“The Gates,” the first new daytime soap opera in a quarter century, will shoot at Assembly Studios in Doraville, a major coup for both the studio and the state.
The CBS series will have a largely African American cast. NBC from 1989 to 1991 aired “Generations,” the first soap that featured a Black family from its inception. The last time a broadcast network debuted a new scripted soap at all was 1999 with “Passions,” which lasted on NBC until 2007 with an extra year on DirecTV.
Production of “The Gates” is set to begin in November, according to an email sent to members of IATSE, a union that represents most crew members in the business.
Episodes will debut on CBS in January 2025, replacing the panel talk show “The Talk” at 2 p.m. weekdays. “The Talk” was an alternative to “The View” and debuted in 2010.
CBS has not released many details about the soap, including casting. In April, it said “The Gates” will follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community. The showrunner is Michele Val Jean, a veteran soap writer who has won awards for her work on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital.”
A CBS spokeswoman assigned to “The Gates” did not immediately respond to an email seeking more information.
The soap opera genre, once a robust daytime offering for decades, has shrunken its footprint over the years, replaced largely by game shows, judge shows and news shows. Many fans of soaps are now hooked on reality programming like dating programs and “Real Housewives”-style drama from real people. This resulted in long-running soaps dying, including “Guiding Light” (on TV from 1952 to 2009 though it began as a radio program in 1937) and “As the World Turns” (1956-2010).
Currently, the only active soap operas in the United States are “General Hospital” (ABC), “The Young and the Restless” (CBS) and “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS).
“The Gates” is a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP. It is also partnering with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble.
Most TV shows nowadays shoot in a span of a few months then take lengthy breaks. A soap opera is true full-time work since it shoots all year.
This also means a steady tenant for Assembly Studios, which is owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television. The studio opened in late 2023 in space that once housed a General Motors auto assembly plant and has 22 soundstages. It has since been home to upcoming Peacock series such as “Fight Night” — starring Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson and Samuel L. Jackson, and coming out Sept. 5 — and “Teacup,” a mysterious drama starring Yvonne Strahovski and set to debut Oct. 10.
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