‘Today’s Jenna Bush Hager Teases ‘Twist’ in New Scripted TV Project on NBC
What To Know
- Jenna Bush Hager is set to executive produce her first scripted TV series, Protection.
- Bush Hager spilled a few details about the show, which received a pilot order, on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle.
- Last year, Bush Hager published her first book through her Random House Publishing Group book imprint, Thousand Voices Books.
As the fourth hour of Today begins a new chapter, Jenna Bush Hager is starting a new chapter in her individual career.
Sheinelle Jones officially took on her role as Jenna Bush Hager’s new cohost on the Monday, January 12, episode of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle. The following day, NBC announced that Bush Hager will take on a behind-the-scenes role as an executive producer on the upcoming series Protection.
“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 becomes the target of a mysterious assassin,” the show’s description reads. “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.”
The series has received a pilot order on NBC. Bush Hager will executive produce through her Thousand Voices production company, alongside Ben Spector and Quantico creator Josh Safran. On Tuesday, NBC also greenlit a pilot for a reboot of The Rockford Files from writer Mike Daniels and producers Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, and Chris Leanza.
Bush Hager opened up about the pilot order on the Wednesday, January 14, episode of Jenna & Sheinelle. “Who knew I would ever do something like this, ladies and gentlemen? It’s about different levels of law enforcement, some based on [the] Secret Service. So, y’all know I know about that,” the former first daughter shared. “And it’s a mystery, and I joined all the pitches because every time, to watch these sometimes jaded executives’ — not all of you — faces drop with the twist, the twist is so good.”
NBC
Bush Hager told Jones that the show’s big twist will happen in the pilot, and that filming will begin this spring. No additional details were shared, including casting or a release date.
Protection will mark Bush Hager’s first scripted television project. The Today host signed a first-look deal with Universal Studio Group back in 2022 to develop and produce content across multiple platforms for Universal Content Productions, Universal Television, Universal Television Alternative Studio, and Universal International Studios, per Deadline.
“I am excited and thrilled with this natural extension of Read with Jenna’s mission to highlight debut and diverse authors,” Bush Hager said in a statement at the time. “This new partnership will expand these authors’ voices to new audiences, and for that, I am grateful.”
Outside of the world of TV, Bush Hager has also dipped her toes into the literary world through her Read With Jenna book club, which she launched in 2019. In October 2025, Bush Hager published her first book through her Random House Publishing Group book imprint, Thousand Voices Books — Conform by Ariel Sullivan.
“As a little girl who kept a flashlight in the drawer by my bedside just to stay up reading, this is a dream realized,” Bush Hager wrote in an October 2025 Substack post. “I know that for Ariel (who publishes her debut novel TOMORROW 10/14!!!), who worked tirelessly—writing in carpool lines and coffee shops until close, who was rejected by agents over and over again—this is a dream beyond her wildest dreams.”
Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Weekdays, 10 a.m./9c, NBC
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