Lioness (2023)
This wasn't the mission.
Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, is recruited to join the CIA's Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program, is tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 23 July 2023 |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Genre | Drama, War & Politics |
| Created by | Taylor Sheridan |
| Starring | Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira and Dave Annable |
| Seasons | 3 seasons, 24 episodes |
| Episode length | about 43 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 17 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.3/10 |
Where to watch Lioness
Lioness is streaming on Fubo in the US. It is also on Paramount+ ($13.99 a month). At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Paramount+, or $13.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 30 September 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Taylor Sheridan built Lioness around a specific kind of tension: the distance between the person doing the job and the person managing it. Joe runs the CIA’s Lioness program, training female operatives to infiltrate terrorist organizations. One of those operatives is Cruz, a young Marine whose passion often outpaces her caution. The series leans into the friction of that dynamic, showing how close proximity to danger reshapes both the agent and the handler. With 24 episodes across 3 seasons, the total runtime is 17 hours. It is a long way to go to understand how trust erodes when the mission is the only thing holding two people together.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes started at 56% for season 1, then climbed to 73% overall by 2025. Metacritic sits at 56, a number that usually means "mixed or average." Critics liked the acting but questioned the writing. Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph called Nicole Kidman a "total distraction" with a "frozen face." Tania Hussain of Collider found it a "flawed story" where Taylor Sheridan struggled with female characters. The consensus agrees Zoe Saldaña provides the energy, but the Special Ops premise feels derivative.
How it did with audiences
Special Ops: Lioness hit a milestone on launch day, becoming the most-watched worldwide series premiere on Paramount+ at the time. It drew nearly 6 million viewers in its first week globally and on linear TV. The second season followed with 3 million views in its first 7 days. By November 10, total global viewership reached 12.4 million. It placed #4 among Paramount+ originals for domestic household premieres. Nielsen data shows it held the #8 spot in original series charts, then climbed to #5, #6, and #4 in subsequent weeks. The numbers suggest audiences found something worth staying for.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Lioness.
Sources
- Lioness on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q116199566 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Lioness (American TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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