Black History Month 2025 is over, but, at the end of that month, a bit of Black history was made on television. CBS premiered the first daytime drama to feature a predominantly African American cast since Generations (1989), which is a span of 36 years. CBS also premiered the first, new, daytime drama since Passions (1999), which is a span of 26 years. In fact, Passions was canceled in 2008. It was followed by the cancellations of other soap operas, such as Guiding Light in 2009, As the World Turns in 2010 and both All My Children and One Life to Live in 2013. Around that time, The Bay the Series rose up as a kind of soap opera strictly for streaming services, but soap operas on traditional broadcast networks were feeling all but dead.
I started watching soap operas in the mid 90's. The series that I watched then that's still on the air is General Hospital (1963). That ABC program is currently the oldest and longest-running daytime drama. I am a fan of the show and always wondered what the show was like back when it first started. Thanks to all the soap operas being available on their network's streaming service, it's possible to go back and see how shows like General Hospital began. It could be a fun exercise to go back and trace the origins of characters that I've enjoyed for decades. This series offers the opportunity to discover such characters, especially in the digital era, and be on the ground floor of a daily drama's launch.
Karla Mosley (The Bold and the Beautiful and Guiding Light) stars as Danielle Dupree aka "Dani," a former fashion model who gave up her career when she got married and had children. She's the daughter of a very wealthy African American couple that is the preeminent family in a predominantly African American community in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. Dani can be seen as very much a pampered and privileged princess, but she's also very much a daddy's girl and her father was very much a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. It's apparent that he raised her with a sense of dignity, grace and a grasp of what's important. However, she's also described as a powder keg who can lose her temper and easily jump to rage and vengeance.
At the start of the series, Dani has every reason to want revenge. Dani's husband has been cheating on her. She's been looking the other way or essentially forgiving him because she had two daughters and wanted to keep her family together. Unfortunately, it was revealed that her husband has been having an affair with his eldest daughter's best friend. Now, that daughter is likely in her late 20's or early 30's, so Dani's husband isn't a pedophile, but obviously there is an age-gap. What adds insult to injury is that Dani's husband is marrying his daughter's friend at the country club where Dani and her family frequents. He's also buying a house in the same neighborhood and wants nothing to change about his relationship with any of Dani's family members.
Timon Kyle Durrett (Queen Sugar and The Young and the Restless) co-stars as Bill Hamilton, the ex-husband of Dani. He's a lawyer with his own firm. He works as a defense attorney who helps to get Black people out of legal trouble. He probably also does so with corporate clients. As such, he's also quite wealthy himself. There's a dispute over how much his relationship with Dani's family, the Duprees, helped him to get where he is now in terms of his success. Bill claims that he would've achieved that success without the Duprees. Yet, his insistence on staying connected to them indicates the opposite.
The first week of episodes focus mainly on Bill's pending marriage to Hayley Lawson, played by Marquita Goings (Zatima and Woke). Hayley's friendship to Bill's daughter seems like the only friend she had. She doesn't have any other family, so she's worried that her wedding won't be attended. Plus, she's worried about the backlash, given that everybody in the community is on the side of Dani. She's been trying to apologize and be accepted again. Bill wants acceptance again too, but he has different tactics to that end beyond begging for forgiveness.
Tamara Tunie (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and As the World Turns) also stars as Anita Dupree, the matriarch of the Dupree family. She's the mother to Dani. She's very regal, very much a queen. She carries herself as a very proper lady and is very well-mannered. She's also very wise and tries to give comfort and advice to her children. She wants to protect her daughter Dani, but she has another daughter and grandchildren that she also wants to protect that might take priority.
Clifton Davis (Godfather of Harlem and Amen) also co-stars as Vernon Dupree. He's the patriarch of the Dupree family and long-time husband of Anita. He was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and is considered a significant figure who a lot of people respect, including his daughter and grandchildren. He was also a politician, a Senator. His family built the community, known as Fairmont Crest, a wealthy DC suburban area, which consists mainly of Black people but not exclusively. Like his wife, he's a very classy guy. He's very even tempered, soft-spoken but can be quite stern.
Now, the series in this first week introduces us to about a dozen or so more characters. Obviously, there's a lot of exposition in that regard. Creator Michele Val Jean and her writers start creating threads for future story lines. It's a lot to absorb and I found it difficult to keep track of all those characters and story lines. It's probably going to take some time to get acquainted with everyone and build any true connections.
Besides the main characters of Dani and Bill, along with Anita and Vernon, the only character that seemed significant is Martin Richardson, played by Brandon Claybon (Zatima and Grey's Anatomy). Martin is Dani's nephew and Anita and Vernon's grandson. Martin is a politician like Vernon was. Martin is a Congressman who constantly seeks Vernon's counsel. Martin is also gay and is married to Bradley Smith aka Smitty, played by Mike Manning (The Bay the Series and Days of Our Lives). Martin has a secret, one that causes nightmares. Bill knows this secret and is using it to blackmail the Duprees to doing what he wants.
The question of what that secret is appears to be a question that the show will tease for perhaps a week or two, if not longer. This first week has been setting up dramatic questions that will likely get answered in the near future, which is how most soap operas operate. The question of Martin's secret is the only one that is compelling. This first week has also generated a lot of questions that felt as if they should have been answered this week, but they weren't.
One of those questions is why did Bill have this affair and end things with Dani the way that he did? He's said to have been unfaithful even before his affair with Hayley, but another question is why? He claims to have fallen out of love with Dani and fallen in love with Hayley, but there's no real explanation of how that happened. Who made the first move? What was it about Dani or what did she do that made Bill cheat in the first place? Why did he not try to repair his marriage and if he did, what specifically did he do? Is Hayley not worried about the fact that Bill has proven himself to be unfaithful? What makes her think he'll be faithful to her forever?
Soap operas are all about dialogue. Yet, dialogue that really broke down Bill's infidelity or even the origins of his relationship with Hayley are mostly overlooked. As a result, I don't feel like I understand what the backstory was or why it is the way it is. I might get understanding in the weeks to come, but this initial week left me wanting.
Rated TV-14.
Running Time: 1 hr.
Airs Weekdays at 2 PM on CBS.