Special Ops – Lioness Season 2 – Release Date, Cast & Everything To Know

With the release of season 1 last year, the release date for Lioness season 2 has finally been confirmed. The popular Paramount Plus series, created by Taylor Sheridan, the guy behind the Yellowstone world, stars Zoe Saldaña as Joe, a CIA agent, and Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade, her boss. Together, they manage a specialist unit that places female spies far beyond enemy lines. Lioness season 2 is officially announced, having begun filming earlier this year following the success of season 1.

The second season of Lioness will debut on October 27, 2024, according to a report from Deadline. The first two episodes of the season will air on Sunday night, with the remaining episodes being released every week after that. 

Lioness Season 2 Overview

In Lioness season 1, Saldaña plays the lead, but Laysla De Oliveira’s Cruz Manuelos is really involved in a lot of the action. In season one, Cruz, a recruit for Joe’s Lioness program, breaks into the arms dealer’s inner circle and kills him. Although it hasn’t been verified, a lot of the information that has been made public about Lioness season 2 points to Cruz not being in the next batch of episodes.

In season 2, Joe and her team will hire a new agent, presumably replacing Cruz, as hinted in the synopsis above. It’s probable that Josie, the helicopter pilot Genesis Rodriguez plays in Lioness season 2, is the new hire being discussed. This alteration might represent how the Sheridan show proceeds with fresh Lioness recruits joining for independent adventures that terminate at the end of each season, should it be renewed for a third season and beyond.

But after making a fleeting appearance in season 1, Morgan Freeman is set to take on a more significant role as Secretary of State Mullins in season 2. This may indicate that external pressure is mounting on the Lioness program and that bureaucratic red tape will play a bigger role in the upcoming episodes. Although there are still a lot of unanswered concerns around Lioness season 2, a trailer for the program’s return is probably not too far off.

Will Special Ops Lioness Season 2 Be The Last One?

There have been no announcements as of this writing on Lioness’s post-season 2 plans. Season 1 didn’t get a lot of positive reviews. The Paramount series has a 56% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, as can be seen in the chart below. Reviews criticize the very formulaic storytelling and lack of any real surprises. Nevertheless, Lioness was successful with audiences—despite the Metacritic user score.

Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score of 80% for Lioness is a good indicator of the show’s popularity. Although exact numbers for the first season are hard to find, Collider recently disclosed that in its first three days, episode 1 attracted six million viewers across Paramount Plus and Linear. Strong reviews are always a pleasant bonus, but viewers are the ones who decide if a show is renewed, and Lioness needs to have generated enough interest to warrant a second season.

The Lioness Season 2 Is Likely To Be The New Yellowstone?

Viewers of Yellowstone and its offshoots have demonstrated a strong interest in learning more about the background of the Dutton family and their property. Though the idea behind Lioness is somewhat different, it might be developed similarly. For example, when the show begins, Saldaña’s character is an experienced CIA veteran; nevertheless, a prequel might go into Joe’s past with the Agency and how she ended up founding the program of the same name.

It might also be possible for a Lioness spinoff series to veer away from Joe and focus on Meade’s early years at the Agency in the 1980s or 1990s. A modern offshoot might likewise center on Luckinbill’s Kyle and his CIA activities. Though it doesn’t currently appear like any more extension of the Lioness universe is planned, additional components may be added in the next season 2 that will provide a clearer picture of the show’s future.