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“Lioness” stars Zoe Saldaña
Courtesy of Paramount
It may not get as much media attention as whatever new series is topping the Netflix charts at any given moment, but every time a Taylor Sheridan show is out, chances are it’s putting up big numbers. That is the case with Lioness season 3, currently No. 1 on Paramount+.
The season is not finished, but fans are already looking toward a potential season 4. There are a few updates, including reports as recently as this week:
On Instagram, writer Michael Idov shared the following: “Lily and I have joined LIONESS, Taylor Sheridan’s global smash hit, as writers and supervising producers. An honor, chance, and challenge of a lifetime to write for the likes of Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman. See you in the trenches.”
The indication seems to be that Idov’s participation would not be for the current season but for season 4 to come.
Before Idov’s post, we heard from Lioness actress and producer Jill Wagner in an interview with Screenrant where she said: “We’re going to get a season 4. We will, we will. When people see what [Sheridan] wrote for the finale, we are getting a season 4. Or I will pay you $100.”
This is not official confirmation, but rather the expectation that the cast-announced cliffhanger for season 3 will demand a fourth season.
It is easy to imagine that Lioness will get another season. It is a hugely popular series for Paramount+, yet another Taylor Sheridan staple, and his shows seemingly all go on as long as they want.
Season 2 was when the Lioness really blew up, with 12.4 million multiplatform viewers to start and rising viewership as the season progressed. Season 3 has been charting consistently on Nielsen so far.
One issue here that could complicate things is timing: Despite Lioness being a success, especially after season 2, it still took 10 months after the season 2 finale to be officially renewed. That led to an almost two-year gap between seasons compared with a more than one-year gap between seasons 1 and 2. Still, both gaps are relatively short compared to most streaming shows. Could that happen again?
That’s not clear. The issue with Lioness season 3 renewal was less about performance and more about everyone’s availability, including stars like Nicole Kidman and the highest grossing actor ever, Zoe Saldaña.
There’s also Taylor Sheridan himself, who juggles writing and development on many shows at the same time. Around the time of the Lioness decision, that slate would have included pieces of The Madison, Tulsa King, Landman and more.
Landman, given that show’s performance with audiences, may be the biggest priority from here. But Lioness is up there as well.
It’s likely we will not hear anything firm about a season 4 renewal for a while, but indications are good, and hopefully we will not have to wait 10 months after season 3 ends to find out.
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