Proctor & Gamble Reenters The Soap Scene After 15-Years With The Gates

After a 15 years absence in the genre, P&G Studios will produce The Gates, a 2025 daytime drama about a wealthy Black family which is being developed by a partnership between CBS and the NAACP.

P&G is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH and has a long history when it comes to daytime soaps. They exited the genre in 2010 when CBS cancelled As the World Turns. In 2009, CBS also cancelled Guiding Light which aired for 72 years on radio and television.

The Gates will have a predominately African American cast

The Gates will depict the lives of a wealthy black family in a luxurious gated community, Michele Val Jean will serve as writer and showrunner.

Val Jean has written over 2,000 episodes of daytime drama and has won multiple daytime Emmys and WGA Awards for her work on such shows as The Bold & The Beautiful and General Hospital. Val Jean will also serve as an executive producer along with Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner.

The Gates may replace The Talk

When CBS announced earlier this year that The Gates was in development, it cast doubt on the future of The Talk. This will be the first soap since 1989 when NBC launched Generations which lasted until 1991 to feature a predominately black cast.

With the recent announcement that The Talk will end its run in January, there is speculation that The Gates will fill that time slot on CBS’s roster. Now that The Gates has been ordered to series, CBS has stated that more details such as casting, launch date and time slot will be revealed at a later date.

Proctor and Gamble has a long history with Daytime TV

In 1933, P&G first invested in daytime drama Ma Perkins which first ran on radio before moving to television. It broadcast 7,065 episodes over both media until its cancellation in 1959.

Notable soaps such as Search for Tomorrow, Guiding Light, The Edge of Night, As the World Turns, Another World, Somerset and Texas along with many others. In addition, they also produced The People’s Choice Awards and many other TV movies and specials.

Stay Tuned

Watch this space for new developments on The Gates as soon as they are reported. The Gates will air weekdays on CBS beginning in January with an exact date to be announced.

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