Taylor Sheridan’s hit, Lioness, has been building its universe for the past two seasons, but as the show’s third season has begun, the Paramount+ series has changed its format for the first time. Lioness, which debuted in 2021, has been a surprise hit for the Sheridan TV universe. Starring Zoe Saldaña, the series follows Joe McNamara, a senior case officer with the CIA who heads up the Lioness program. Working with female operatives, Joe and her team assist in undercover operations that take out high value targets in the war on terror, even in the most dangerous of situations.
Throughout the first two seasons of Lioness, viewers have had the chance to get the lay of the land in Joe’s world. Her work life and home life have remained tremendously separate, with Joe at the center attempting to keep her family safe while entering a world of danger in her professional life. As a wife and mother of two, Joe has consistently struggled in her marriage to Neal (Dave Annable) after keeping the majority of her career a secret. Meanwhile, her work filters through leaders in the State department, including Nicole Kidman’s Kaitlyn Meade, pushing her to more secrecy.
With so much ground covered in the first two seasons of Lioness, the show’s third season making a huge leap in its format was a surprise. Thankfully, the Paramount+ series is taking cues from the larger Sheridan-verse, pivoting into season 3 with a refreshed energy and a
point of view.
Lioness Season 3’s Use Of Multiple Timelines Creates A Layered Approach
Although the first two seasons of Lioness chose to take a linear approach to their storytelling, Lioness season 3 has moved into an entirely different format. With two concurrent storylines revolving around Joe, one in the past and one in the present, the converging narratives make for an interesting, layered approach. While the show’s typically filled with political drama and combat, Lioness season 3 is able to break things up as they jump back and forth between timelines. With Joe’s family under siege on one side of the story and Joe kidnapped on the other, Lioness is pulling every string.
As Lioness continues further into the season, viewers should expect that the series will get to a point where the stories converge, but as things stand, the series is utilizing its multi-narrative approach in a way that works. By telling a present story that made it clear Joe and her family were in a far different emotional spot than when Lioness season 2 came to a close, using the past storyline to propel things forward gives viewers an anchor point to look forward to while they make up the ground between the past storyline and the present.
Lioness’ New Format Shakes Up The Paramount+ Series
Although Lioness is only a few episodes into its third season, the new format of the series is already shaking things up. Seeing the story that builds into the present timeline is a great reinforcement of the stakes of Joe’s home life, but at the same time, allows viewers to build some dissonance between the storylines that allows for a gradual progression. With the first seasons of Lioness were able to move through the setup of Joe’s worlds, the convergence of them felt inevitable, but seeing them teased out in such an interesting way shakes things up.
With Joe’s team currently unaware of her whereabouts and uncertain of how to find her, the season is changing at a rapid pace. Joe’s always been in charge of the Lioness team, but seeing her have to use her skills for survival is a complete change in the show’s trajectory. With two separate storylines that are on path to converge, all focused on the fact that Joe has to rest on her training and survival instincts to find her way out of a sticky situation, Lioness season 3 is already proving to be a far different beast than its predecessors.
- Release Date
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July 23, 2023
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
- Directors
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John Hillcoat, Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron, Stephen Kay, Taylor Sheridan
- Writers
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Taylor Sheridan, Jill Wagner
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Laysla De Oliveira
Cruz Manuelos