‘Special Ops: Lioness’ Sees Record Ratings on Paramount+, Further Demonstrating Company’s Commitment to Sheridan, Franchises
Everything Taylor Sheridan touches, with the notable exception of the last season of “Yellowstone,” seems to turn to gold these days. New ratings data indicates that Paramount+ has a bona fide hit on its hands with “Special Ops: Lioness,” the latest series created by Sheridan to appear on the service.
Deadline reports that the show is now the most-watched global premiere in the history of Paramount+, knocking the “Halo” series out of the top spot. Paramount Global says that after three days, the first episode of the show had pulled in 6 million views on both Paramount+ and the linear Paramount Network.
Up against new releases like “Justified: City Primeval” and the Netflix series “Quarterback,” “Special Ops: Lioness” more than held its own. Data from Parrot Analytics reveals the show generated 20.4 times the demand of an average TV series during the week of July 22-28, the first that it was available to stream.
“On one of the most competitive weeks of the year, ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ scored as the #1 new scripted series of the year on cable and one of the highest performers of all time on Paramount+,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO of Paramount Media Networks. “Brilliantly created by Taylor Sheridan and brought to life by our stellar cast, this heart-pounding thriller inspired by real-life events clearly struck a chord with a huge audience.”
The cast is no doubt a big draw for fans, with stars like Zoe Saldana, Nichole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman among the top-billed performers. But it’s undeniable that Sheridan is becoming a household name for Paramount+ viewers, as shows like “1883,” “1923” and “Tulsa King” have become mainstays in many homes.
There’s hard data to indicate how popular Sheridan has become, as well. Data made available by Samba TV earlier this year indicates that 24% of users who logged onto Paramount+ in the second half of 2022 were there exclusively to watch a show created by Sheridan, a stat made all the more impressive by the fact that Paramount licensed the streaming rights to “Yellowstone” to Peacock in 2020.
In fact, “1923” saw even higher ratings than “Special Ops” did, though it was technically not a global premiere when itdrew more than 7 million viewers in December of 2022. A the time of its release, “Tulsa King” helped Paramount+ reach the highest number of single-day signups it had achieved since rebranding from CBS All Access. Sheridan has become Paramount’s cash cow, and it’s clear why they are more than willing to return to his inkwell over and over again.
Executive shuffling at Paramount earlier this year indicated the company was planning to lean further into Sheridan, and the rewards are already coming in. The writers’ strike may have forced Sheridan to put his pen down for the moment, but Paramount’s focus on franchises and love of Sheridan’s work mean he won’t have much time to transition back to production mode when the strike ends.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.