Lioness: 3 Years Later, Taylor Sheridan’s 24-Part Spy Thriller Remains One Of His Best To Binge

Published Aug 30, 2026, 9:05 PM EDT Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions. Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston. 3 years after its premiere, Taylor Sheridan's 24-part spy thriller series remains one of his very best to binge, now halfway through its third season. Featuring an incredibly stacked ensemble cast led by Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, and David Annable, this gripping and action-packed series is the #1 most-watched show on Paramount+ right now. It combines the political drama aspects of House of Cards and The Diplomat with full-throttle combat scenes found in modern hits like The Terminal List and SEAL Team. Taylor Sheridan's spy action thriller Lioness is one of his best shows to binge-watch due to its high-stakes tension, consistent action scenes, and strong performances, specifically by Zoe Saldaña. Compared to Sheridan's more dramatic series, like Landman and The Madison, Lioness stands above the rest for its sheer binge-worthiness, especially now halfway through its third season on Paramount+. If you love Taylor Sheridan shows, modern spy thrillers like The Agency, or military series like The Unit, consider Lioness a must-watch. Lioness Is One Of Taylor Sheridan's Best Shows To Binge If you tend to favor action series with military themes and shadowy CIA operations, then Lioness is a perfect show for you to watch and perhaps the best series created by Taylor Sheridan for your specific taste. That said, even if you aren't typically into these types of shows, Lioness offers much more than just firefights and covert missions, including medical drama in the same vein as The Pitt and even classic family dramas. Saldaña offers one of her greatest performances ever as Joe, a mother, wife, and head of the CIA's Lioness program, which enlists elite women in the military to go undercover and risk their lives to eliminate some of the world's biggest terrorist threats. Lioness is one of a few series that Sheridan created and stayed on to write every single episode, which is nearly unheard of in the modern entertainment industry, as long-running shows are typically staffed. Sheridan has only done this with all five seasons of Yellowstone, the first two seasons of Landman, the new 6-part drama series The Madison, and the two Yellowstone prequels, 1883 and 1923. The fact that he stuck with Lioness for three seasons, compared to other shows like Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown, which he handed off creative control, proves that Lioness is one of his clear passion projects and one of the best to binge for true Sheridan fans. He even appeared in Lioness as a veteran special ops agent, Cody Spears, in several Lioness episodes in seasons 2 and 3. Lioness Season 3 Just Dropped Its 5th Of 8 New Episodes Image via Paramount+ Now is a perfect time to start binge-watching Lioness on Paramount+ if you haven't already. Lioness seasons 1 and 2 are both fully available to start streaming now, and most of the episodes are relatively short at 38 to 49 minutes long each, with a few reaching into the 50+ minute range. Lioness premiered back in 2023 and is currently in its third season, which just debuted on Paramount+ on August 2, 2026. Lioness season 3 releases new episodes every Sunday on Paramount+ until its finale arrives on September 20. Lioness season 3, episode 5 was just made available on Sunday, August 30. Paramount+ subscribers who start binge-watching Lioness tonight can potentially be all caught up on season 3 by next week's episode drop. Lioness season 1 is the easiest and shortest of the bunch to binge, paving the way for viewers to dive into season 2 immediately after. Those not looking to rush still have plenty of time to watch the entire series before its season 3 finale lands in roughly three weeks. Given the direct attention that Sheridan continues to put into Lioness three years after he created it, and its extended #1 status on Paramount+, it's clear that this is one new series subscribers don't want to miss. Lioness Release Date July 23, 2023 Network Paramount+ Cast Laysla De Oliveira Cruz Manuelos Showrunner Taylor Sheridan