Michael Scott
Partner / Reviewer
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Paramount has pretty much become the “Taylor Sheridan Network” as pretty much anything they produce TV wise these days has his name associated it. Not hard to see why though, as Sheridan’s big heavy hitters like Yellowstone, 1923 etc have become Paramount’s bread and butter for making money. If he’s attached to it (even just in a basic writer’s credit) they’re gonna plaster that sucker all over the front cover of the show it’s attached to. Which is pretty much what’s happened to Special Ops: Lioness right here. Much like Sheridan’s other offshoots from his western roots (such as Tulsa King or Mayor of Kingstown) Special Ops: Lioness is a solid entry, with a solid story and good acting from A and A- list stars, yet somehow manages to fees just a few fries short of a complete happy meal. The show satisfies on a surface level, but just can’t punch above into the upper echelons to become another Yellowstone, Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones.
The story follows Joe (Zoe Saldana), a CIA team leader who is trying to hunt down Terrorists in the sandbox over seas. Her mission is simple. Use women operatives to infiltrate and dig out high level targets, and then point the red dot on their forehead while the U.S. military drops a scud missile on top of it. After losing one of her assets due to a lapse in judgment, Joe searches out Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira), a hot headed door kicking ex street girl whose abilities far outweigh her humble upbringing, to become her next asset #1. Dropping Cruz into the thick of things, Joe soon finds out that this hard headed street urchin turned super commando has more than a few tricks up her sleeve.
Disc One:
- Sacrificial Soldiers
- The Beating
- Bruise Like a Fist
- The Choice of Failure
- Truth is the Shrewdest Lie
- The Lie is the Truth
- Wish the Fight Away
- Gone is the Illusion of Order
Rating:
Not Rated
Video:

Audio:

Extras:

• Embedded With Special Ops: Lioness
• Battle Forged Calm: Tactics & Training
Final Score:

Special Ops: Lioness – Season One is one of those shows that is structurally sound, filled with good character actors, yet feels like it gets lost among the weeds. Looking back after seeing the show on Paramount Plus AND on home video, I’ve almost forgotten about it the day after I finish the last episodes. It’s solid enough on its own, but doesn’t really seem to stand out from the pack in any way. Fans of military dramas will enjoy the tightly paced narrative and Zoe makes for a decent team leader, but it’s not something I’d go out and blind buy without seeing it on Paramount Plus first. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, with a few minor extras on board the show to round out the package (only minor nitpick is that Paramount used stack packs for this set instead of a 3 disc case). Decent watch is my personal view.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Zoe Saldana, Laysla De Oliviera, Dave Annable, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Jill Wagner
Created by: Taylor Sheridan
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, German, French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 352 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Recommendation: Decent Watch