The Lioness filming schedule for seasons 1 and 2 could give a little bit of insight into when fans can expect Lioness season 3. Special Ops: Lioness, often just referred to as Lioness, follows Zoe Saldaña as Joe McNamara, a CIA officer involved in the war on terror.

Joe is charged with leading a team of female operatives to help her in her missions, and their code name is the title of the series. Lioness features an ensemble cast including Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman, among many others.

Many Taylor Sheridan TV shows have a similar problem. They start out very strong but quickly fall apart over the seasons as plots are retread and the clichés become more obvious. Lioness is an outlier in that regard. The first season only earned a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critiques going towards its unoriginal and plodding plot. Those who stuck with the series were rewarded because Lioness season 2 is a marked improvement with an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes​​​​. Lioness season 3 is on the far horizon, but it’s unclear what the release schedule is.

When Lioness Seasons 1 & 2 Filmed

Filming For Lioness Takes Around 4-5 Months

Paramount+ has yet to actually announce Lioness season 3, but Saldaña has explained she is signed on for three seasons, at least, of the show, making it highly likely season 3 will eventually arrive. Her exact quote was,

“I wish it was the fact that I had room in my life [laughs]. I signed up for three seasons at least, and so you do have a sort of contractual obligation to fulfill, but Lioness isn’t that only.

Lioness has been a journey that has given me the opportunity to collaborate with a different type of filmmaker. Taylor Sheridan is sort of like this cowboy that lives on his own off the grid, and that makes a lot of us curious. Either you get the cadence of his writing and the themes that he wants to always talk about, or you don’t.”

So, with Lioness season 3 being a likely possibility, there’s the question of when it could premiere on Netflix. The best way to guess that is by looking at the shooting schedules for the previous two seasons of Lioness​​​​​. Filming for Lioness season 1 began in September 2022 in Delaware (via Yahoo). Lioness filming then continued into January 2023 in Mallorca (via TheOlivePress). The first season then premiered on Netflix in July 2023.

The second season began production in May 2024, about half a year after season one ended (via Collider). Filming for season 2 was wrapped on August 28, 2024 (via Instagram).

Lioness season 2 then premiered on October 27, 2024. It’s a pretty quick turnaround for Sheridan’s show. So far, it’s seemed like filming for each season has only taken 4-5 months, and if season 2 is anything to go off, production will begin as soon as the new season is announced.

From the time of the announcement to the premiere, it could be as short as six months. Now fans will just have to wait for Sheridan to say that the series has the go-ahead.

What’s In Store For Lioness Season 3

Joe May Not Be The Field Leader For Long

There is little known about what’s in store for Lioness season 3, but it can be guaranteed that Zoe Saldaña will return. It’s also very likely that Nicole Kidman, Michael Kelly, and Dave Annable will also return.

It’s harder to guess if someone like Morgan Freeman will return. The end of season 2 saw the Lioness team just barely surviving a mission in Turkey, and it seems like Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) is taking a leading role in the team. Joe may step away as the field leader to take on a more mentor-like role.

There are plenty more story threads for Lioness season 3 to cover as well, including the status of Joe’s rocky marriage and whether Cruz and Josephina’s (Genesis Rodriguez) developing feelings will turn into anything substantial. For now, fans will have to wait and see when the Lioness season 3 schedule is announced.