Taylor Sheridan is set to play a character in Season 3 of Lioness, and if history tells us anything, some fans of Sheridan’s past projects might not be too excited about it.
Lioness – starring Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Laysla De Oliveira, Morgan Freeman and Dave Annable – recently returned for its third season after a bit of delay following Season 2. That got sorted out, and now the fan-favorite show from the mind of Taylor Sheridan is set to air new episodes.
Lioness centers around a CIA operative named Joe (Zoe Saldaña) who tries to balance work and personal life while on the frontlines of her agency’s war on terror. Kidman plays a character named Kaitlyn Meade, who is a long-tenured CIA Senior Supervisor. Like Mayor of Kingstown, it’s one of Sheridan’s most underrated series, and its highly anticipated third season premieres on Paramount+ in just a few days.
Paramount+ released this synopsis of Lioness Season 3:
“Hidden networks, foreign operatives and personal betrayals collide. Joe (Saldaña) walks the line between duty and home as unseen forces circle her world. Patterns appear where they shouldn’t, names vanish and paths rearrange. Guided by Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman) and Westfield (Michael Kelly), Joe confronts enemies operating in the shadows, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life.”
Not mentioned in that synopsis? Taylor Sheridan getting out from behind the camera to star in the drama.
That has been confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, and the official reveal was thanks to Lioness actor Thad Luckinbill. The man behind the character Kyle McManus said that Sheridan “kills it” in his role:
“He’s involved. I mean, he has a role, which is great. And the show’s better for it when he plays a role. He’s a great character, and he kills it. So, I love when he comes in and plays with us.”
Some fans out there might not know that Taylor Sheridan originally set out to be an actor, and turned to writing and directing when his acting opportunities became few and far between. One way to secure roles? Write and direct your own series, and cast yourself, as Sheridan has done many times in his shows like Yellowstone and 1883.
To be clear, fans of Taylor Sheridan shows always love what he brings to the table as a writer and director… but they aren’t always crazy about him joining his own shows as an actor. Luckinbill evidently doesn’t feel that way, and went on to say that, from his perspective, Sheridan can’t miss regardless of what role he’s fulfilling:
“He’s so real. Whether he’s an actor, writer, director or a producer, he’s still the same guy. He’s gonna give you the same opinions, and he cares the same about the product. So it doesn’t really change. He is who he is and you get it. He’s full access.”
And fans of the show should expect to get “full access” to Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness character – Cody Spears – at some point during Season 3 (IMDB says he’ll be featured in four episodes). Lioness aired it’s first episode of its third season this past Sunday.
New episodes of the Zoe Saldaña-led drama will air on Paramount+ through September.
