The review describes the show, titled "Special Ops: Lioness," as an "unabashed work of military propaganda" that portrays the United States Armed Forces as the protectors of the weak.
According to the description on Paramount+, "Special Ops: Lioness" is inspired by a real U.S. Military program and follows the life of an agent as she navigates the challenges of balancing her personal and professional life as a CIA operative in the war on terror.
The show focuses on the "Lioness Program," which enlists a Marine Raider named Cruz to work undercover alongside Joe in the CIA's efforts to combat state terrorism and prevent another 9/11.
While Taylor Sheridan's previous work, "Yellowstone," has been praised for its portrayal of liberal values in conservative packaging, his new military series has faced criticism for using girl-power narratives to glorify the military.
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Variety TV critic Alison Herman notes that Sheridan has cultivated an image that contrasts with liberal cultural elites without fully aligning with their opposite. However, she argues that "Lioness" lacks the ambiguity of his previous work and is a blatant form of military propaganda that positions the US Armed Forces as the strong protectors of the weak, including vulnerable members of US society and the entire Middle East.
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Herman also takes issue with the show's promotion of the idea that it is the responsibility of a global superpower to protect the underdog by any means necessary. She warns that if viewers do not agree with this vision of US hegemony, "Lioness" is not the show for them.
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Furthermore, the reviewer criticizes the show for giving female military characters storylines typically associated with male characters. She argues that Sheridan not only gives the female leads masculine names like Joe and Cruz but also assigns them stereotypically masculine conflicts, such as feeling estranged from their children due to the demands of their jobs. Even instances of abuse are portrayed in a way that equates physical strength with worth.
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Herman concludes her review by accusing the show of using "pop feminism" to promote a pro-war agenda. She suggests that Sheridan's portrayal of women's liberation in service of the military-industrial complex is a predictable and clichéd rhetorical tactic, indicative of the strain on a single writer producing scripts for multiple shows simultaneously.
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