"We’re not going to have aliens or anything.... It’s grounded in family," 'Beyond the Gates' creator and executive producer Michele Val Jean tells PEOPLE

History will be made next week on CBS daytime with the premiere of “Beyond the Gates.” It’s the first soap opera to debut in over 25 years and the first hour-long soap to center around a Black family.

In 1968, Ellen Holly became the first Black lead on a soap ("One Life to Live") while the true breakthrough roles had to wait until the '80s with Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan on "All My Children," then the '90s, with Kristoff St. John on "The Young and the Restless."

The first daytime drama to premiere in over 25 years, "Beyond the Gates" breaks the soap opera mold by focusing on a prominent Black family.

For the first time in more than 25 years, a new daytime soap opera is coming to network TV. "Beyond the Gates" is the first one-hour daytime drama to feature a primarily Black and multicultural cast.

The Bold and the Beautiful alum is not here for the naysayers who criticize her for joining the new soap, Beyond The Gates.