“Lioness” Season 2 Exclusive First Look: Zoe Salda?a Teases New Missions with Nicole Kidman and“ ”Genesis Rodriguez

The spy drama created by Taylor Sheridan returns this fall on Paramount+

After a debut season filled with high-stakes espionage and surprising twists, Paramount+'s Lioness is getting ready for to return — and this time with a new face joining the mix.

Genesis Rodriguez joins Zoe Salda?a, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman in season 2 this fall as Captain Josephina Carillo, or “Josie,” a fierce and dedicated helicopter pilot.

Salda?a, who reprises her role as Joe, program director of the CIA’s Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading the group’s female undercover operatives, exclusively tells PEOPLE the season will start with Joe taking some much-deserved time off, having prioritized her marriage to Neal (Dave Annable) and relationship with daughter Kate (Hannah Love Lanier).

"Joe is taking time off, which is what she wanted," Salda?a says. "She is spending time mending her marriage and rehabilitating her relationship with her daughter. She’s just spending time with her family... Joe and Neal are in a really good place at the start of the season."

In these exclusive first-look photos — especially the one below as well as the tense photo above with Kidman's Kaitlyn Meade — Joe may not be in a "really good place" for long.

Related: 'Special Ops: Lioness' Costars Zoe Salda?a and Nicole Kidman Are Planning to 'Holiday in Italy Together' (Exclusive)

Season 2 presents Joe with a new set of challenges, including a rough start with Josie. “It’s a strange relationship — there’s a lot of mistrust from the beginning,” Salda?a hints.

Still, collaborating with Rodriguez, 37, has been “breath of fresh air," Salda?a says. “She is sweet, kind, and so professional. When you speak to her, there's just this light to her spirit that makes everyone smile around her.”

“I've known Genesis for a long time,” Salda?a continues. “I am a fan of her work and most of all, my family and I have been a fan of her father’s [José Luis Rodriguez] music since birth. It's been an honor working with her.”

Related: Dave Annable on How He Landed Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness': 'I Have a Face He Wants to Kill’ (Exclusive)

Rodriguez, who looks ready for battle in the exclusive image above, says she’s admired her Lioness costar "for so long," calling their onscreen partnership a “dream come true."

“All of us, our team, all of us are a family,” she continues, noting that the cast spends their days off together. “This is the dream job.”

Speaking about her own role, Rodriguez stays general, simply calling Josie "fierce." She adds, "I really can’t wait for you to meet her."

Related: Zoe Saldana Talks Dealing with Mom Guilt While Working: 'I Get Emotional Because It Is Hard'

On the other hand, Salda?a says Joe still has a great relationship and total trust with her boss Kaitlyn Meade (above, surely contemplating her next move), the CIA’s Senior Supervisor.

"There is absolute trust in Joe’s relationship with Kaitlyn. They very much have a role model, mentee-mentor kind of relationship. Joe has always looked up to Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn knows that there is nothing that she can ask of Joe that she won't deliver on," Salda?a shares. "Joe always demands excellence from herself and from her team because she regards Kaitlyn so highly and having her respect is very important to her because they’re very much Lionesses, both of them. In terms of driving missions, they believe in what they’re doing and believe in the Lioness program."

Related: Nicole Kidman Is Honored by Her Peers in L.A, Plus Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost, Cynthia Erivo and More

The spy drama’s cast — which also includes Freeman playing U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins (above) and Michael Kelly as CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield — and their crew went out of their way to make Rodriguez feel welcome.

“That happened from the beginning — during training and exercises and stunt training,” Salda?a recalls. “At rehearsals, Gen was just such a trooper, but this is a good crew where there are a whole bunch of good apples, and I have to say I feel really lucky, because the cast members that I've been working with on this show are just beautiful individuals. So obviously the same way they made me feel well really welcome, and I made them feel welcome, we did the same for Gen and that sort of took off from the beginning."

In addition to Salda?a, Rodriguez, Kidman, Freeman and Kelly, the series stars Laysla De Oliveira, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, Jennifer Ehle, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Bruce McGill and Thad Luckinbill.

Salda?a, Kidman and Wagner also serve as executive producers, alongside creator Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, David Lemanowicz, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Friedman and Keith Cox.

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Season 2 of Lioness premieres this fall on Paramount+.

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