Real Operatives Torch Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Lioness’: “Total Fantasy”
The Real Story Behind "Lioness": Why Real-Life Veterans Are Upset With the Hit TV Show
TL;DR: The popular Paramount+ series Lioness shares a name with a real group of brave women Marines from the Iraq War—but that’s about where the similarities end. The real veterans feel the show "corrupted" their history by turning their support roles into a CIA spy thriller.
What Is the TV Show "Lioness"?
The Paramount+ series Lioness (starring Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman) just launched its third season. Here’s the show’s premise:
- What it’s about: A top-secret CIA task force that recruits female soldiers
- Their mission: Befriend the wives and daughters of terrorists to stop attacks from the inside
- The vibe: High-stakes espionage, action, and drama
- The creator: Taylor Sheridan (known for Yellowstone and Sicario)
Who Were the REAL "Team Lioness"?
The show borrowed its name from a real group of women who served in Iraq starting in 2003. Here’s what they actually did:
The Real Team Lioness: By the Numbers
| Detail | Reality |
|---|---|
| Branch | U.S. Marine Corps (not CIA) |
| Year formed | 2003 (during the Iraq War) |
| Jobs | Mechanics, engineers, combat medics |
| Main role | Attached to male units to search women and protect translators |
| Combat status | Became some of the first U.S. women in offensive ground combat—despite a ban |
Why They Were Special
At the time: The Department of Defense banned women from official combat roles.
In practice: These women still ended up in firefights and raids—making history whether the rules liked it or not.
What They Actually Did Day-to-Day
According to Captain Kate Guttormsen (the only female company commander in the 1st Engineer Battalion), the Lionesses would:
- Go to schools and hand out soccer balls to build trust
- Search women at checkpoints (culturally, men couldn’t do this)
- Gather intelligence through conversation and presence
- Protect translators during missions
Why the Real Veterans Are Speaking Out
Several original Team Lioness members and historians have strong feelings about the show. Here’s what they’re saying:
Direct Quotes from the Women Who Lived It
| Person | Role | What They Said |
|---|---|---|
| Ranie Ruthig | Original Lioness | "It makes me mad that it doesn’t follow what we did at all. They took the Team Lioness name and twisted it into a spy thing… he took our history and kind of corrupted it." |
| Daria Sommers | Co-directed a Lioness documentary | "The term Lioness is now honorific. The key thing is it has no basis in reality… If Taylor Sheridan had called the show something else, we wouldn’t be having this conversation." |
| Michelle Dallocchio | Team Lioness (2004–2005) | "It feels like appropriation. I see a really complicated women’s wartime history repackaged into something safer and sanitized for mass consumption—while erasing the actual women who lived it." |
The Core Conflict: Inspiration vs. Adaptation
What Taylor Sheridan Says
Sheridan has never claimed the show is a true story. On The Joe Rogan Experience (July 2026), he explained:
"The fun thing about ‘Lioness’… I can’t say ripped from the headlines, because I’ve tried to guess what’s going to happen politically and then fictionalize that. The fact that I’ve managed to be right is pretty [expletive] wild."
Translation: He used the name and concept of women in unconventional roles as a launching pad for fiction—not a documentary.
What the Veterans Want
They’re not mad at the actresses (Saldaña and Kidman). They’re upset that:
- The name "Lioness" now points to a spy thriller instead of real Marines
- Their actual groundbreaking history (first women in combat despite the ban) gets erased
- The show feels like a "sanitized," "safer" version that ignores the messy, complex reality
Important Point: This Isn’t Just "Hollywood Being Hollywood"
When a show uses a real unit’s name but changes everything they did, it reshapes public memory. Future generations may only know "Lioness" as a CIA spy show—not the mechanics, medics, and engineers who made history in Fallujah and Ramadi.
Summary: What You Should Walk Away With
- Real Team Lioness = Marine mechanics/medics/engineers in Iraq (2003+) who searched women and protected translators—accidentally making combat history
- TV "Lioness" = Fictional CIA spy unit recruiting women for undercover counterterrorism
- The overlap? Just the name—and the idea of women doing "unconventional" work
- Real veterans feel: Erased, misrepresented, and that their actual barrier-breaking story was swapped for a "sexier" spy narrative
- Sheridan’s stance: It was inspired by reality, not based on it—but the name choice blurs that line for viewers
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Is Lioness based on a true story?
No. It’s inspired by the existence of Team Lioness, but the plot (CIA, spying on terrorists’ families) is fiction. The real Lionesses were Marines—not CIA—and didn’t do undercover spy work.
Did the real Lionesses see combat?
Yes. Even though women were officially banned from combat roles in 2003, Team Lioness members routinely engaged in firefights and raids because they were attached to infantry units. They became some of the first U.S. women in offensive ground combat.
Why does the name matter so much?
Names carry legacy. "Team Lioness" represents a specific group of women who broke barriers by accident while doing a job the military said they couldn’t do. Turning that name into a spy show rewrites their place in history for millions of viewers.
Are the veterans mad at Zoe Saldaña or Nicole Kidman?
No. Multiple veterans explicitly said they support the actresses and want them in great roles. Their frustration is with the creative choice to use the real unit’s name for a fictionalized, unrecognizable version.
Has Paramount or Taylor Sheridan responded?
As of the original reporting, TheWrap reached out to Paramount for comment—but no public response was included in the source material. Sheridan has previously clarified the show is fiction inspired by history, not a dramatization.
Final Thought
History gets one shot at being remembered accurately. When entertainment borrows a real unit’s name but invents a totally different story, it doesn’t just "take creative license"—it replaces the truth in the public imagination. The real Lionesses didn’t ask for fame. They just did the job in front of them. The least a hit show can do is not erase them while using their name.
Want to learn more? Look up the documentary "Lioness: The Origin Story" (co-directed by Daria Sommers) or search for interviews with Ranie Ruthig, Michelle Dallocchio, and Kate Guttormsen—the women who were actually there.