Special Ops Lioness is a series based on the real marine team of the same name. The team was made in 2003 in Iraq because male soldiers had a hard time searching for female Iraqi women because of their culture.

The series was made to pay tribute to the Team Lioness of Iraq. The series was slated with Paramount Plus. We’ll do a comprehensive review of the series, and where and how you can watch it in this guide.  

Where Can You Watch Special Ops: Lioness?

You can watch Special Ops Lioness on Paramount Plus. The series exclusive to Paramount Plus because it was initially slated for release on the Platform. There are a select few other platforms that have the distribution rights to this series, but is still Paramount+ your best bet.

Unfortunately, Paramount Plus is not available outside the US, so you will need a VPN to access and watch the series outside the US. Follow the guide linked above to learn how to watch the series effectively.  

Quick Overview of Special Ops: Lioness

Here’s a quick guide to watching Special Ops Lioness anywhere in the world:

Release Date	July 23, 2023
Running Time	40 to 60 minutes per episode
Episodes	8
Seasons	1 (Second in Production)
Genre	Action Drama, Spy Thriller
Director	John Hillcoat, Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron
Writer	Taylor Sheridan
Production Company	Bosque Ranch Productions, Cinestar, Blossom Films, 101 Studios, MTV Entertainment Studios

Cast of Special Ops: Lioness

Character	Actor
Joe, CIA Group In-Charge	Zoe Saldaña
Sergeant Cruz Manuelos	Laysla De Oliveira
Neal, Joe’s Husband	Dave Annable
Bobby, Lioness QRF Team Lead	Jill Wagner
Tucker, QRF Member	LaMonica Garrett
Two Cups, QRF Member	James Jordan
Andy, QRF Member	Austin Hébert
Tex, QRF Member	Jonah Wharton
Aliyah Amrohi	Stephanie Nur
Joe and Neal’s Daughter	Hannah Love Lanier
Joe’s Boss	Nicole Kidman
US Secretary of State	Morgan Freeman
Kyle, CIA Officer, Joe’s Colleague	Thad Luckinbill
Asmar Ali Amrohi, Aliyah’s Father	Bassem Yousuf

Supporting Staff of Special Ops: Lioness

Role	Staff
Producer	Taylor Sheridan, Jill Wagner, David Glasser, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Geyer Kosinski
Music	Andrew Lockington

Special Ops: Lioness Synopsis

The series follows the exploits of the Lioness group in Iraq and their eradication of different terrorists. The shows starts with the introduction of Joe and their target, Asmar Ali Amrohi. Bassem Yousuf plays the role of Asmar Ali Amrohi as the billionaire with suspected ties to a terrorist group in Iraq. 

To confirm their suspicions, Joe orders Sergeant Cruz Manuelos to go undercover and befriend Aliyah Amhrohi, Asmar’s daughter. The first eight episodes of the series deal with Cruz’s infiltration of Aliyah’s life and their home. Over time Cruz becomes romantically attached to Aliyah and the feelings are reciprocated.

The series reaches a climax when Cruz attends Aliyah’s wedding with Ehsan in Mallorca. Cruz reaffirms her feelings for Aliyah and has to navigate through an emotional maze to keep her mission first.

Ehsan is worried about Aliyah and Cruz’s feeling towards each other, and warns Cruz to stay away from Aliyah. In the climax scene, Cruz meets Asmar Amrohi, who is slated for elimination, but Cruz realizes that the current scenario won’t do. She is about to back away, when Ehsan arrives and blows her cover.

With nowhere left to go, she takes a knife and stabs Ehsan. She then process to slit Asmar’s throat, ultimately fulfilling her mission and drawing the aggression of everyone in the area. She has to dodge ricocheting bullets while she runs through the mansion to escape to the rendezvous point. She fails when she gets stuck in a dead end.

When all hope seems lost, Joe’s extraction team arrives at the scene to save Cruz. They succeed after suffering some losses. Cruz becomes disillusioned with the team after the emotional and physical trainwreck. Joe returns to the US to spend time with her family. 

Special Ops: Lioness Reception

The series was well received on IMDb with an average rating of 7.7, which is surprisingly good for a series of this genre. The series fared slightly worse on Rotten Tomatoes with an aggregate positive percentage of 56%, with some deeming the series as unconvincing and derivative.

The critics were divided on the plot, style, and theme of the series. Some praised the series for its cinematography, action, and raw emotions. Others ridiculed it for being nothing more than sheer military propaganda. Overall, the series was successful and a second season is underway.