With the release of Special Ops: Lioness on July 23rd, Paramount+ will have officially transitioned fully into Taylor Sheridan+. The latest series from the Yellowstone creator shifts genres away from by-the-numbers Westerns into government spy action. It stars Zoe Saldaña as a CIA operative named Joe, working for the Lioness Program run by Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman). Joe brings a Marine called Raider Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) on board as an undercover agent, and then the table-pounding meetings begin.
The trailer looks like a throwback in more than one way. First, a return to Sicario style. Albeit, this time it comes without the R rating, so it’ll be interesting to see how sharp Lioness‘s bite is.
Second, a TV show about a CIA operative engaged in the war on terror parachuting into a country where she wears a hijab? Insert shots of desert landscapes captured by spy satellites? Those are some real circa-2009 vibes.
Special Ops: Lioness also stars Michael Kelly as the co-runner of the Lioness Program and Morgan Freeman as Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, as well as LaMonica Garrett, Richard Haddad, Sam Asghari, and Martin Donovan.
The first two episodes hit Paramount+ on July 23rd, followed by weekly releases after that.