Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness Season 4 Fate Seemingly Confirmed Ahead Of 2026 Return


Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness may be back even quicker than before.

Led by Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña, the Paramount+ series centers on CIA senior case officer Joe McNamara as she and her elite team of specialists as they work undercover to stop a variety of globe-spanning threats. Also starring Nicole Kidman, Michael Kelly and Morgan Freeman, Lioness has been a hit for Sheridan and the streamer, with season 2 garnering rave reviews and both seasons being viewership hits, with season 3 set to premiere on August 2.

Now, in an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for the new season, stars Laysla De Oliveira and Jill Wagner have offered new insight into Lioness‘ future. De Oliveira, who plays QRF team member Cruz, began by assuring that viewers “won’t want” the show to end after season 3, revealing that it “ends on a cliffhanger” and is going to leave audiences excited for season 4.

Wagner, who stars as QRF leader Bobby, went on to seemingly confirm that “we’re going to get [Lioness] season 4,” concurring with De Oliveira that “when people see what [Sheridan] wrote for the finale,” viewers are going to push for a proper greenlight from Paramount+. She also chuckled as she said that she would pay our interviewer “100 bucks” in the next interview if the streamer ultimately cancels the show.

It should be noted that De Oliveira and Wagner’s comments are not an outright confirmation that Lioness season 4 is officially happening, as many shows have found themselves cancelled even after cliffhanger endings. From David Lynch’s Twin Peaks to Fox’s cult classic Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Peacock’s Teacup, it wouldn’t be the first show to end prematurely.

Lioness also wouldn’t be Sheridan’s first series to find its long-term plans derailed by an early ending decision. Fellow Paramount+ title Mayor of Kingstown similarly saw its seven-season plan cut as the show was announced not only to be ending with its fifth season, but that it would also be a truncated eight-episode run. Additionally, Yellowstone season 5 ultimately became its final season and had to speed up its plans after Kevin Costner’s sudden exit from the neo-Western hit.

One of the other major factors that will impact Lioness‘ future beyond season 3 is Sheridan’s own impending shift from Paramount to NBCUniversal, as his film deal with the former expired this past March and his TV deal expires in 2028. Should season 4 indeed be in the works, though, it would still fall within the timeline of the latter Paramount deal.










































The Sheridan-verse · Ranch Assessment

Taylor Sheridan

Trivia Challenge










🏠
Yellowstone
Protect the ranch

🐴
1883
The Oregon Trail

🌾
1923
Drought & dust

🔒
Kingstown
Prison politics

🎼
Tulsa King
Made man, new town

01

The Dutton family has controlled the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States for over a century. In which state is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch located?




✓ Correct! The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch sits near the border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The show is filmed primarily in Montana, with the real-life Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serving as the Dutton homestead.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Montana. The Dutton Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky Country. While the rugged landscape could pass for Wyoming or Idaho, the show is set — and largely filmed — in Montana.

02

John Dutton is the iron-willed patriarch who will stop at nothing to protect his family’s land. Which Oscar-winning actor portrayed him for the first four seasons of Yellowstone?




✓ Correct! Kevin Costner brought gravitas and quiet intensity to John Dutton, anchoring Yellowstone as one of the most-watched shows on cable television. His departure ahead of Season 5B became one of the biggest stories in TV.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Kevin Costner. While Sam Elliott did appear in 1883, Josh Brolin has his own Sheridan series (Outer Range isn’t Sheridan’s), and Kurt Russell hasn’t joined the Sheridan-verse. Costner defined John Dutton.

03

In the prequel series 1883, a Civil War veteran leads his family on a brutal wagon-train journey from Texas to Montana to find a new home. What is the name of this original Dutton patriarch?




✓ Correct! James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw, is the Civil War veteran who leads his wife Margaret and their children on the perilous journey west. His daughter Elsa narrates the series, and the family’s arrival in Montana establishes the Yellowstone Ranch.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is James Dutton. Jacob Dutton is the character Harrison Ford plays in 1923 — James’s brother. John Dutton Sr. doesn’t appear until later generations, and Emmett Dutton doesn’t exist in the Sheridan-verse.

04

On the Dutton Ranch, certain cowboys receive a permanent mark of loyalty — a hot-iron brand seared into their skin that signifies a blood oath to the ranch. What symbol is this feared brand?




✓ Correct! The branded “Y” is the Yellowstone Ranch’s livestock mark, but for ranch hands, wearing it on their chest means a lifelong oath of silence and loyalty. “Taking someone to the train station” is what happens to those who betray it.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the letter “Y” — for Yellowstone. The brand is both a ranch identifier and a mark of absolute loyalty. Characters like Rip, Kayce, and Jimmy all bear the “Y” brand, signifying they’ve sworn their lives to the ranch.

05

In 1923, the Dutton family battles drought, Prohibition, and encroaching modernity during the Great Depression era. Which legendary Hollywood actor plays patriarch Jacob Dutton?




✓ Correct! Harrison Ford stars as Jacob Dutton alongside Helen Mirren as his wife Cara. Ford’s casting marked his first major television role and brought massive star power to the expanding Sheridan-verse. The series is set during Prohibition and the early Depression.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Harrison Ford. In his first major TV role, Ford plays Jacob Dutton, brother of James Dutton from 1883. Helen Mirren stars opposite him as Cara Dutton. Their star power helped make 1923 Paramount+’s biggest premiere.

06

Beth Dutton’s volatile love story with a tough ranch foreman is one of Yellowstone’s most beloved storylines. The two eventually marry in a surprise ceremony. Who is Beth’s husband?




✓ Correct! Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, is John Dutton’s most loyal enforcer and Beth’s husband. Taken in by John as a teenager after a traumatic past, Rip would do anything for the Dutton family — and his fierce devotion to Beth became a fan-favorite romance.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Rip Wheeler. Lloyd Pierce is the bunkhouse elder, Walker is a ranch hand and musician, and Jimmy Hurdstrom is the hapless cowboy who eventually gets sent to the 6666 Ranch in Texas. Only Rip won Beth’s wild heart.

07

In Mayor of Kingstown, a family serves as power brokers in a Michigan town where the prison industry is the only business. Which family navigates this dark world of incarceration and corruption?




✓ Correct! The McLusky family, led by Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), acts as unofficial mediators between prisoners, gangs, police, and politicians in Kingstown, Michigan. The show is one of Sheridan’s grittiest explorations of the American justice system.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is the McLusky family. Jeremy Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who inherits the role of “mayor” — an unofficial power broker between inmates, gangs, and law enforcement. The Duttons are Yellowstone’s dynasty, not Kingstown’s.

08

One Dutton sibling is an adopted son and ambitious lawyer who frequently clashes with his family — sometimes even conspiring against them. His complex loyalty drives much of the show’s drama. Who is he?




✓ Correct! Jamie Dutton, played by Wes Bentley, is the adopted son and Harvard-educated lawyer whose desperate need for his father’s approval and political ambition create some of Yellowstone’s most dramatic betrayals. His rivalry with Beth is legendary.

✗ Wrong trail, cowboy! The answer is Jamie Dutton. Kayce is John’s biological youngest son (a former Navy SEAL), Lee is the eldest son who dies in Season 1, and Tate is Kayce’s young son. Only Jamie is the adopted lawyer who conspires against the family.

Round-Up Complete
Your Ranch Record



/ 8

Are you a ranch foreman — or headed straight to the train station?

That being said, if Lioness season 3 is ending on a cliffhanger and season 4 is already in early development, it would prove a promising sign for the show’s return schedule going forward. There was notably a two-year gap between season 2’s finale and the upcoming season 3 premiere, with the latter’s renewal taking nearly a year to be greenlit by Paramount+. As such, a speedier development could bring the spy thriller back in 2027 and entice viewers to properly tune in during season 3’s run.

Lioness season 3 premieres on Paramount+ on August 2.



Release Date

July 23, 2023

Network

Paramount+

Showrunner

Taylor Sheridan

Directors

John Hillcoat, Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron, Stephen Kay, Taylor Sheridan

Writers

Taylor Sheridan, Jill Wagner

  • Headshot Of Zoe Saldana In The 2024 KERING Women In Motion Awards

  • Headshot Of Laysla De Oliveira

    Laysla De Oliveira

    Cruz Manuelos




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