Lioness Season 3 alternatives are worth lining up now, because the show’s third run premieres on Paramount+ on Sunday, 2 August, and once it’s done, the wait for whatever comes next could be a long one. Zoe Saldaña stars as CIA senior case officer Joe McNamara, running a programme built almost entirely around recruiting women as undercover operatives, and the show has been a genuine hit for the streamer.
According to Deadline, Nicole Kidman serves as an executive producer on the series, and Season 3 brings in Morgan Freeman as U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins. That’s a considerable addition to an already strong ensemble. The season has also ended on the biggest cliffhanger yet, which makes the question of a fourth run feel genuinely pressing, though, as the report of information floating around makes clear, Paramount+ didn’t even confirm Season 3 until 1 October 2025, a few weeks after Season 2 wrapped, according to Yahoo Entertainment. Don’t hold your breath for a quick announcement.
In the meantime, here are ten spy thrillers and action dramas worth your time.
The Best Lioness Season 3 Alternatives for Spy Thriller Fans
Black Doves (2024–) Keira Knightley plays Helen Webb, wife of the UK’s Secretary of State for Defence and, quietly, a spy working for the Black Doves organisation. When her handler (Sarah Lancashire) tells her that her lover has been killed, her cover risks unravelling, fortunately, she has a hitman as a close friend (Ben Whishaw) to help manage the fallout. It’s deliberately pulpy, self-aware enough to keep things light, and a second season is coming later in 2026. Stream on Netflix.
The Day of the Jackal (2024–) Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a cold international assassin pursued by MI6 operative Bianca Pullman, played by Lashana Lynch. The performances and production values are exceptional, each episode plays out like a taut mini-movie. It’s been renewed for a second season. Stream on Peacock.
Marshals (2026–) Taylor Sheridan’s other current show pulls things back out west. Luke Grimes reprises his role as Kayce Dutton, now working as a U.S. Marshal protecting Montana from criminals and rustlers. More procedural than espionage drama, but the action-heavy tone will feel familiar. Stream on Paramount+.
Homeland (2011–2020) CIA case officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) suspects that decorated Marine Corps scout sniper Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), rescued from an al-Qaeda compound, has been turned and is planning a terrorist attack. Her bipolar disorder diagnosis means her superiors dismiss her concerns, setting up one of television’s most celebrated cat-and-mouse spy dramas. Both leads won Emmys; the series took the Outstanding Drama prize in its first year. Stream on Hulu and Netflix.
Quantico (2015–2018) Priyanka Chopra plays Alex Parrish, who graduates from the FBI Academy only to become the prime suspect in a terrorist attack on Grand Central Terminal. The show splits its time between her efforts to prove her innocence and her training days at the academy, before later sending her undercover as a CIA recruit. Stream on Hulu.
The Little Drummer Girl (2018) Directed by Park Chan-wook, this adaptation of the John le Carré novel stars Florence Pugh as Charlie, a young actress recruited by Mossad spymaster Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon) to infiltrate a group of Palestinian terrorists, while being manipulated by an Israeli intelligence officer (Alexander Skarsgård). Crucially, like the source novel, the series offers nuanced characters on multiple sides of the conflict. Buy on Prime Video.
The Night Manager (2016–) Another le Carré adaptation, with Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine, a night manager at a Swiss luxury hotel who crosses paths with arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) and is persuaded by Foreign Office head Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to go undercover. A third season is on the way. Stream on Prime Video.
More Shows in the Lioness Season 3 Vein Worth Adding to the Queue
The Night Agent (2023–) Gabriel Basso plays Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent working overnight in the White House basement, monitoring a phone that never rings, until it does. The call from Rose Larkin, whose aunt and uncle have just been killed, pulls him into a conspiracy involving official corruption. Stream on Netflix.
SEAL Team (2017–2024) David Boreanaz leads a Navy SEAL team as Jason Hayes. The action is as expected, but the show sets itself apart by focusing on the psychological aftermath of service and loss, starting from the death of a team member in the opening episode. Stream on Paramount+ and Netflix.
Dark Hearts (2023–) Set during the 2016 Mosul Offensive, this French series follows an elite special forces unit operating covertly in Iraq, tasked with extracting the child of a prominent IS leader. The situation is messy, the choices are impossible, and the whole thing has the grim, grounded feel of a war film. Stream on The Roku Channel.
Lioness Season 3 lands on Paramount+ on 2 August, with Morgan Freeman’s arrival as Edwin Mullins giving the show its most high-profile new cast member yet.
