The partnership between Paramount+ and Taylor Sheridan is growing, with his sixth show coming to the streaming platform in Special Ops: Lioness. The espionage thriller features a star-studded cast inspired by an actual U.S. Military program.
The success of Taylor Sheridan's shows has been one of the best things to watch since the birth of streaming. From bringing Kevin Costner to the small screen with Yellowstone to getting Sylvester Stallone to make his first TV show with Tulsa King, the stars are aligning to work with him. His latest series looks to be a good one, and we share all the details about it below.
What is Special Ops: Lioness about?
Special Ops: Lioness is inspired by the actual US Military program. The Marine Corps created Task Force Lioness, a team of female marines that did a job that no men could do during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars when they would exploit the sensitivities around male U.S. troops searching for local women.
The series follows the life of Joe (Saldaña), attempting to balance her personal and professional life as the CIA's spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, which is overlooked by Kaitlyn Meade (Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Kelly), enlists Marine Raider Cruz (De Oliveira) to head undercover alongside Joe to thwart the next 9/11.
Who wrote Special Ops: Lioness?
In September 2020, Paramount announced Lioness as part of the Paramount+ slate. Taylor Sheridan took over as the showrunner from Thomas Brady after some creative differences. Once Sheridan took over the series, he enlisted Jill Wagner (Teen Wolf) to finish creating the series.
Specials Ops: Lioness Cast
Much like Taylor Sheridan's other shows, Special Ops: Lioness is filled with a star-studded cast featuring award-winning actors.
- Zoe Saldana as Joe
- Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade
- Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins
- Michael Kelly as Donald Westfield
- Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos
- Jill Wagner as Bobby
- Sam Asghari as Kamal
Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman will also serve as Executive Producers on the series.
When does Special Ops: Lioness premiere?
Special Ops: Lioness features eight episodes in the first season. The season debuts on July 23, 2023, and will run through September 10, 2023. Each episode will have a run time of between 45-50 minutes.
The first episode is titled “Sacrifical Soldiers.” and the synopsis for the episode is “Things go awry for Joe and her team during a mission out in the field; Joe is left devastated. Upon her return home, Joe's family life presents its own challenges. Cruz tries to escape a dangerous situation. Joe must choose a new recruit.”
Where was Special Ops: Lioness filmed?
The series was filmed in Spain, Paris, Washington, D.C., and several locations in Maryland. It started filming in January of this year and ended a few months later.
Is there a trailer for Special Ops: Lioness?
Yes, Paramount+ has released a trailer for the series.
Trailer Thoughts: The trailer is brilliantly constructed in a way that shows us each of the heavy hitters involved in the series while slowly showing bits and pieces of the story. It runs just under two minutes, and it didn't overshare but gave us an inside look at what we can expect—a thrilling story with some action sprinkled in.
