Collider’s review argues that Lioness Season 3 abandons the distinctive premise that originally set it apart, shifting from female agents infiltrating hostile organisations to a broader international espionage story focused on the Russia–Ukraine war. The reviewer sees this as a disappointing change: although Taylor Sheridan sustains the pace and tension of a thriller, the series becomes less original and more like a conventional spy drama.

The season follows Joe, played by Zoe Saldaña, as threats involving Russia and China grow, rather than introducing a new “lioness” agent as previous seasons did. The review notes that this direction was signposted in Season 2, when Josie’s cartel-infiltration storyline was overshadowed by wider geopolitical plotting; Season 3 completes that move away from the original format, using modern warfare and conspiracy as its central concerns.