Fans may know Jill Wagner as the fierce and combative team leader of the rapid force team on Special Ops: Lioness. A strong and focused combatant, Wagner has become known for her “badass” character, whose strength and perseverance drive her through the harshness of war. But years before her Lioness role, Wagner got her start with another fierce female character in this short-lived Marvel TV show, Blade: The Series.
In Blade: The Series, Wagner stars as Krista Starr. A former soldier who has recently returned home, Krista begins to investigate the recent murder of her twin brother. As she discovers the secrets of her brother’s life, Krista is surprised as she finds herself in the world of vampires. Faced with the foe who killed her brother and the mysterious slayer who seeks to use her as his means of infiltrating the vampire world, Krista must navigate the world of the undead if she wants to see another day.
Jill Wagner Goes Undercover To Face an Eternal Foe
Blade: The Series was a highly bingeable action show that deserved more time to find its footing. Although it only ran for one season, the show showed great promise as it established an underlying world of vampire factions and pitted them against the twin obsessions of rage (Blade) and vengeance (Krista). Filled with intrigue, violence, and a somewhat shallow mystery, Blade: The Series is an entertaining watch despite clumsy storytelling and an abundance of unintentionally hilarious lines. A fun and, at times, farcical adventure, Blade: The Series doesn’t have quite the punch of the movies or comics on which it is based. However, fans of the Blade character may enjoy this more light-hearted take.
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Though the series is titled Blade, Krista’s storyline gets a fair amount of screen time. Given arguably more development than the titular hero, her character and background have more interest than the half-human, half-vampire. Perhaps giving Krista’s character more development than Blade himself was a misstep. Whether this has been emboldened by the knowledge that viewers are already aware of Blade’s background or is due to the unfortunate limitations of the actor given the chore of following in Wesley Snipes’ footsteps is unknown. Unfair as this comparison might be, sadly, Jones has far less of an intimidating presence than Snipes as the vampire-hunting vampire. However, Wagner and the rest of the cast had the advantage of portraying characters without the burden of established legacies.
Where To Watch ‘Blade: The Series’
Though Blade: The Series originally aired on the Spike network, the show only lasted for one season before the network canceled it. The network never gave an official reason. However, rumors swirled that financial constraints, rapidly declining ratings, and the overall mixed reception drove the decision. New audiences should be aware that the show ends on a cliffhanger, which, clearly, will never be resolved. The unresolved loose threads may deter many viewers. However, the series is entertaining enough that the path leading up to it is a worthwhile endeavor.
Blade: The Series is currently available to stream for free on The CW and is also available to purchase on the Apple TV app. Released in 2006, the creators designed the show as a continuation of the Blade movie franchise. David S. Goyer, who wrote all three Blade films, wrote the series’ two-part pilot, which takes place after the events of Blade: Trinity. Along with Wagner and Jones, the show also starred Jessica Gower, Nelson Lee, and Neil Jackson.
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While Blade was her first featured role, Wagner also made appearances in several television shows in smaller roles, including Monk, Stargate Atlantis, Dr. Vegas, and Bones. Fans of MTV’s hidden camera series Punk’d might recognize Wagner as one of the field agents in the very first season of the Ashton Kutcher prank series. The six episodes of her stint in the series serve as Wagner’s first professional credits. Between field agent (Punk’d) and special agent (Lioness), Wagner has built an impressive catalog as a Hallmark movie staple, played a recurring role in the drama series Teen Wolf, and co-hosted several seasons of the reality competition show Wipeout. Catch Wagner in Lioness, streaming on Paramount+.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
