Taylor Sheridan indisputably stands as one of the most prolific and successful TV creators and producers of our current century. Sure, he hasn’t caught up with Ryan Murphy in terms of sheer volume, but he’s working on it, and at the moment, Tulsa King is churning through a second season with a spin off in the works. Next up, Landman will bring us an oil-soaked Texas story starring Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, and then Yellowstone will air those final episodes, which might not be a series finale after all.
Oh, and Special Ops: Lioness will return this month with Zoe Saldaña as a military and CIA operative named Joe, who molds recruits to infiltrate terrorist cells. No cowboys or mobsters here, in other words, and Saldaña seems to be relishing ass-kicking again even if her character isn’t exactly having a grand time. Let’s discuss what to expect from the next season.
Plot
The first season acquainted viewers with Joe (Zoe Saldaña) as she juggled her role in the CIA’s war on terror with her role as wife and mother. Joe trained Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira), a Marine recruit, as they executed directives within the Lioness Program, which is fictionally named but loosely inspired by a real-life, all-woman military unit. They did so while supervised by Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Michael Kelly), but by the end of the first season finale, Cruz made it clear that she wanted nothing more to do with Joe or the Lioness program.
It’s hard to blame Cruz for feeling that way after the horrors that she endured despite Joe insisting that they were on the right side of history, but does that mean that we won’t be seeing Cruz in the second season, and the show will now follow other Lioness recruits?
Well according to Deadline, Laysla De Oliveira will reportedly return in some way, but the second season will introduce a new Lioness operative who is central to the story. That would be Captain Josephina “Josie” Carrillo, portrayed by Genesis Rodriguez.
From the show’s second season description.
In Season 2, as the CIA’s fight against terror moves closer to home, Joe (Saldaña), Kaitlyn (Kidman), and Byron (Kelly) enlist a new Lioness operative to infiltrate a previously unknown threat. With pressure mounting from all sides, Joe is forced to confront the profound personal sacrifices she has made as the leader of the Lioness program.
Cast
Obviously, the Sheridan top-tier powers are here with Zoe Saldaña, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, and Michael Kelly.
Genesis Rodriguez is new to the cast, which also includes Thad Luckinbill, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, Jonah Wharton, Monica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, and Hannah Love Lanier.
Release Date
Special Ops: Lioness returns to Paramount+ on October 27.
Trailer
Saldaña is ready to “goooooooo!” And you had better be, too.