, the creator behind the phenomenon that is Yellowstone and who has gone on to craft all manner of his shows for Paramount since, is also behind a severely underrated action spy series. And it’s coming to 
Netflix
. Led by Avatar and MCU star Zoe Saldaña, Special Ops: Lioness, which is often referred to as simply Lioness, finds Sheridan leaving Westerns behind in favor of a spy thriller.
It has now been revealed courtesy of What’s on Netflix that Lioness will make the leap from Paramount+ to Netflix in various territories, enabling fans of Sheridan to check out what he’s bringing to the action genre. The first season of Lioness, which debuted on Paramount+ back in 2023, will be available on Netflix in Latin American regions, Australia, and Canada from April 17th, 2025.
Related
Everything We Know About Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ Season 3
It seems like Season 3 of Taylor Sheridan’s popular spy series ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ is a go, so here’s what you need to know.
Created by Taylor Sheridan, Special Ops: Lioness premiered back in July 2023 and introduced audiences to Oscar-winner Zoe Saldaña as Joe McNamara, a CIA agent in charge of the black ops Lioness program. Inspired by a real-life U.S. Military program, the series follows Joe as she attempts to enlist female operatives, known as Lionesses, and prevent the next 9/11, while attempting to balance her personal life with her professional duties as a spy.
Alongside Zoe Saldaña, Special Ops: Lioness stars Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, and James Jordan, with Hollywood icons Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman also featuring. The first season of Lioness proved to be deeply divisive among critics and audiences, with the show landing scores of 56% from the former and 75% from the latter on Rotten Tomatoes. “Zoe Saldaña provides the energy of a Lioness, but these Special Ops are largely derivative and unconvincing,” the critics’ consensus reads.
Despite this, Lioness was renewed for a second season, which debuted in October last year. And it seems the series has now found its footing, with Special Ops: Lioness Season 2 landing scores of 89% from critics and 71% from audiences. Michael John Petty of Collider found the second round to be much improved compared to its predecessor, saying, “Lioness gets deeper and better in a slow-burn second season that heads in a strong direction for the series.”
While there is currently no word on whether Lioness Season 2 will also be picked up by Netflix (it’s possible Paramount is hoping audiences will turn to their streaming platform after getting hooked on Season 1), it is certainly possible. We are also still awaiting confirmation of Special Ops: Lioness Season 3. While nothing has been made official as yet, the show’s South African streaming home, Showmax, did offer a major clue recently that, yes, Season 3 is a go. Responding to a question from a fan regarding the development of a third season, Showmax said, “Soon, soon showmie, we’ll let you know.” You hardly need to be a savvy spy to work out what that means.
Source: What’s on Netflix, Collider
