WE tv to Develop Opera-Themed Series

WE tv will look to tune up its reality series lineup with the development of a new opera-themed series.

Love and Opera, produced by Pilgrim Studios, will follow a group of opera singers fighting for diva status in New York, according to network officials.

“Opera is one of the few — if not the last — places unexplored by unscripted TV and this show challenges every conventional notion we have about it,” said Marc Juris, WE tv’s president, in a statement. “It's a fascinating world of young, ambitious, incredibly talented people looking for love, fame and friendship while navigating a rarified world of privilege and glamour.”

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.