Taylor Sheridan’s Lionessis back and blowing up Rotten Tomatoes.
The latest installment of the hit Paramount+ series comes after a near-two-year wait, picking up sometime after the explosive events of the season 2 finale, in which Zoe Saldaña’s Joe and her team were ambushed and nearly killed. Lioness season 3 finds Joe, Nicole Kidman’s Kaitlyn and Michel Kelly’s Westfield investigating new threats tied to Russia, China and Ukraine, albeit now in the United States, while the former also continues struggling to better balance her work life with her family.
Now, with a few days remaining until the show’s August 2 return, the first reviews have begun rolling out for Lioness season 3 and secured it a debut Rotten Tomatoesscore. With 6 reviews calculated at the time of writing, Sheridan’s spy action-thriller has set a major record for the series on the review aggregate, landing a perfect 100% approval rating from critics, the highest yet for the show.
While an influx of new reviews in the coming days could very well see the rare perfect score be taken away, it’s certainly a very encouraging start for Lioness season 3, and a showcase of its continuing redemption with critics. As with some of Sheridan’s other series, critics were far more mixed in its debut season, netting it a 56% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while season 2 saw a major shift in positivity with its 90% rating.
The rave score also follows Sheridan’s trend of increasingly positive scores from critics on the review aggregate with subsequent seasons as he and his creative teams really find their rhythms in their respective shows. Mayor of Kingstown similarly went from an underwhelming 31% score in season 1 to a perfect 100% score in season 4 this past October, while Yellowstone kicked off with a 58% rating and quickly bounced back for the rest of the series with scores ranging from 79–100%.
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?
ScreenRant‘s own Cher Thompson was glowing in her Lioness season 3 review, awarding the latest chapter of Sheridan’s spy thriller a near-perfect 9/10 score. In addition to praising the performances of its star-studded cast, particularly Saldaña, Kidman, Laysla De Oliveira and Jill Wagner, Thompson particularly highlighted the show’s change in story formula as amplifying the stakes for the season:
Typically, Lioness has presented a fairly straightforward timeline, making it clear that the story is an urgent, immediate one. Lioness season 3 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. While it’s not guaranteed in the long-term, Lioness’ big swing works well to start the season.
Such a glowing reception is sure to come in handy for enticing audiences to tune in for Lioness season 3, which would be even more encouraging for the show’s future. De Oliveira and Wagner recently told ScreenRant that the new season would end on a cliffhanger and seemingly confirmed Lioness season 4 plans were already underway, and given the show has often dominated Paramount+’s charts, even between seasons, Sheridan may get a quicker renewal order from the streamer than before.
Lioness season 3 premieres on Paramount+ on August 2, with new episodes airing every Sunday.
