Spy thriller Special Ops: Lioness is airing on broadcast TV tonight
The CIA drama from Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan stars Zoe Saldaña, Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman
Don't have Paramount Plus? You can tune into one of the streaming platform's buzziest series, Special Ops: Lioness, with a broadcast airing tonight.
The spy thriller is jam-packed with big names, both on screen and behind the camera: the series comes from Taylor Sheridan—the prolific creator of Yellowstone and other Paramount Plus series 1883, 1923, Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown—and features a cast of A-list actors, including Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman.
Based on a real CIA program, Special Ops: Lioness centers on a young Marine named Cruz (played by Laysla De Oliveira) who is recruited to join the Lioness Engagement Team, run by tough and demanding agent Joe (Saldana). Cruz's mission is to go undercover and befriend the daughter of a high-profile terrorist target with the hope it will allow the CIA to get close enough to eliminate him.
The drama's inaugural season first premiered on the Paramount streamer in July 2023, but now you can tune into the first two episodes of Special Ops: Lioness on good old TV tonight.
The series premiere, entitled "Sacrificial Soldiers," will air on Showtime at 9pm Eastern Time. The episode description reads: "Things go awry for Joe and her team during a mission out in the field; Joe is left devastated. Upon her return home, Joe's family life presents it's own challenges. Cruz tries to escape a dangerous situation. Joe must choose a new recruit." (After you watch, you can read WTW's Special Ops: Lioness episode 1 recap.)
Episode 2, entitled "The Beating," will immediately follow at 9:45pm ET. In the second installment of the show, "Joe continues her training with Cruz; her methods are questionable. Cruz starts to build a relationship with Aaliyah. Kate gets into a fight during her soccer game. Neal has to deliver difficult news to a patient." (Here's WTW's Special Ops: Lioness episode 2 recap if you want to delve deeper into the ep.)
To watch Special Ops: Lioness tonight, you'll need access to Showtime. Showtime is a cable network that can be included as part of a traditional cable/satellite pay-TV provider or as an add-on to streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and Prime Video.
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As for the status of Special Ops: Lioness season 2, production is currently underway, but a release date hasn't yet been announced. That makes it the perfect time to catch up on the CIA drama if you haven't yet seen it.
Check out the trailer for Special Ops: Lioness before tuning into the Paramount Plus series tonight on Showtime.
Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York.
When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.