Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ Is Bringing 8 Episodes of Military Espionage

In 2004, after U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan shifted to occupation and containment, the threat to military personnel also shifted—from conventional military engagements to an increase in suicide bombings. At the time, Marines used checkpoints across Iraq to screen for weapons and contraband; practice, however, dictated that women were not searched by male soldiers unless a female was present, leading insurgents to use women for smuggling and suicide bombing—and so leading the Marine Corps to reconsider checkpoint practices or, as a USMC report later described the endeavor, adapt to “overcome the Middle Eastern cultural gender sensitivities by utilizing women Marines to engage with the Iraqi and Afghan female populations.” The result was the Lioness Program, which attached “Lioness and Female Engagement Teams to ground combat units” to better secure checkpoints.

Taylor Sheridan’s latest drama series, Special Ops: Lioness, premiering this weekend on Paramount+, spins the Lioness Program forward into an alternative timeline where the scope of operations expanded from search and seizure to espionage and assassination. (The real-life Lioness Program also expanded, though in other areas, including “running medical clinics, distributing medicine and humanitarian aid, and meeting in Afghan homes.”)

While the real-life program never included such cloak and dagger thrills, television is its own historical animal—and killing terrorists to prevent future 9/11s clearly made for a better pitch than frisking civilians for hours at a checkpoint. (Though, we’re sure the latter, and very real, activity, was intense enough.)

Real or not, the series expands the Sheridan-verse for Paramount, which hopes to make it this summer’s TV blockbuster event. Here’s how to watch and when to look out for new episodes.

How to watch Special Ops: Lioness

The series will air on Paramount+, beginning July 23. New episodes of the show will be available on Sundays.

When is the next episode of Special Ops: Lioness?

The next episode of Special Ops: Lioness will be available on Paramount+ on Sunday, September 3.

How many episodes of Special Ops: Lioness are left?

After the two-episode premiere on July 23, the series will run for another six weeks, with episodes releasing on Sundays until the finale on September 3. That means that there are now two weeks, and two episodes, remaining in Special Ops: Lioness.

Here’s the complete release schedule for Special Ops: Lioness Season 1.

Episode 1: Now streaming as of July 23

Episode 2: Now streaming as of July 23

Episode 3: Now streaming as of July 30

Episode 4: Now streaming as of August 6

Episode 5: Now streaming as of August 13

Episode 6: Now streaming as of August 20

Episode 7: Now streaming as of August 27

Episode 8: Streaming on September 3

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