In Season 3 of Special Ops: Lioness, there will be a new addition to the cast, Elizaveta Neretin, who has previously worked with Taylor Sheridan on other projects. The series, which airs on Paramount+, will see Neretin starring opposite Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman.Special Ops: Lioness has established an identity as a unique mix of spy drama, military operations, and the personal lives of its main characters. Since Saldaña and Kidman are the stars of the show and have led it since it debuted, Season 2 was much more intense than the first season. This has prompted fans to expect an international storyline or at least see Saldaña’s character placed in a more dangerous environment in Season 3.Neretin will be playing an international operative who crosses paths with Joe. That simple detail says a lot, because almost every major character who enters Joe’s orbit ends up becoming part of the pressure she carries. Joe has spent the past two seasons facing the moral weight of the Lioness program. Bringing in another operative hints that Special Ops: Lioness might dig deeper into how women in the intelligence world often walk a tightrope between duty and loss. It is still early, but the setup seems promising.Who is Elizaveta Neretin is and why did Sheridan bring her in?Neretin’s name may not be widely known yet, but she had a strong breakout in Mayor of Kingstown, where she played Vera. Sheridan reportedly discovered her during casting for that show back in 2021. After that, she attended Juilliard Drama and finished her program in mid-2025. She was cast in Special Ops: Lioness immediately after graduating, which says quite a lot about how much Sheridan sees in her.She also appeared in smaller roles in The Flash and The 100, among other shows, but Special Ops: Lioness is clearly her biggest role so far. A recurring position on a Sheridan series often becomes a major stepping stone. Many actors who appear in his projects return again and again across his shows, and Neretin seems to be joining that circle.In Special Ops: Lioness, the word “operative” usually comes with high stakes. If Neretin’s character works on an international level, the story might shift into new regions or new kinds of missions. Season 2 already pushed the threat closer to home, but Season 3 could balance both domestic and foreign fronts. Nothing official has been confirmed, but Sheridan’s shows often build toward bigger conflicts as they go on. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWhere Special Ops: Lioness Season 3 stands, and who else is returning?Both Saldaña and Kidman are coming back again, and Kidman even scored a nomination for a Critics’ Choice Award in 2024 for her performance during the second season’s run. Ian Bohen will become a new regular character in Special Ops: Lioness Season 3, as confirmed earlier.In the previous seasons, the group dealt with threats that were not only far away, but also about to happen in America. Joe was trying to figure out the personal costs associated with running the program, given that she had to be the leader while also making sacrifices at home. Kaitlyn, played by Kidman, also had to deal with pressure from Washington, as well as the pressure she faced trying to answer to the agency. Michael Kelly’s character, Byron, contributed greatly to creating and shaping the political and operational tension that keeps driving the storyline.The production side appears to be in good standing as well. The production team for the series consists of several major players, including Peter R. Thomas, David C. Glasser, Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, David Lemanowicz, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Friedman, and Keith Cox, all serving as executive producers for Special Ops: Lioness Season 2. Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios produce the show for Paramount+.Now, the question is what role Neretin plays in the broader narrative. In shows like this one, you rarely see a newly introduced recurring character who does not have a deeper purpose behind their introduction. The addition of Neretin could lead Joe to take on new mission assignments, reassess alliances, or face further complications in terms of danger.Until then, viewers will have to wait and see how Sheridan uses Neretin in the story. The fact that she was cast adds another layer to the puzzle for Season 3. The show will continue building on the tension, emotion, and high-risk operations that made Seasons 1 and 2 so compelling.