Lioness, also known as Special Ops: Lioness,[a] is an American spy thriller television series created by Taylor Sheridan that premiered on July 23, 2023, on Paramount+.[3] In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 27, 2024.[4][5]
Premise
A spy thriller that follows the leader of undercover CIA operations on the war on terror by enlisting female operatives that are known as Lionesses.
Cast
Main
Zoe Saldaña as Joe McNamara, a CIA clandestine operations officer in charge of the Lioness program in the field
Laysla De Oliveira as Sergeant First Class Cruz Manuelos, a former Force ReconMarine and operative in the Lioness program, turned Delta Force operator after the events of season 1. She once again is recruited by Joe, to be a shadow to Josephina.
Thad Luckinbill as Kyle McManus (season 2;[6] recurring season 1), a CIA officer and Joe's colleague
Michael Kelly as Byron Westfield (season 2, recurring season 1), the CIA Deputy Director and Kaitlyn's supervisor
Genesis Rodriguez (season 2) as Captain Josephina Carrillo, a US Army Apache pilot recruited into the Lioness program due to her family connection to the Mexican cartel that kidnapped an American Congresswoman
Recurring
Celestina Harris as Charlie McNamara, the younger daughter of Joe and Neal
Martin Donovan as Errol Meade, Kaitlyn's husband, a high ranking financial investor[7]
Joe McNamara, leader of the CIA's Lioness program, oversees a mission in Syria that goes awry, resulting in the death of an undercover operative. Meanwhile, Cruz Manuelos escapes an abusive relationship in Oklahoma by enlisting in the Marines. Years later, Joe recruits Cruz for a covert operation targeting Asmar Ali Amrohi, a suspected terrorist financier. Cruz successfully initiates contact with Amrohi's daughter, Aaliyah, marking the beginning of her deep-cover assignment.
2
2
"The Beating"
John Hillcoat
Taylor Sheridan
July 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)
Joe subjects Cruz to intense SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training to prepare her for the mission's challenges. Concurrently, Joe navigates family issues, including her daughter Kate's suspension from school and her husband Neal's emotional strain from his medical practice. Despite the rigorous training, Cruz deepens her relationship with Aaliyah, who invites her to spend more time together, indicating growing trust.
3
3
"Bruise Like a Fist"
Anthony Byrne
Story by : Taylor Sheridan and Thomas Brady Teleplay by : Taylor Sheridan
July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30)
Cruz attends a party hosted by Aaliyah in Chesapeake, Maryland, following Joe's guidance to gather intelligence. Joe and Kaitlyn Meade discuss the mission's progress and potential risks, considering the possibility that Aaliyah's openness might be a trap. Cruz navigates the social dynamics carefully, aiming to solidify her position within Aaliyah's circle.
4
4
"The Choice of Failure"
Anthony Byrne
Taylor Sheridan
August 6, 2023 (2023-08-06)
Joe learns of Aaliyah's arranged marriage to Ehsan Al Rashdi, a Saudi royal, raising suspicions about the union's true purpose. Cruz faces a dangerous situation when she's drugged and kidnapped at a club but is rescued by the Lioness team. This incident leads to doubts about her readiness, but Cruz provides critical information about Aaliyah's upcoming wedding in Dubai, reaffirming her value to the mission.
Cruz continues to build rapport with Aaliyah, accompanying her on shopping trips and social events. Joe and the team monitor their interactions closely, analyzing Aaliyah's connections for links to terrorist activities. Tensions rise as Cruz balances maintaining her cover with the moral complexities of her assignment.
6
6
"The Lie Is the Truth"
Paul Cameron
Taylor Sheridan
August 20, 2023 (2023-08-20)
Cruz spends a weekend with Aaliyah at a mansion in East Hampton, deepening their bond. Joe faces scrutiny from higher-ups, including Edwin Mullins, for unsanctioned operations. Cruz's growing closeness to Aaliyah leads to personal dilemmas, as she grapples with the implications of her undercover role.
7
7
"Wish the Fight Away"
John Hillcoat
Taylor Sheridan
August 27, 2023 (2023-08-27)
As Aaliyah's wedding approaches, Cruz is invited to join the festivities in Dubai. Joe and the team prepare for the mission's final phase, coordinating logistics for Cruz's extraction post-operation. Cruz confronts her feelings for Aaliyah, questioning the morality of her assignment and her loyalty to the mission.
8
8
"Gone Is the Illusion of Order"
John Hillcoat
Taylor Sheridan
September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03)
Cruz attends Aaliyah's wedding in Mallorca, Spain, with the objective of neutralizing Asmar Ali Amrohi. She faces unexpected challenges, including a confrontation with Ehsan, who discovers her true identity. Cruz successfully completes her mission but is emotionally shattered, leading to a confrontation with Joe during extraction. The operation's fallout prompts Joe to reconsider her role in the Lioness program, while Cruz severs ties, condemning the mission's ethical costs.
On May 9, 2024, it was reported that returning cast members for season two include Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Michael Kelly, and Nicole Kidman, with Morgan Freeman being promoted to a series regular role.[4] Upon the renewal becoming official on that same date, De Oliveira expressed her excitement about returning to her role as Cruz on her Instagram account.[11] On May 17, 2024, it was announced that Thad Luckinbill was promoted as a series regular for the second season.[6] Few days later, Genesis Rodriguez joined the cast in an undisclosed capacity for the second season.[20] On September 13, 2024, Max Martini, Kirk Acevedo, and Patricia de Leon were cast in recurring roles for the second season.[8]
It was later noted that Sheridan played a role named Cody - the KT tape-wrapped former SEAL who assured an iffy Joe.[21]
Filming
Filming began in Delaware in September 2022[22] and continued in Mallorca in January 2023.[23] In May 2023, it was announced that the series title was changed from Lioness to Special Ops: Lioness,[1] although the title card remained unchanged. The title reverted to the original title when the series was renewed for its second season.[2]
In May 2024, production for the second season officially began, relocating from the gritty streets of Baltimore, Maryland, to the expansive landscapes of Texas.[24] Sheridan was reported to be directing the third episode of the new season.[24] On August 29, 2024, Kelly announced that filming of the second season had been wrapped.[25]
Inspiration
The series is very loosely based on the premise of "Team Lioness", where in Iraq in 2003 the decision was made to send female soldiers out with patrols, aiming to stop insurgents from using women to smuggle material because male US soldiers found it difficult to search Muslim women. These teams found themselves in direct combat situations, in violation of the Combat Exclusion Policy (changed only a decade later), which hindered the soldiers from getting veteran benefits after service.[26][27]
Release
Paramount+ unveiled a first-look trailer for the show on 8 June 2023.[28] The eight-part series premiered on 23 July 2023 on Paramount+ with two one-hour episodes, and subsequent episodes released weekly thereafter.[29] The red carpet premiered for the series, initially slated for 18 July 2023 at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in Los Angeles, was canceled due to the impact of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in the United States.[30]
This marked one of the first events to be canceled in response to the strike.[31]
The second season was released with a two-episode premiere on October 27, 2024.[5]
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval rating and an average rating of 6.1/10, based on 36 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Zoe Saldaña provides the energy of a Lioness, but these Special Ops are largely derivative and unconvincing."[32] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[33]
Tania Hussain of Collider praised the performance of the cast but criticised the show as "flawed story" and found Taylor Sheridan was struggling to write about women.[36] Another writer from Collider, Michael John Petty, said the series "might work best as a one-and-done story," though later noted in his Season 2 review that the show that "Sheridan and company have managed to extend the narrative as organically as possible, offering hope for the future of this series."[37][38] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the script as "seems to be constructed with the assumption that most of the audience will only be half-watching while scrolling Facebook on their phones anyway" but couldn't deny the fact that "there is one aspect of Special Ops: Lioness that shines through clear as day no matter how much or how little of your focus you've directed toward it, and that is its reverence for the U.S. Marine Corps".[39]
Jim Hemphill of IndieWire praised the cinematography work of Paul Cameron as it "breaks all the cinematography rules" and "in Cameron's hands, even a standard dialogue scene between two actors has extra dynamism and energy that come simply from looking for unorthodox angles or alternating focal lengths in a manner that might seem counterintuitive".[40]
Reviewer Mike Hale, writing for The New York Times, wrote that the show "turned out to be a moody, suspenseful, textured genre piece with characters you cared about," and that "Sheridan found a form, the action thriller, that suits him better than the western soap operas and contemporary crime dramas that he has produced up to now." Initially, when only screening the first episode, Hale wrote the show "looks like an awful lot of other counterterrorism thrillers, with a visceral punch to its action and a ticky-tacky, backlot feel."[41][42] Also based on the first episode, Variety criticised it as "cliché" and "shameless military propaganda".[26]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an 89% approval rating based on 9 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[34]
Audience viewership
The first season achieved a milestone by becoming the streamer's most-watched worldwide series premiere on launch day at the time, drawing nearly 6 million total viewers in its first week across Paramount+ globally and during a linear preview on the Paramount Network.[2][43][44] This record was later surpassed by Lawmen: Bass Reeves, another series produced by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+. It garnered 7.5 million viewers worldwide within the first 7 days across Paramount+ and during a broadcast sampling run on CBS.[45]Special Ops: Lioness emerged as one of the most-watched global series premieres on Paramount+ in 2023.[2]
The second season garnered 3 million views within its first seven days.[46] It placed #4 Paramount+ originals with the biggest domestic household premieres.[47] It was reported a total of 12.4 million viewers globally across all platforms until the week of November 10 and an increase of average households from 4.8 million to 5.4 million.[48] The second season reached 8.3 million domestic households, a 10% increase compared to its season 1 of 7.6 million, and secured #3 in the most-watched global series premieres on Paramount+ in 2024.[49]
According to Nielsen's latest data, measuring only U.S. views on TV sets, the second season was placed #8[50] and #5[51] position in the original series chart during the week of October 28–November 3 and November 4–10, respectively.
It placed #6[52] and #7[53] for November 11–17 and November 18–24, respectively. According to Luminate Film & TV Streaming Viewership, the second and first season ranked as the #4 and #8 most-watched streaming original series in the U.S. for the week of November 29–December 5.[54]
^The series was originally announced as Lioness and that was the title used in the first season's title card. The "Special Ops" prefix was added for marketing purposes shortly before the release of season 1,[1] but was dropped as part of the season 2 renewal.[2]
^Park, Jae-hwan (September 12, 2023). "아시아콘텐츠어워즈&글로벌OTT어워즈 후보작 발표.. "더 글로리, 무빙, 만장적계절, 그리고 퍼스트러브하츠코이" [Asian Content Awards & Global OTT Awards Nominees Announced... "The Glory, Moving, All Seasons, and First Love Hatsukoi"] (in Korean). KBS. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via Naver.
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