Taylor Sheridan’s Forgotten 2-Part Action Thriller Is a Paramount+ Hidden Gem

Taylor Sheridan’s name has practically become shorthand for modern television empire-building. Between Yellowstone, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and a growing pile of spinoffs, the writer-producer has turned Paramount+ into his personal playground. But buried underneath all the cowboy drama and small-town crime sagas is arguably his most underrated series: Lioness.

Originally released as Special Ops: Lioness in 2023, the spy thriller never generated the same cultural obsession as Sheridan’s ranch dramas. Lioness debuted to a wide spectrum of critical reviews and was generally dismissed as just yet another loud, hyper-masculinized military fantasy; however, it has blossomed over the last two seasons into one of the most compelling titles on Paramount+, featuring an all-star cast, incredibly intense action sequences, and a surprisingly heartfelt foundation. Fortunately for it, the official announcement of Season 3 will allow many more potential viewers to catch up.

‘Lioness’ Turns a Familiar Spy Formula Into Something More Personal

The story of Lioness centers on Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña), who is a senior CIA Agent overseeing an undercover program that places women in the inner circles of high-risk targets. The summary sounds exactly like regular post-9/11 espionage TV shows. The show, however, works because it focuses on the individuals trapped in these operations.

Season 1 follows Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira), an ex-marine who was recruited into the program after she escaped from an abusive relationship. She has been assigned to get close to Aaliyah (Stephanie Nur), the daughter of a terrorist financier, while trying to manage the emotional consequences of lying to someone she is beginning to form an attachment to. Sheridan develops the season around this emotional conflict rather than relying solely on explosions and tactical jargon.

That emotional conflict gives Lioness more bite than many modern action thrillers. Cruz is not treated like a disposable action figure, and neither is Joe, whose increasingly fractured home life becomes just as important as the missions themselves. Some of the show’s strongest scenes have nothing to do with firefights at all. They’re arguments in kitchens, exhausted phone calls, or moments where Joe realizes she’s becoming a stranger to her own family.

Zoe Saldaña Gives One of the Best Performances of Her Career

Saldaña has been at the helm of multiple billion-dollar franchises for several years, but Lioness offers her an opportunity to portray a different kind of character. Joe is brilliant, but she is also angry and exhausted, living on almost constant adrenaline. Saldaña plays Joe as someone who has been so tense in every muscle of her body for so long that she appears almost like a puppet. The reason that the performance works is that there is no romanticized version of Joe. She is good at her job to the point of obsession; however, throughout the story, it becomes clear that her career has taken a massive social and personal toll on Joe’s life. There are moments when reality seems almost too heavy — Sheridan leans into Joe’s military bravado, but Saldaña keeps the character grounded enough that the emotional consequences of that fall are felt.

Laysla De Oliveira is equally strong as Cruz. The first season lives or dies on whether viewers buy the connection between Cruz and Aaliyah, and De Oliveira sells every second of it. Her scenes carry a vulnerability that cuts through the show’s heavier tactical elements. As for the supporting cast, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman could have easily phoned in roles like these, but both bring a sharpness to the series’ political side. Michael Kelly also slides naturally into Sheridan’s world of morally compromised officials and backroom power plays.

Season 2 Is Where ‘Lioness’ Really Finds Its Identity

Lioness was well-received in Season 2 after criticism at the beginning of its run in Season 1. After the show found its flow and consistency, the same critics who wrote Lioness off initially are now seeing it in a new light. The change in perception can be attributed to greater confidence among the showrunners as the scope of the political intrigue and the character development continue to evolve. The show is moving away from a straight anti-terrorist thriller and is truly embracing the fact that it presents women as protagonists in a male-dominated genre without reducing them to caricatures or stereotypes.

The pacing and the brutality of the fight scenes also increase as the show progresses. Sheridan stages combat with an almost documentary-style intensity. The rescue mission that opens Season 2 is one of the most tense action sequences he’s directed outside Sicario. At the same time, the show gets better at slowing down when it needs to. Joe’s growing disillusionment with her job gives the second season more weight, especially as her family starts questioning the life she’s chosen.

Beneath all the gunfire and covert operations is a show about burnout, patriotism, sacrifice, and the emotional damage left behind by endless war. It may never become as massive as Yellowstone, but Lioness deserves far more attention than it gets. Few streaming thrillers move this fast while still giving their characters room to breathe. Even fewer manage to make hardened operatives feel genuinely human.

Release Date

July 23, 2023

Network

Paramount+

Directors

John Hillcoat, Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron, Stephen Kay, Taylor Sheridan

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  Laysla De Oliveira

  Cruz Manuelos