"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.

The first soap opera to premiere in more that 25 years will feature a primarily Black cast, a historic breakthrough for a genre that is a throwback to an earlier time.

The first thing viewers of “Beyond the Gates” see is a black Mercedes gliding past manicured lawns and stately estates.