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History is being made this week with the premiere of America's first Black-led daytime soap, NBC News reports.
"Beyond the Gates" will debut on CBS as the first soap solely focused on a Black family.
"You have not seen this many Black people in the middle of the day” on television, "Beyond the Gates" creator Michele Val Jean said.
Val Jean is leading the behind-the-scenes operations of the show along with executive Sheila Duckworth. The pair appear to be the first two Black women to serve as executive producers for a daytime genre.
“The stark difference for me is the leadership of this show and the executive producer — being Sheila Ducksworth, an African American woman — and the showrunner, executive producer, head writer, being Michele Val Jean, is the first time in history as well,” "Beyond the Gates" star Tamara Tunie said.
Set in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. area, the new CBS soap revolves around the Duprees, an affluent Black family living in the gated community of Fairmont Crest. Tunie stars as the matriarch of the show. Her onscreen husband, Clifton Davis, plays a civil rights activist and respected political leader.
"Beyond the Gates" comes after CBS announced a partnership with the NAACP in July 2020 following George Floyd's murder.
Val Jean acknowledged his past work on "Generations," a soap opera that ran from 1989 to 1991 featuring Vivica A. Fox and Debbi Morgan. Though some may consider that show television's first Black soap opera, Val Jean clarified that the series featured both a white and a Black family.
“‘Generations’ had a Black family, and all due credit for that for sure, but there was still your white family,” Val Jean said. “Our show is based around a centralized Black family. Everything comes from the Duprees.”
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