'Yellowstone' Killed Dave Annable. 'Lioness' Brought Him Back.

Dave Annable's Yellowstone character was never forgotten. Starring as John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) eldest son, Lee, his death (in the pilot episode!) was the catalyst for the entire bloody conflict to follow. Even though Lee's memory lived on throughout the series, Annable drew the short straw. The now-43-year-old actor only appeared via flashback in a handful of episodes following the pilot—even after doing three to four months of creator Taylor Sheridan's grueling cowboy camp.

"When we were shooting my death scene, during the second or third take I was like, I’m okay. this is just makeup. Like, you don’t have to kill me,"Annable told Deadline. "I really started a whole Save Dave Annable campaign, not knowing what would then happen with the show becoming the number one show on the planet."

Sheridan later offered Annable a role on his new CIA drama, Special Ops: Lioness—especially since the once-hesitant actor had a blast during his short tenure on Yellowstone. He plays Neil, an oncologist—and husband of Zoe Saldaña's character—who stays home with the kids while she engages in secret CIA missions abroad. "There might have been some version of an IOU in there, you know, his feeling bad," Annable joked. "But I think I’m the right guy for the part. And you know, Taylor has really proven over and over again that he knows what he’s doing when he puts the crew and cast together. I’m over the moon. I’m so grateful."

Fans were happy to see Annable back... maybe a little too happy? "Grey haired Dave Annable is hot AF," one Twitter user wrote. Another person chimed in saying, "I love me some David Annable!! He’s so damn fine especially with the grey hair!!" Mr. Sheridan, I guess you really do know how to cast a show.

The first two episodes of Lioness premiered on Paramount+ this past Sunday, July 23. Don't worry, there's still time to catch up. The first season will have eight episode total, airing weekly on Sunday on through September 3. Lioness also boasts performances from Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, LaMonica Garrett, and Michael Kelly. If you're missing your Yellowstone fix, don't worry—Sheridan always has something else cooking.

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