Judged on the premise alone, “Lioness” might sound like the kind of progressive Hollywood fare that could alienate MAGA audiences. The streaming series, which just concluded its second season on Paramount+, stars Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman as leaders of the CIA’s clandestine Lioness program, through which they recruit and train women to infiltrate terror networks and drug cartels. The titular lionesses are lethal, highly effective warriors — who would have no place in the military as reimagined by Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for Secretary of Defense.
Only about a third of the storytelling in “Lioness” is shoot-'em-up action, though. The remainder is political intrigue and family drama, and in these realms the show seems carefully calibrated to appeal to politically conservative viewers. Often, the political leanings of the show are subtle, glimpsed in B-story plots and transitional moments between more intense scenes.
