Summary

• Special Ops: Lioness renewed at Paramount+ with a new title.
• Cast members are set to return for the spy thriller series.
• Morgan Freeman upgraded to main cast member.

Special Ops: Lioness has been renewed at Paramount+, and it's getting a new title. A spy thriller created by Yellowstone's Taylor Sheridan, the show premiered on Paramount+ in July 2023. Based on a real-life CIA program, the story follows Cruz Manuelos as a young Marine who's recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to bring down a terrorist organization from within. The show stars Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, and House of Cards alum Michael Kelly.

Variety reports that Special Ops: Lioness season 2 has been renewed at Paramount+, eight months after the finale, though now it's simply titled Lioness. Star and executive producer Saldaña and De Oliveira, who played key character Marine Raider Cruz Mañuelos, are returning alongside Kelly and executive producer Kidman. As for Freeman, who plays Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, he has been upgraded to a main cast member.

Lioness Season 1's Ending Paved The Way For New Stories In Season 2

Cruz Quit The Lioness Program

The Special Ops: Lioness season 1 finale does offer some resolution for the characters. Saldaña's CIA officer Joe, who had been struggling to balance her job and family throughout eight episodes, finally arrives at a decision. In part because of the difficulty of her assignment with Cruz, now that it's over, Joe tells her husband that she's agreeing to a desk job. Cruz, too, deals with the consequences of her actions. She murders two men who are close to Aaliyah (Stephanie Nur), the woman she loves, and she'll likely never see Aaliyah again.

The mission itself is risky, with Cruz's secret identity being exposed, and she responds by killing the two men. Though she's eventually extracted to safety after her cover is blown, it's clear that the mission has taken a toll. Joe tells Cruz that she did the right thing by killing a terrorist, but Cruz believes that she's turned into a monster. The two are able to arrive at somewhat of an understanding, but Cruz says she's done with the Lioness program.

The now-confirmed Lioness season 2 could also dig deeper into the relationship that Kaitlyn Meade has with her husband, allowing Kidman to get a bigger spotlight. Although the renewal took several months to be announced, the show was a relative success for Paramount+. The streamer claimed that the series broke viewership records, specifically that it had the most-watched global series premiere in its first 24 hours, and it continued to perform strongly on Nielsen's streaming charts. Now, that has led to a renewal that will continue the story.

Source: Variety