Lioness Season 2 Review: More Lamb Than Lion

We’re about to deliver an avalanche of new content from Taylor Sheridan this fall – but if we were to invest money on it, Lioness Season 2 will be the series left out.

Honestly, it’s Taylor Sheridan’s world and we live in it. Most of us are concerned about the imminent (and long-awaited) return of Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, especially after Kevin Costner’s very public fallout. But the man has a fictional universe at his fingertips… and partly season 2 of Lioness.

Let’s go over the basic mission, if you choose to agree to watch it. Zoe Saldaña plays Joe, a CIA officer in charge of the secret Lioness program. Their task? Eliminate certain targets across the world, which almost always results in near-death drama. Oh, and report all of this to Nicole Kidman (boss Kaitlyn) if they make it out alive.

This sounds rather grandiose on paper, but the reality is much more mundane. Sheridan’s focus is scattered this year, and that may come to the detriment of Season 2. Instead of building something more dynamic on a first season that received mediocre reviews, Lioness’ sophomore outing offers more the same. Why not just binge Law & Order and be done with it?

Superficial and respectful, just like its subject

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The fact that Lioness Season 2 dutifully fulfills its mission of delivering a steady, complete drama without any frills is almost something to marvel at. It’s almost as if Sheridan likes to inhabit his shows SO so much so that he goes completely method when creating them.

Even where there should be slight relief, there is an air of seriousness – and this results in an overall flat line that isn’t. Exactly fodder to allow you to come back next week. Surprisingly, there are comedies where they aren’t supposed to exist. Imagine a perplexed-looking Nicole Kidman in a board meeting trying to keep up with international developments, while Morgan Freeman utters sassy insults in 0.5 seconds on screen.

In fact, the reason Lioness probably didn’t make a splash the first time around is because she seems devoid of personality. At first glance, there’s not much to complain about. The performances are solid, the plots work and are fleshed out enough to be satisfying, and Joe’s world is just the right level of untouchable.

But even if the cogs keep the machine running efficiently, there’s not much room left for any level of human investment (translation: you’re better off revisiting the Duttons if you want meaty relationships to go with it).

Taylor Sheridan gives, Taylor Sheridan takes

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And then there’s Sheridan himself. Master of his own multiverse (a bit like Ryan Murphy, but much less controversial), he’s clearly a guy who always wants to keep several plates spinning. Lioness Season 2, Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, and the new show Landman all debut within weeks of each other, one episode at a time. But why?

You could argue that this is serendipitous timing on the part of Paramount, who conveniently engineered an unofficial “Taylor Sheridan season” to keep fans happy. But let’s take a cynical approach, because it’s so much fun to be a hater – what if they actually tried to bury Lioness under the weight of Sheridan’s other creations?

Yellowstone gets attention because people have been waiting for years for it to close, while Landman has the curiosity of having never been seen before. Lioness, it’s a bit like having that last bit of food that you know you shouldn’t because you’re already too full. We’re working hard on Sheridan’s content, and something has to give.

Considering how little has changed from a first season described as “formulaic,” Season 2 doesn’t have much to show – and it certainly doesn’t beat allegations that Sheridan condoned military propaganda. So what do you do with a show you don’t want to watch? Use the art of distraction.

Lioness Season 2 Review Rating: 3/5

The only way Lioness Season 2 can be described is “solid.” You’re not going to hate watching it or feel cheated by the amount of time you spend glued to the TV, but you’re unlikely to recommend it when your mother inevitably asks for new recommendations.

Honestly, it’s hard to understand why a second season was even renewed, especially since viewers don’t really need to have seen Season 1 for anything to make sense. It’s unlikely we’ll see a third, so enjoy Nicole Kidman in her least offensive wig yet while you can.

Lioness Season 2 premieres in two episodes on October 27, with episodes airing weekly thereafter. You can also check out everything about the Costner-Sheridan feud, the best Yellowstone episodes of all time, the Yellowstone spinoff timeline, and other TV shows streaming this month.