Lioness Roars Back: Taylor Sheridan Drama Renewed for Season 3
Special Ops: Lioness is back in the fight: Taylor Sheridan’s thriller, starring Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, has finally secured an overdue season 3 renewal.
File this under: finally official. After months of radio silence, Paramount+ has picked up Taylor Sheridan's CIA thriller Lioness (aka Special Ops: Lioness) for season 3.
So what took so long?
The Hollywood Reporter says the renewal is in the books now, with the holdup largely about wrangling schedules for its A-list trio: Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman. Not exactly the easiest calendars to line up.
How we got here
Lioness came out of the gate hot. Season 1 delivered the most-watched premiere on Paramount+ at the time, and Sheridan's fanbase only amplified the buzz. Paramount was so confident they quietly greenlit season 2 before the first season even launched. Season 2 then premiered last December... and then nothing. Over the summer, industry chatter said a third-season order was imminent. Now it's finally confirmed.
Season 2 recap in one breath
The show pushed the CIA's fight closer to home, with Joe (Saldana), Kaitlyn (Kidman), and Byron (Michael Kelly) recruiting a fresh Lioness operative to crack a threat no one had on their radar. Meanwhile, Joe had to face what leading this program has cost her personally. It was heavy, tense, and very much in Sheridan's wheelhouse.
Who is in the mix
- Zoe Saldana
- Nicole Kidman
- Morgan Freeman
- Michael Kelly
- Laysla De Oliveira
- Genesis Rodriguez
- Dave Annable
- Jill Wagner
- LaMonica Garrett
- James Jordan
- Austin Hebert
- Jonah Wharton
- Thad Luckinbill
- Hannah Love Lanier
What we still do not know
Paramount+ is keeping season 3 specifics under wraps for now. No plot tease, no episode count, no timeline. Given the talent involved, the scheduling dance makes sense, but yeah, it is a little surprising it took this long considering how strong the series launched.
And yes, people really liked it
Our own Alex Maidy was all-in on the pilot, praising the show for detonating out of the gate and never letting up. Put it this way:
"Few series have hooked me after one episode the way Special Ops: Lioness has."
Bottom line: the wait is over; Lioness is officially coming back. When we get the finer details on season 3, I will have them for you.