Lioness Season 3 Wraps—Stars Tease Taylor Sheridan's High-Octane Return

Feels like it’s been forever since Taylor Sheridan last flexed his action-thriller muscles—Yellowstone, Tulsa King, and all those Western crime sagas are great, but plenty of us have been waiting for him to get back to the feverishly-paced covert ops stuff. Good news if you’ve been missing it: Sheridan’s latest, Special Ops: Lioness, is officially charging back for a third season, and all signs (and overexcited cast member Instagrams) point to this being Sheridan’s loudest, boldest return to form yet.

Wait, Let’s Catch Up: What Is Special Ops: Lioness?

In case you missed it while sifting through the 100 other shows Sheridan’s been cranking out, Lioness hit Paramount+ in July 2023. It stars Zoe Saldaña (yes, legit-Oscar-winner Zoe Saldaña) as Joe McNamara—a CIA agent wrangling a team of deep-cover female operatives (the 'Lionesses'), recruited to head off terrorist attacks before they happen. The premise is loosely based on a real U.S. military program, but in true Sheridan style it’s part high-stakes spy show, part raw personal drama.

Joe’s professional life is somehow even messier than her personal one, and the main thrust is watching her juggle utter chaos at work with whatever’s left of her home life. Sheridan actually wrote all 16 episodes out so far, and—just a heads up—they’re rumored to be leaving streaming soon, so if you haven’t caught up, get moving.

So, How Did the Show Actually Go Over?

Now, a confession: Despite all the hype around Sheridan as a personal Hitmaker-in-Chief, the first season of Lioness didn’t exactly wow everyone. Reviews were mixed (for Sheridan, that’s basically a crisis), and some fans weren’t totally sold. But hang in there—the second season course-corrected a lot of what didn’t work, and by the finale, the show had finally found its legs. Season 3? It looks like Sheridan and company are ready to go full throttle.

What’s Up With Season 3?

The official green light for Season 3 came down at the end of last year. And judging by all the backstage content the cast is leaking, they're not just excited—they’re borderline euphoric about what’s coming our way.

• Jill Wagner (Bobby, the Quick Reaction Force team leader) couldn’t resist sharing a mini photo essay on Instagram, reflecting on filming:
  'To try to capture the last 5 months in 20 pics is impossible... season 3 was EPIC. Every single moment was golden to me. I am fully aware that I am living in "the sweet spot" and I’m allowing myself to drench myself in it.'
  She poured on the appreciation for the cast, the crew, Sheridan, and the 'good people of Texas' who apparently treated her like family during production.
• James Jordan (Two Cups), probably the most low-key-cool recurring face in the Sheridan-verse, confirmed filming had officially wrapped. His online celebration was about as understated as you’d expect: 'we did it.'

What’s Coming Next?

Don’t come looking for full plot breakdowns just yet—details about what Season 3 will actually be are being kept in the same kind of lockbox they use for nuclear footballs. What we do know: Season 2’s finale set the stage for a new threat aimed squarely at Joe’s leadership. James Jordan claims the new season ramps things up even harder than before (which, if you saw last season, is saying something).

One more detail for the streaming die-hards: The existing episodes might not be available forever, so binge now if you still need to. Sheridan’s really going all-in as showrunner for another go-round, and—let’s be honest—it’s rare for a show to get this kind of second wind after a shaky start.

If you love action, spy intrigue, or just watching actors chew through bulletproof dialogue in the Texas sun, you’ll probably want to keep Special Ops: Lioness on your radar as soon as Season 3 drops. By all behind-the-scenes accounts, this is Sheridan getting back to what made him a force in television in the first place.