Lifetime Orders Burnett-Produced ‘Women Of The Bible’

Lifetime has tapped producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett to develop a special The Women of The Bible to air in December, the network said Wednesday.

The special, which will debut Dec. 7, will retell stories from The Bible through interviews with high-profile women in the faith community including Priscilla Shirer, Co-Founder of Going Beyond Ministries; Victoria Osteen, Co-Pastor of Lakewood Church; Eva Rodriguez of the Latino Evangelical Women’s Association; Kay Warren, Co-Founder of Saddleback Church; and Joyce Meyer, Bible teacher and New York Times bestselling author, said network officials.

 Downey will narrate the two-hour special, which will lead into the debut of Lifetime’s original miniseries The Red Tent. Downey and Burnett produced History’s successful miniseries The Bible.

“The Bible is an inspiring source of some of the most timeless stories known today and what lies within it are important narratives about the women who play a vital role in faith,” said Rob Sharenow, executive vice president and general manager of Lifetime in a statement. “There’s no one better than Mark Burnett and Roma Downey to create this special, which is the perfect complement to Lifetime’s miniseries event, The Red Tent.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.