《Special Ops: Lioness》(Lioness) original idea came from Jill Wagner

Jill Wagner plays the role of Bobby, the head of the rapid reaction force, in the Paramount+ series Special Operations: Lioness, but her involvement in the show predates her time in front of the camera.She pitched the idea for the show to former acting coach Taylor Sheridan, who later became the series' executive producer.

The idea began during a conversation with her husband, David Lemanovich.Wagner told Decider that her husband asked her if there was anything she had always wanted to do, and she said she had always wanted to play a soldier.Lemanovich, a major in the U.S. Army and an executive producer on the show, then mentioned some of the women he’s met on the job who have impressed him.

《Special Operations: Lioness》based on a real military project, revolves around a female CIA undercover counterterrorism team, with Sheridan as the creator; Bobby leads a rapid reaction force to provide support when undercover operations are in danger.The show is in its third season.

Wagner was particularly concerned with how these women would be represented.“I'm worried that someone will take this idea and just make Barbies with guns, or make these women look too much like superheroes.” She believes that there are many female heroes worth telling in reality, but they may not appear in Marvel movies.It was precisely because she understood Sheridan's way of expressing himself and his ideas that she was convinced that it was appropriate for him to narrate these experiences.

Wagner himself had no military experience, but grew up in a military family.In addition to her husband, both her grandfather and father served in the United States Marine Corps.She has had respect for the military since she was a child, and has always wanted to play a soldier herself; she confessed to Decider that not joining the military was her biggest regret.

She said it would be a tribute to those who serve if they can be portrayed on screen and tell their stories.“In a sense, Special Ops: Lioness is a love letter to them.”