Season 3 of the Taylor Sheridan espionage thriller Lioness premieres Sunday, Aug. 2, exclusively on Paramount+. Oscar®-winning executive producer and star Zoe Saldaña is back with Academy Award® winners Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman, taking on their most personal assignment yet.
Haven’t seen the show yet, or looking to catch up before the Season 3 premiere? Binge-watch every episode from Season 1, and Season 2 on Paramount+ pronto, and keep reading to get all the intel on Season 3: release schedule, cast, plot, and how to start watching.
Key facts
- Streaming platform: Paramount+
- Premiere date: Aug. 2, 2026
- Release schedule: Weekly on Sundays
- Genre: Espionage Thriller/Action drama
- Creator: Taylor Sheridan
- Stars: Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly
Where to stream the new season
Lioness Season 3 will stream on Paramount+. You can catch up on past episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 before the cavalry arrives with the much-anticipated Season 3. So, study up and catch past Season 1 and 2 episodes on the streaming service, and see you back in August for an action-packed new season. Get the watch info below:
Lioness Season 3
- Premiere date: Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026
- Release schedule: New episodes weekly on Sundays
- No. of episodes: 8
- Streaming: Paramount+
Release schedule
Lioness Season 3 kicks off a new mission on Sunday, Aug. 2, and continues that mission with a new episode every Sunday. The weekly rollout follows the model used by previous seasons, with the finale airing Sunday, Sept. 20.
| Episode | Release Date |
| Episode 1 | Aug. 2 |
| Episode 2 | Aug. 9 |
| Episode 3 | Aug. 16 |
| Episode 4 | Aug. 23 |
| Episode 5 | Aug. 30 |
| Episode 6 | Sept. 6 |
| Episode 7 | Sept. 13 |
| Episode 8 | Sept. 20 |
What to know before watching
Lioness is a thrilling drama, created by Taylor Sheridan, about a special ops team based on a real-life U.S. military program. Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña), a CIA operative, leads the team as she walks a tight rope trying to balance her personal life with the high-stakes demands of the job. She answers to Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) and Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly), leaders in the CIA, who fight the battles in the Situation Room back in D.C.
Joe’s team conducts covert operations for the CIA to infiltrate and take out dangerous targets. A female operative with a special set of skills is recruited for each mission, and every new season of the show. In Season 1, Joe recruits Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) to infiltrate a terrorist organization. In Season 2, she recruits Josie Carillo (Genesis Rodriguez) to gain access to the cartel and stop an upcoming attack.
Season 3 is upping the stakes by bringing the conflict closer to home and Joe’s personal life. Joe’s husband, Neal (Dave Annable), keeps things running smoothly at home with their two daughters, Kate and Charlie. Their lives have been lived blissfully unaware of the danger their mom faces on every mission.
What’s Season 3 about?
In Lioness Season 3, Joe struggles to balance duty and family when unseen forces circle her world. Hidden networks, foreign operatives, and personal betrayals drive the story as the team battles their most personal mission yet. Kaitlyn Meade and Byron Westfield guide Joe as she confronts enemies and a war that impedes every part of her life.
The cast of Season 3
Meet the cast ready to step back into action for Lioness Season 3:
- Zoe Saldaña as Joe McNamara
- Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade
- Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins
- Michael Kelly as Byron Westfield
- Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos
- Dave Annable as Neal McNamara
- Jill Wagner as Bobby
- LaMonica Garrett as Tucker
- James Jordan as Two Cups
- Genesis Rodrigues as Josie Carrillo
- Austin Hébert as Randy
- Jonah Wharton as Tex
- Thad Luckinbill as Kyle McManus
- Hannah Love Lanier as Kate McNamara
- Ian Bohen as Grady
Start streaming now
The countdown has begun with Lioness Season 3 premiering Sunday, Aug. 2, on Paramount+. Debrief and gather all pertinent intel by watching seasons 1 and 2 available now.
FAQ
Do I need to watch the first two seasons before Season 3?
New viewers can dive right into the action of a new mission in Season 3, but will be missing important character and story context from the first two seasons.
Is Lioness based on a true story?
Yes, Lioness is based on the true story of a Marine Corps military program created during the 2000s Iraq War. The program, titled Lioness, used female soldiers to befriend local women to gather intel and de-escalate conflict. The show draws inspiration from that program, but the stories and missions are fictional.
Who created Lioness?
Oscar® nominee Taylor Sheridan is the creator of Lioness, for which he also writes and executive produces. He even shows off his acting skills on the show as CIA officer Cody Spears in Season 2 (first appearing in “Beware the Old Soldier”). Sheridan is a big name in the TV world and has created many must-see dramas available to watch on Paramount+. Check out Landman, The Madison, and more hit titles in the Taylor Sheridan Collection.
Lioness
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