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Lioness (American TV series)

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Lioness
S2 Promotional poster
Also known asSpecial Ops: Lioness
Genre
Created byTaylor Sheridan
ShowrunnerTaylor Sheridan
Written by
  • Taylor Sheridan
  • Thomas Brady (season 1)
Starring
ComposerAndrew Lockington
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
  • Taylor Sheridan
  • Jill Wagner
  • David Glasser
  • David Hutkin
  • Bob Yari
  • Zoe Saldaña
  • Nicole Kidman
  • Geyer Kosinski
Running time38–57 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkParamount+
ReleaseJuly 23, 2023 (2023-07-23) –
present

Lioness, also known as Special Ops: Lioness,[a] is an American spy thriller television series created by Taylor Sheridan that premiered on July 23, 2023, on Paramount+.[3] In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 27, 2024.[4][5]

Premise

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Taylor Sheridan’s spy thriller follows Joe (Zoe Saldaña) who leads undercover CIA operations on the war on terror by enlisting women operatives that are known as Lionesses.

Cast

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Main

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  • Zoe Saldaña as Joe, a CIA clandestine intelligence officer in charge of the Lioness program in the field
  • Laysla De Oliveira as Sergeant First Class Cruz Manuelos, a former Force Recon Marine and operative in the Lioness program, turned Delta Force operator after the events of season 1. She once again is recruited by Joe, to be a shadow to Josephina.
  • Genesis Rodriguez (season 2) as Captain Josephina Carrillo, a US Army Apache pilot recruited into the Lioness program due to her family connection to the Mexican cartel that kidnapped an American Congresswoman
  • Dave Annable as Neal McNamara, Joe's husband and a pediatric oncology surgeon
  • Jill Wagner as Bobby, team leader for the Lioness program's QRF
  • LaMonica Garrett as Tucker, QRF member
  • James Jordan as Two Cups, QRF member
  • Austin Hébert as Randy, QRF member
  • Jonah Wharton as Tex, QRF member
  • Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah Amrohi (season 1), the daughter of a suspected terrorist
  • Hannah Love Lanier as Kate, the teenage daughter of Joe and Neal
  • Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade, a high-ranking CIA official in the Lioness program and Joe's boss
  • Morgan Freeman (season 2;[4] guest season 1) as U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins
  • Thad Luckinbill as Kyle McManus (season 2;[6] recurring season 1), a CIA officer and Joe's colleague
  • Michael Kelly as Byron Westfield (season 2, recurring season 1), the CIA Deputy Director and Kaitlyn's supervisor

Recurring

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Guest

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Episodes

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Series overview

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
18July 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03)
2[9]8October 27, 2024 (2024-10-27)December 8, 2024 (2024-12-08)

Season 1 (2023)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [9]
11"Sacrificial Soldiers"John HillcoatTaylor SheridanJuly 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)
22"The Beating"John HillcoatTaylor SheridanJuly 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)
33"Bruise Like a Fist"Anthony ByrneStory by : Taylor Sheridan and Thomas Brady
Teleplay by : Taylor Sheridan		July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30)
44"The Choice of Failure"Anthony ByrneTaylor SheridanAugust 6, 2023 (2023-08-06)
55"Truth Is the Shrewdest Lie"Paul CameronTaylor SheridanAugust 13, 2023 (2023-08-13)
66"The Lie Is the Truth"Paul CameronTaylor SheridanAugust 20, 2023 (2023-08-20)
77"Wish the Fight Away"John HillcoatTaylor SheridanAugust 27, 2023 (2023-08-27)
88"Gone Is the Illusion of Order"John HillcoatTaylor SheridanSeptember 3, 2023 (2023-09-03)

Season 2 (2024)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		Title [10]Directed byWritten by [11]Original release date [10]
91"Beware the Old Soldier"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanOctober 27, 2024 (2024-10-27)
102"I Love My Country"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanOctober 27, 2024 (2024-10-27)
113"Along Came a Spider"Michael FriedmanTaylor SheridanNovember 3, 2024 (2024-11-03)
124"Five Hundred Children"Michael FriedmanTaylor SheridanNovember 10, 2024 (2024-11-10)
135"Shatter the Moon"Stephen KayTaylor SheridanNovember 17, 2024 (2024-11-17)
146"2831"TBATaylor SheridanNovember 24, 2024 (2024-11-24)
157"The Devil Has Aces"TBATaylor SheridanDecember 1, 2024 (2024-12-01)
168"The Compass Points Home"TBATaylor SheridanDecember 8, 2024 (2024-12-08)

Production

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Development

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Lioness was announced in September 2020 as part of a Paramount+ programming slate unveiling.[12]

The series was renewed for a second season in May 2024.[4] Sheridan penned all eight episodes of the first season and was set to return for the upcoming season as well.[13]

Casting

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In February 2022, Zoe Saldaña was cast to star in the series, and joined as an executive producer alongside Nicole Kidman.[14] Laysla De Oliveira joined the cast the following month.[15] In June, Sheridan took over as showrunner of the series from Thomas Brady following the conclusion of the show's writers' room.[16] Casting continued in September, with the additions of Dave Annable, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton and Hannah Love Lanier.[17][18] In January 2023, Kidman and Michael Kelly joined the cast alongside Morgan Freeman.[19][20][21]

On May 9, 2024, it was reported that returning cast members for season two include Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Michael Kelly, and Nicole Kidman, with Morgan Freeman being promoted to a series regular role.[4] Upon the renewal becoming official on that same date, De Oliveira expressed her excitement about returning to her role as Cruz on her Instagram account.[13] On May 17, 2024, it was announced that Thad Luckinbill was promoted as a series regular for the second season.[6] Few days later, Genesis Rodriguez joined the cast in an undisclosed capacity for the second season.[22] On September 13, 2024, Max Martini, Kirk Acevedo, and Patricia de Leon were cast in recurring roles for the second season.[8] It was later noted that Sheridan played a role named Cody - the KT tape-wrapped former SEAL who assured an iffy Joe.[23]

Filming

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Filming began in Delaware in September 2022[24] and continued in Mallorca in January 2023.[25] In May 2023, it was announced that the series title was changed from Lioness to Special Ops: Lioness,[1] although the title card remained unchanged. The title reverted to the original title when the series was renewed for its second season.[2]

Andrew Lockington composed the soundtrack for the series, having previously worked with Taylor Sheridan in Mayor of Kingstown. Lakeshore Records has released the series' soundtrack.[citation needed]

In May 2024, production for the second season officially began, relocating from the gritty streets of Baltimore, Maryland, to the expansive landscapes of Texas.[26] Sheridan was reported to be directing the third episode of the new season.[26] On August 29, 2024, Kelly announced that filming of the second season had been wrapped.[27]

Inspiration

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The series is very loosely based on the premise of "Team Lioness", where in Iraq in 2003 the decision was made to send female soldiers out with patrols, aiming to stop insurgents from using women to smuggle material because male US soldiers found it difficult to search Muslim women. These teams found themselves in direct combat situations, in violation of the Combat Exclusion Policy (changed only a decade later), which hindered the soldiers from getting veteran benefits after service.[28][29]

Release

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Paramount+ unveiled a first-look trailer for the show on 8 June 2023.[30] The eight-part series premiered on 23 July 2023 on Paramount+ with two one-hour episodes, and subsequent episodes released weekly thereafter.[31] The red carpet premiered for the series, initially slated for 18 July 2023 at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in Los Angeles, was canceled due to the impact of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in the United States.[32] This marked one of the first events to be canceled in response to the strike.[33]

The second season was released with a two-episode premiere on October 27, 2024.[5]

Reception

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Critical response

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Critical response of Lioness
SeasonRotten TomatoesMetacritic
156% (36 reviews)[34]56 (19 reviews)[35]
2100% (7 reviews)[36]—

For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval rating and an average rating of 6.1/10, based on 36 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Zoe Saldaña provides the energy of a Lioness, but these Special Ops are largely derivative and unconvincing."[34] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[35]

Despite praising the performances of Laysla De Oliveira and Zoe Saldana, Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph criticized "the one thing that lets the show down is Nicole Kidman as a CIA boss, whose frozen face these days is a total distraction".[37]

Tania Hussain of Collider praised the performance of the cast but criticised the show as "flawed story" and found Taylor Sheridan was struggling to write about women.[38] Another writer from Collider, Michael John Petty, said the series "might work best as a one-and-done story".[39] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the script as "seems to be constructed with the assumption that most of the audience will only be half-watching while scrolling Facebook on their phones anyway" but couldn't deny the fact that "there is one aspect of Special Ops: Lioness that shines through clear as day no matter how much or how little of your focus you've directed toward it, and that is its reverence for the U.S. Marine Corps".[40]

Jim Hemphill of IndieWire praised the cinematography work of Paul Cameron as it "breaks all the cinematography rules" and "in Cameron's hands, even a standard dialogue scene between two actors has extra dynamism and energy that come simply from looking for unorthodox angles or alternating focal lengths in a manner that might seem counterintuitive".[41]

Reviewer Mike Hale, writing for The New York Times, wrote that the show "turned out to be a moody, suspenseful, textured genre piece with characters you cared about," and that "Sheridan found a form, the action thriller, that suits him better than the western soap operas and contemporary crime dramas that he has produced up to now." Initially, when only screening the first episode, Hale wrote the show "looks like an awful lot of other counterterrorism thrillers, with a visceral punch to its action and a ticky-tacky, backlot feel."[42][43] Also based on the first episode, Variety criticised it as "cliché" and "shameless military propaganda".[28]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 100% approval rating based on 7 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[36]

Audience viewership

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The drama achieved a milestone by becoming the streamer's most-watched worldwide series premiere on launch day at the time, drawing nearly 6 million total viewers in its first week across Paramount+ globally and during a linear preview on the Paramount Network.[2][44][45] This record was later surpassed by Lawmen: Bass Reeves, another series produced by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+. It garnered 7.5 million viewers worldwide within the first 7 days across Paramount+ and during a broadcast sampling run on CBS.[46] Special Ops: Lioness emerged as one of the most-watched global series premieres on Paramount+ in 2023.[2]

Accolades

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Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result Ref.
2023 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards Best Creative Special Ops: Lioness Nominated [47]
Best Writer Taylor Sheridan Nominated
Best Lead Actress Zoe Saldaña Nominated

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ The series was originally announced as Lioness and that was the title used in the first season's title card. The "Special Ops" prefix was added for marketing purposes shortly before the release of season 1,[1] but was dropped as part of the season 2 renewal.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Petski, Denise (May 5, 2023). "'Special Ops: Lioness': First Look At Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira & More In Taylor Sheridan's CIA Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Rice, Lynette (May 9, 2024). "'Lioness' Renewed For Second Season By Paramount+". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Petski, Denise (June 8, 2023). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness' Paramount+ Series Gets Premiere Date, First Trailer". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Taylor, Drew (May 10, 2024). "Paramount+ Renews Taylor Sheridan's 'Lioness' for Season 2". TheWrap. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Martin, Annie (August 28, 2024). "'Lioness' Season 2 gets photos, October premiere date". United Press International. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (May 17, 2024). "'Lioness': Thad Luckinbill Upped To Series Regular For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Otterson, Joe (November 16, 2022). "Sam Asghari, Carla Mansour, Adam Budron, Martin Donovan Join Taylor Sheridan's CIA Series 'Lioness' at Paramount+ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (September 13, 2024). "'Lioness' Adds Max Martini, Kirk Acevedo & Patricia De Leon To Season 2 Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Shows A-Z – Special Ops: Lioness on Paramount+". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "EIDR Record: Lioness: Season 2 (2024, Season)". EIDR. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  11. ^ "Lioness". Writers Guild of America West. June 13, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  12. ^ White, Peter (September 15, 2020). "The Godfather Making-Of Event Drama, Taylor Sheridan Spy Thriller, The Game Reboot & Behind The Music Revival Lead Paramount+ Original Slate". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b Sarrubba, Stefania (May 10, 2024). "Yellowstone boss' spy thriller with Nicole Kidman renewed for second season". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  14. ^ White, Peter (February 15, 2022). "Billy Bob Thornton Set As Lead In Land Man, Zoe Saldaña To Star In Lioness & 1883 Gets New Season, Spinoff As Paramount+ Grows Taylor Sheridan Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  15. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 18, 2022). "Laysla De Oliveira Joins Zoe Saldaña in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount Plus Espionage Series Lioness (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  16. ^ Petski, Denise (June 28, 2022). "Taylor Sheridan Taking Over As Showrunner On His Paramount+ Series Lioness". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  17. ^ Cordero, Rosy (September 6, 2022). "Lioness Adds Taylor Sheridan-Verse Stars Dave Annable, LaMonica Garrett & James Jordan". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  18. ^ Petski, Denise (September 29, 2022). "Lioness: Taylor Sheridan's CIA Drama Series Adds 3 To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (January 5, 2023). "Nicole Kidman Cast In Taylor Sheridan's CIA Drama Series Lioness At Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 13, 2023). "Lioness: Morgan Freeman Joins Taylor Sheridan's Series For Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  21. ^ Strause, Jackie (2023-01-26). "Michael Kelly Joins Cast of Taylor Sheridan's Lioness (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  22. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 20, 2024). "'Lioness' Season 2 Casts Genesis Rodriguez". Variety. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Mitovich, Matt-Webb (October 27, 2024). "Lioness' Top-Secret Season 2 Guest Star Revealed — Grade the Premiere". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 27, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  24. ^ McNaught, Shannon Marvel (2022-10-04). "Paramount+ series 'Lioness' films at Cape Henlopen State Park". Delaware Online. Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  25. ^ Piovesan, Anrhony (January 11, 2023). "Kidman and Other Hollywood Stars in Mallorca as Filming Starts for Paramount+ Series Lioness". The Olive Press. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  26. ^ a b McPherson, Chris (May 24, 2024). "Taylor Sheridan Is Back in the Director's Chair as 'Lioness' Season 2 Begins Production". Collider. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  27. ^ Kelly, Michael [@realmichaelkelly] (August 29, 2024). "#Lioness S2 wrapped!! Loved hanging with my buddy @thad.luckinbill What kinda crazy shit ya think we got into this year!! Find out soon @lioness #Lioness #LionessParamountPlus Premieres Oct 27 only on @ParamountPlus @leisuresociety_". Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024 – via Instagram.
  28. ^ a b Herman, Alison (2023-07-21). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness,' Starring Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana, Is Shameless Military Propaganda: TV Review". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  29. ^ "The Uproar of Team Lioness: How Taylor Sheridan's Show Got it Wrong". veteranlife.com. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  30. ^ Petski, Denise (June 8, 2023). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness' Paramount+ Series Gets Premiere Date, First Trailer". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  31. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (July 12, 2023). "Breaking Baz: Nicole Kidman Reveals The Secret Of Her Role In Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ Spy Action Thriller 'Special Ops: Lioness'". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  32. ^ Bell, BreAnna (July 13, 2023). "'Special Ops: Lioness' Premiere Canceled In Response to SAG-AFTRA Strike". Variety. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  33. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 13, 2023). "'Special Ops: Lioness' Red Carpet Premiere Canceled Due To SAG-AFTRA Strike". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Lioness: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Special Ops: Lioness: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  36. ^ a b "Lioness: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  37. ^ Singh, Anita (July 23, 2023). "Special Ops: Lioness, review: all hail the female Marine who can out-macho any man". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  38. ^ Hussain, Tania (July 21, 2023). "'Special Ops: Lioness' Review: Zoe Saldaña Fights Through Taylor Sheridan's Antics in So-So Spy Thriller". Collider. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  39. ^ Petty, Michael (January 2, 2024). "We Don't Need Another Season of Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness'". Collider. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  40. ^ Han, Angie (July 22, 2023). "'Special Ops: Lioness' Review: Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman in Taylor Sheridan's Simplistic Paramount+ Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  41. ^ Hemphill, Jim (July 24, 2023). "Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness' Breaks All the Cinematography Rules—and It Works". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  42. ^ Hale, Mike (2023-07-21). "'Special Ops: Lioness' Review: Zoe Saldaña Does Strong and Silent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  43. ^ Hale, Mike (2023-09-11). "'Special Ops: Lioness' Reconsidered". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  44. ^ Campione, Katie (August 2, 2023). "'Special Ops: Lioness': Taylor Sheridan Espionage Thriller Off To Strong Start With Record Audience On Paramount+". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  45. ^ Lammer, Tim (May 9, 2024). "'Special Ops: Lioness': There's Good News About Future Of Taylor Sheridan Series". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  46. ^ Campione, Katie (December 1, 2023). "'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' Becomes The Year's Most-Watched Series Premiere For Paramount+". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  47. ^ Park, Jae-hwan (September 12, 2023). "아시아콘텐츠어워즈&글로벌OTT어워즈 후보작 발표.. "더 글로리, 무빙, 만장적계절, 그리고 퍼스트러브하츠코이" [Asian Content Awards & Global OTT Awards Nominees Announced... "The Glory, Moving, All Seasons, and First Love Hatsukoi"] (in Korean). KBS. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via Naver.
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