After delays and deals, Taylor Sheridan’s spy series with Zoe Saldaña finally gets greenlit for Season 3
Taylor Sheridan is on a roll these days! With the completion of 'Landman' Season 2 filming and several new projects underway, Sheridan is the hottest name in the entertainment industry. To add more to his esteemed resume, one of Sheridan's most loved spy thriller series is renewed for Season 3. Not only that, but the rights to the said series have already been sold to ITVX for the UK premiere, making the wait for Season 3 harder than ever.
The series in discussion is 'Special Ops: Lioness,' which has been renewed for Season 3, per Screen Rant. The series stars Zoe Saldaña as CIA officer Joe McNamara, alongside Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. While Season 1 set records as Paramount+'s most-watched premiere despite mixed reviews, Season 2 earned a strong 90% critic rating and climbed higher in viewership, staying in the streamer's Top 10. The Season 3 renewal came nine months after Season 2 ended, partly due to Kidman requiring a new deal, while Saldaña was already signed for three seasons.
Reportedly, Saldaña had already confirmed a three-season contract and even voiced interest in a spinoff about Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman), Joe, and Byron Westfield’s (Michael Kelly) early days. While Kidman's contract reportedly delayed the renewal, other factors included Sheridan's packed schedule with 'Landman' and Yellowstone's new spinoff 'The Madison,' as well as Paramount’s merger with Skydance. Still, given Sheridan's expanding partnership with the studio, including plans for a massive Texas production hub, Season 3's renewal was always in the plan.
Not only that, ITV has picked up the UK rights to 'Lioness,' with Season 1 debuting on ITVX Sunday, September 7, and Season 2 arriving in 2026, per Collider. The series, which premiered on Paramount+ in July 2023, follows CIA operative Joe, who is working under Meade and Westfield, as they lead the Lioness Program and recruit Marine Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) for a high-risk undercover mission.
In an interview with People, Saldaña also opened up about the challenges of working on 'Lioness,' admitting, "Well, it's made me believe that I can do it if I continue to really work really hard. I think addressing my dyslexia and my anxiety was the reason why I sort of embarked on this challenge to do a Taylor Sheridan sort of show. He's very dialogue-heavy. It's very wordy. There's a cadence to the way he wants the sort of dialogues in the scenes to be said."
She continued, "And I dared myself to believe that maybe I can pull it off. But that required a lot more hours of preparation, which with the support of my husband and my family I was able to do," referencing her husband, Marco Perego, and their children, twins Cy and Bowie and Zen. Saldaña shared that being "120% prepared" has helped her manage anxiety and dyslexia, but she also stressed the importance of staying flexible, saying, "But always understanding that there's always an element of surprise that you have to leave because so many things can happen the morning of the day of. And if you miss them because you're so much in your head, then you miss everything."