Lioness has a clean, ruthless dramatic engine: put a rough-edged young Marine inside a terrorist organisation, then make her CIA handler responsible for keeping both the mission and the operative intact. That split between Cruz Manuelos in the field and Joe McNamara managing the Lioness programme gives the series its bite. This is espionage viewed as both infiltration and administration, with Zoe Saldaña making the latter look every bit as punishing as the former.
Where to Watch
UAE viewers can stream Lioness Season 3 on STARZPLAY. Access is included with the STARZPLAY Monthly plan, which costs AED 40 a month. This is subscription streaming rather than a rental or digital purchase.
Watch the Trailer
The trailer offers a first look at the CIA operation, its undercover stakes and the people expected to hold it together.
What Is It About?
Cruz Manuelos is a passionate young Marine whose rough edges do not stop the CIA from recruiting her into its Lioness Engagement Team. Her assignment is to help bring down a terrorist organisation from within. Joe, the station chief of the Lioness programme, must train, manage and lead the female undercover operatives carrying out that work.
The hook is the division of pressure. Cruz has to survive the infiltration; Joe has to run the machinery around it. That keeps Lioness from becoming a simple lone-agent story, and the Drama and War & Politics framework gives its chain of command as much weight as the covert mission.
How Many Seasons and Episodes Are There?
Lioness has three seasons and 24 episodes in total. Each season contains eight episodes, so the show is substantial without demanding a tactical deployment of your entire month.
| Season | Episodes | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | 2023 |
| Season 2 | 8 | 2024 |
| Season 3 | 8 | 2026 |
Who Is in the Cast?
Zoe Saldaña anchors the series as Joe McNamara, making command feel like continuous triage rather than an excuse for polished speeches. Laysla De Oliveira gives Cruz Manuelos the abrasive forward momentum required by the premise: Cruz is passionate, capable and rough around the edges, which is precisely why her recruitment does not feel like a tidy institutional decision.
Nicole Kidman plays Kaitlyn Meade with a cooler, more measured presence, while Genesis Rodriguez joins the central line-up as Captain Josephina “Josie” Carrillo. Michael Kelly appears as Byron Westfield, and Dave Annable plays Neal McNamara. It is Saldaña and De Oliveira’s contrasting positions, however — manager and infiltrator — that define the show’s central tension.
Good to Know
Is Lioness kid-friendly?
Lioness carries a 15+ UAE rating. Use that rating when deciding whether it is suitable for younger viewers.
Is Lioness free to watch in the UAE?
Lioness streams through STARZPLAY’s Monthly plan, priced at AED 40 a month in the UAE.
How many seasons and episodes does Lioness have?
Lioness has three seasons and 24 episodes in total, with eight episodes in each season.
Verdict: Lioness earns an evening if you want an espionage drama built around both the operative entering danger and the station chief responsible for sending her there. Saldaña’s tightly controlled Joe and De Oliveira’s rough-edged Cruz make that division of labour the show’s strongest weapon.
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