"Special Ops: Lioness" Review: Taylor Sheridan's Military Propaganda or So-So Spy Thriller?

"Special Ops: Lioness," the latest series by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+, features a multiplicity of female leads but fails to provide nuanced depictions of women. Loosely based on a real CIA program, the show follows an initiative that embeds undercover agents with high-value terrorism targets. However, the series is criticized for being an unabashed work of military propaganda, positioning the United States Armed Forces as the "strong" protectors of the weak. The show lacks curiosity about the circumstances that pit the Lioness team against the Islamic State in Iraq and instead presents a vision of U.S. hegemony. Despite the presence of Nicole Kidman, the show's right-wing overtones and stereotypically masculine conflicts undermine its attempt at pop feminism.