Entertainment Extra

2 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA By Jay Bobbin TV Media O ne of the most popular actresses in cable movies is also the co-creator of one of streaming's newest series. A veteran of Hallmark Channel who now does work for Great American Family, Jill Wagner ("Mystery 101") teamed with writer-producer Taylor Sheridan ("Yellowstone," "Tulsa King") to create the international espio- nage thriller "Special Ops: Lioness," which Paramount+ debuts Sunday, July 23. Zoe Saldana ("Avatar: The Way of Water," 2022) has the central role of a military operative who has a special assignment at the front of the ongoing war against global terrorism. Nicole Kidman ("Big Little Lies") and Michael Kelly ("House of Cards") portray the supervisors of the largely female-driven Lioness program, which actually exists, and which Saldana's character works within alongside a Marine Raider (Laysia De Oliveira). Wagner effectively created a part for herself since she also has a co-starring role in "Lioness," whose cast includes Morgan Freeman ("A Good Person," 2023), LaMonica Garrett ("Designated Survivor"), James Jordan ("Wind River," 2017) and Dave Annable ("Brothers & Sisters") as well. Wagner knew Sheridan from before his current run as a powerhouse producer, also supplying the Paramount+ series "Mayor of Kingston" and "Tulsa King" as well as the "Yellowstone" prequels "1883" and "1923," and they reunited to develop "Lioness" together. (Garrett, Jordan and Annable have worked for Sheridan before in some of his other shows.) The new series features Wagner in a role that might not surprise those who know the for- mer "Wipeout" co-host's work from the shows "Blade" and "Teen Wolf," though fans of her genteel work in virtually all of her cable movies might not expect the toughness of her "Lioness" character Bobby from her. That's in keeping with the theme of the show, of course, but it's an area Wagner hasn't delved into much lately. Similarly, Kidman has played it tough on occasion, though that's also a relatively rare situation. The 2018 movie "Destroyer" is an excellent example, effective to the extent that at the time of the undercover-detective drama's release, the Oscar-winning actress' husband — country music superstar Keith Urban — admitted (albeit jokingly) to being a little afraid of her, given the rugged nature of her portray- al in that film. Kidman has been no stranger to home-screen work in recent years, and before her movie star- dom, she began her career by doing television in Australia (where she grew up, though she was born in Honolulu). "Five Mile Creek," "Vietnam" and "Bangkok Hilton" were among her 1980s credits before her main focus shifted to feature films, and it would be almost 30 years until TV became a part of her resume again. When she was cast opposite Elisabeth Moss in the second season of the limited series "Top of the Lake," which was set in Australia and debuted in 2017, Kidman was considered a major "get." The same year, she also starred (along with Reese Witherspoon) in the first season of the drama "Big Little Lies," for which she earned a Primetime Emmy Award among other honors. "The Undoing," "Nine Perfect Strangers" and the anthology "Roar" followed for Kidman, and she presently has more series coming … including "Expats" and a show based on novelist Patricia Cornwell's forensic- pathologist character Kay Scarpetta, plus the miniseries "The Perfect Couple" and "Faraway Downs." Military investigation series such as "Special Ops: Lioness" have had their places on television for quite some time. Certainly, the "NCIS" shows have sustained the genre over the past 20 years, while such other pro- grams as "Homeland," "Strike Back" and "The Unit" have come (and gone) to dramatize the cat- egory. Paramount+ also has ben- efited from the continuation of "SEAL Team" since the move of its original episodes from CBS to the streaming service, where it has been renewed for a seventh season. Such shows typically have an international scope by necessity, and "Special Ops: Lioness" has followed suit not only in plotting but in production. While filming was staged toward the end of last year principally in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, some sequences were filmed in Paris and Mallorca, Spain. Don't miss the premiere of "Special Ops: Lioness," debuting Sunday, July 23, on Paramount+. Schwering Realty 2 x 2" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" On the Cover Jill Wagner, Thad Luckinbill, Zoe Saldana, James Jordan, Jonah Wharton and Austin Hébert in "Special Ops: Lioness" 'Special Ops: Lioness' debuts on Paramount+ Chase Center 3 x 2" American Legion Post 60 2 x 3" Thrifty Muffler 2 x 2.5"

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