The quiet return of an important character is confirmed for Lioness season 3.
Taylor Sheridan created, writes, produces, and serves as the showrunner for the Paramount+ spy thriller series. The show revolves around an all-female CIA team of operatives whose members are known as “Lionesses.” They go undercover in terrorist organizations and cartels, with the team led by Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña), and with the operatives including Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliviera) and Josephina Carrillo (Genesis Rodriguez).
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?
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lioness cast member Thad Luckinbill revealed that Sheridan plays a character in season 3. He talked about how the show thrives when Sheridan steps in to act, and that there is a consistency to his acting, writing, directing, producing, and the way he interacts with the cast and crew. Check out Luckinbill’s comments below:
He’s involved. I mean, he has a role, which is great. And the show’s better for it when he plays a role. He’s a great character, and he kills it. So, I love when he comes in and plays with us.
He’s so real. Whether he’s an actor, writer, director or a producer, he’s still the same guy. He’s gonna give you the same opinions, and he cares the same about the product. So it doesn’t really change. He is who he is and you get it. He’s full access.
Sheridan will seemingly be reprising his role of Sergeant Major Cody Spears, a key character who was introduced in season 2 and appeared in three episodes. Luckinbill plays Kyle McManus, who is a CIA senior case officer and Joe’s colleague. He had a recurring role in season 1 before being upped to a series regular in the Lioness season 2 cast.
Taylor Sheridan and Zoe Saldaña in Special Ops: Lioness
As one of television’s most prolific creators, Sheridan rarely acts nowadays, with his roles as Travis Wheatley in Yellowstone and Charles Goodnight in 1883 being exceptions. Lioness will become his second show where he appeared in multiple seasons, with the only other one being Yellowstone.
Prior to writing and producing, though, Sheridan was an actor who appeared in a wide range of series, including Sons of Anarchy, Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, NYPD Blue, CSI: NY, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and NCIS: Los Angeles. Long before Lioness, he and Luckinbill also starred in the 2018 movie 12 Strong.
Lioness is now one of only several Taylor Sheridan shows that have seasons on the way. Some of the others are The Madison season 2, Landman season 3, Tulsa King season 4, Frisco King season 1, Mayor of Kingstown season 5, and Kelly Reilly indicated that he wants to be more involved in Dutton Ranch season 2.
He is also getting back into making movies after previously writing Sicario, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Wind River, and Hell or High Water, the last of which gave him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It was announced earlier this week that he wrote the screenplays for Visalia and Capture the Flag, two upcoming original feature films co-produced by his company, Bosque Ranch Productions. He is also writing a live-action Call of Duty movie with Peter Berg.
As Sheridan continues to balance numerous projects, Lioness season 3 reviews have been generally positive so far, and the series has debuted to an 86% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of the premiere. In ScreenRant‘s review, Cher Thompson gives it nine out of 10 stars and writes that the show “takes risks, particularly in the way it’s constructed, that make it feel like it’s owning its identity as a political crime thriller in a layered way.” Along withSaldaña, De Oliveria, Rodriguez, Luckinbill, and Sheridan, the cast features Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Dave Annabele, Jill Wagner, and Michael Kelly.
Lioness season 3 releases new episodes on Sundays on Paramount+.
