Earlier this week, “The Gates” creator Michele Val Jean created a stir on social media when she posted a minor update on the upcoming CBS daytime drama series she executive produces and serves as showrunner.
“Today was a big day for #TheGates,” commented Val Jean in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Wish I could share more but I needed to at least mark it. If you know, you know.”
Although Val Jean didn’t elaborate further on her post, and her message could be referring to something completely unrelated, Soap Opera Network has learned that in recent weeks the series has formally assembled its writers’ room which is likely to include some familiar names to the genre.
In addition to a writers’ room, Soap Hub announced last month that veteran writer Robert Guza Jr. (“General Hospital,” “Santa Barbara”) and veteran producer Julie Hanan Carruthers (“All My Children,” “Port Charles”) have signed on as executive producers, working alongside executive producers Sheila Duckworth, Kimberly Doebereiner, Leon T. Russell, Derrick Johnson and the aforementioned Val Jean.
Set to debut in January 2025 on CBS, “The Gates” is the first brand new soap opera in development for a broadcast network since the 1999 launch of NBC’s “Passions,” and the first expected to feature a predominantly Black cast since the 1991 conclusion of “Generations.” The series tells the story of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community.
