After 16 years on the “Today” show, Jenna Bush Hager is dipping her toe into scripted TV.
On the Wednesday episode of the morning show, the “Today With Jenna & Sheinelle” co-host revealed that she’ll serve as a producer on the upcoming NBC series “Protection,” announcing that the network has officially ordered a pilot of the drama.
When it comes to the show’s storyline, the 44-year-old said it resonates with her own experience as the daughter of former President George W. Bush.
“It’s about different levels of law enforcement, some based on Secret Service,” Bush Hager told the audience. “Y’all know I know about that.”
The Emmy winner grew up with the Secret Service keeping an eye on her while she was living in the White House from 2001 to 2009.
Bush Hager said she brought that perspective to the project and played a major role throughout the pitch process. She also teased a jaw-dropping “twist” that viewers will see in the first episode of the thriller.
“To watch these sometimes jaded executives — not all of you, not all of you — [their] faces drop with the twist,” she explained. “The twist is so good.”
The official logline for “Protection” reads: “When a U.S. Marshal falls in the line of duty, a seemingly cut-and-dry case turns into a deadly conspiracy as a family of law enforcement agents become the target of a mysterious assassin. Bridging personal differences and crossing professional boundaries, the Thornhill family must use the expertise from a lifetime of protecting civilians and politicians to protect one another and bring the killer to justice … even if it means betraying their sworn code.”
Bush Hager has been working closely with series creator and showrunner Josh Safran, known for his work as an executive producer of “Gossip Girl,” “Smash” and “Quantico.”
The series is currently expected to begin filming in the spring, though casting details have yet to be announced.
Bush Hager, who’s been with “Today” since 2009, will remain on the morning show alongside Sheinelle Jones, who on Monday became the permanent co-host of the fourth hour. Following the departure of Hoda Kotb last January, Bush Hager had been hosting the show with a slew of celebrity guests.
Jones previously spent six years co-hosting the third hour of “Today.” The show is expected to employ a rotating desk of NBC News correspondents to fill her seat for the time being.
