When Sheila Ducksworth was named president of CBS’ new production partnership with the NAACP back in 2020, one of her first calls was to Michele Val Jean — a longtime writer on such soaps as The Bold and the Beautiful,

"You have not seen this many Black people in the middle of the day” on television, "Beyond the Gates" creator Michele Val Jean said.

That car and the glamorous woman behind the wheel are driving into TV history on Monday as CBS begins airing the first Black-led daytime soap opera — and the first new network soap since “Passions” premiered in 1999.

With a powerhouse cast and an all-star creative team, this is more than just another soap opera—it’s a long-overdue cultural moment.

"I've been a lover of soap operas since I was 10 years old, and I've always felt that there was a huge void in soap operas, which is just beyond apparent," Ducksworth says.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Soap operas, or melodramas with massive ensemble casts, have been a staple in popular culture for nearly a century. Though long-running soaps like “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital” have dominated day-time television for decades,

Enter “Beyond the Gates”: the first one-hour daytime drama centering a Black family in decades and the first daytime soap to premiere since 1999’s “Passions.” CBS Studios picked up the show last April under its production partnership with the NAACP.