SPECIAL OPS: LIONESS, inspired by an actual US Military program, follows the life of Joe (Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

For in-depth thoughts on Special Ops: Lioness, please see my colleague Phil Walsh’s review from its original streaming release here.

Video Quality

Special Ops: Lioness: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment with a fantastic AVC encoded 1080p transfer. This series provides a somewhat subdued aesthetic that is not going to impress too much with the prominence of brown and green, but this transfer brings it to life perfectly well with meticulous handling of the picture. The show captures the dusty landscapes and lingering vegetation with proper radiance. Skin tones appear natural with a slightly warm touch with subtle facial details on display.

Fine detail never disappoints with all of the discrete aspects of the uniforms and production design on display. Highlights do not succumb to any blooming in this presentation. Black levels are deep with great detail in shadows. The series does not provide any unbearable noise in shadowy moments or instances of aliasing or compression artifacts. This presentation improves upon the streaming version of the show, which suffers slightly from being overly compressed. This Blu-Ray is quite an achievement.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an exceptional Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track that brings this to life exactly as you would want. The score establishes the atmosphere of the story with flawless fidelity within the mix. Numerous spectacular moments showcase the action with a notable punch in the mix. Several moments put your surround system to the test. Environmental sounds are one of the most important parts of the audio experience as it establishes the characteristics of the location. Ambient sounds are placed with precision in the surround channels with some deliberate panning when necessary. Dialogue comes through clearly without being trounced on by the score or any sound effects. You cannot ask for better from the audio presentation. There are English SDH, German, and French subtitles provided.

Special Features

Behind the Story: Every episode is given an accompanying in-depth featurette that gives you a closer look at certain characters, an analysis of plot developments, highlights from the episodes, and more. These are fun additions that are worthwhile for fans.

- Sacrificial Soldiers (7:21)

- The Beating (7:14)

- Bruise Like A Fist (4:11)

- The Choice Of Failure (6:16)

- Truth Is The Shrewdest Lie (4:29)

- The Lie Is The Truth (7:43)

- Wish The Fight Away (7:25)

- Gone Is The Illusion Of Order (7:30)

Embedded with Special Ops: Lioness: A 22-minute featurette that provides a look at the origins of the series, the narrative arc of the season, cast and character dynamics, the atmosphere on set, the creative voices behind the scenes, the look of the series and more.

Battle Forged Calm – Tactics & Training: A nine-minute look at the planning that goes into believably creating certain sequences, maintaining a safe environment, and more.

Inside The Series: A 19-minute special that takes a look at the characters, the creative team, behind-the-scenes footage, and the production efforts from everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

Special Ops: Lioness has moments that really make it stand out in the sea of action dramas that come out every so often. There is some real confidence behind the direction, and the performers assembled here really make a mark both big and small. Where the series stumbles more is in the storytelling, which seems a bit scattershot and underdeveloped when it comes to some key narratives. The performers do their best to elevate certain material, but the kitchen sink philosophy of the series feels too ambitious for too little payoff. Paramount Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray that offers a fantastic A/V presentation and some in-depth special features. While there are some definite missteps, if you are a fan of the performers, this is worth a watch.

Special Ops: Lioness: The Complete First Season is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.