed the wealthy Viki for the accident that killed her child Megan Craig Riley (even though the baby has a congenital heart defect and her life expectancy was short).  So, she set out to make Viki’s life hell by kidnapping Viki and Joe’s child, Kevin.

Later,  Jennifer would return to One Life to Live in the 90s to play Viki’s attorney in a new role, went on to play Jean Weatherill on Guiding Light in 1991 and Lucretia Jones on Loving in 1995. Her primetime TV credits included: Barnaby JonesDallasThe White ShadowSt. ElsewhereHomicide: Life on the StreetOzRescue Me and The Good Wife.

Harmon was also known as one of the most accomplished stage actresses on Broadway having appeared over 21 times in different productions spanning nearly 50 years including in plays of the works of legendary playwrights: Noël Coward, Wendy Wasserstein, Lillian Hellman, Neil Simon, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee and Jon Robin Baitz. Throughout her theatre career she was was known as a reliable actress, and at times was an understudy for the likes of: Stockard Channing, Judi Dench, Jessica Lange, Blythe Danner and Jessica Lange.

Share your remembrances of Jennifer Harmon on One Life to Live, How to Survive a Marriage, and more, in the comment section below.

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