Will the drama-filled Zoe Saldaña outing return?

By Molly Moss

Published: Monday, 04 September 2023 at 14:59 PM


Taylor Sheridan has created a vast TV empire with Paramount Plus in recent years, from the fast-expanding Yellowstone universe and Michigan-based Mayor of Kingstown to the Sylvester Stallone-starring drama Tulsa King.

His latest project, Special Ops: Lioness, has now landed on the streamer, bringing fans eight episodes of high-octane espionage.

Inspired by an actual US Military program, Special Ops: Lioness follows US Marine Cruz Manuelos (Locke & Key’s Laysla De Oliveira) as she’s recruited into the CIA’s “Lioness” programme, an operation where female operatives build relationships with the wives and daughters of high-value terrorist targets in order to gain intel and thwart future attacks.

Zoe Saldaña (From Scratch) stars in the lead role as CIA Special Activities operative Joe, while Michael Kelly (Black Mirror), Morgan Freeman (A Good Person) and Nicole Kidman (The Northman) also appear in supporting roles.

Talking about how much information the US armed forces provided, Saldaña told Radio Times magazine: “There was a fount of information on set – ex-paramilitary operatives, people who had served as Marines or Seals, plus people who had worked in the White House or the CIA.

“A great amount of information was provided to us without over-sharing or exposing themselves.”

After season 1 ended with a bang, naturally viewers are wondering whether a second season could be on the cards. Read on for everything you need to know.

Will there be Special Ops: Lioness season 2?

Zoe Saldaña as Joe in Special Ops: Lioness wearing military gear in a sandy environment
Zoe Saldaña as Joe in Special Ops: Lioness.
Lynsey Addario/Paramount+

A second season of Special Ops: Lioness has yet to be confirmed. 

However, given the show’s viewership figures, a renewal seems likely. 

The first episode of Special Ops: Lioness was the most-watched premiere on the platform, and its popularity didn’t show any signs of waning throughout all eight episodes.

“Special Ops: Lioness scored as the No.1 new scripted series of the year on cable and one of the highest performers of all time on Paramount Plus,” said Paramount Media Networks CEO Chris McCarthy in a statement.

“Brilliantly created by Taylor Sheridan and brought to life by our stellar cast, this heart-pounding thriller inspired by real-life events clearly struck a chord with a huge audience.”

On top of this, the title Special Ops: Lioness has led some fans to speculate that Special Ops could be an anthology series moving forward, with each season focusing on a different mission.

This would hardly be surprising given that the new series was created by Sheridan, whose Yellowstone universe has expanded and sprouted several spin-off series.