Taylor Sheridan is expanding his onscreen presence in the Paramount+ spy thriller he created, taking on a more substantial acting role in the upcoming third season of “Lioness.”
Sheridan, whose television footprint now spans “Yellowstone” and its spinoffs, “Landman,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and “Tulsa King,” previously made a brief cameo as CIA officer Cody Spears during the show’s second season. Castmate Thad Luckinbill, who plays field-active CIA paramilitary officer Kyle McManus, confirmed that Sheridan’s part this season goes well beyond a walk-on.
“He’s involved. I mean, he has a role, which is great,” Luckinbill said. “And the show’s better for it when he plays a role.” Luckinbill added that he and Sheridan share scenes together this season, though he declined to detail what Sheridan’s character does.
Acting predates Sheridan’s career as a writer and producer. Before creating the “Yellowstone” universe, he built early credits in “Sons of Anarchy” and “Veronica Mars,” and has since taken onscreen parts in “Yellowstone” and its prequel “1883.” Luckinbill, who worked alongside Sheridan in the 2018 military drama “12 Strong,” said Sheridan brings the same intensity to acting that he brings to running a production. “He’s so real,” Luckinbill said. “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.”
Season three of “Lioness” stars Zoe Saldaña as CIA station chief Joe alongside Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Kelly, with the cast newly joined by Elizaveta Neretin and Ian Bohen. The season follows Joe navigating a covert war that closes in on her personal life, as hidden operatives and vanishing informants threaten to expose her team’s operations and put her family at risk. The show has built its reputation on high-stakes military action sequences, and early reactions to the season’s premiere suggest Sheridan has matched or exceeded the intensity of his earlier finales.
“Lioness” Season 3 premieres August 2 on Paramount+.
