Why Kyle McManus From Lioness Looks So Familiar

On August 2, "Lioness" — the espionage thriller from creator Taylor Sheridan — returned for its third season on Paramount+, continuing the story of CIA Station Chief Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña) as she leads an elite undercover program. Among the ensemble cast alongside Saldaña are A-list co-stars like Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. Another cast member who's been around since Season 1 is Thad Luckinbill, who plays Kyle McManus, a skilled CIA operative who isn't afraid to bend the rules — or butt heads with Joe — to get the job done.

If Luckinbill's name or face is ringing some bells for you, there's a good chance you're a daytime soap opera aficionado. For over two decades, Luckinbill appeared on-and-off as J.T. Hellstrom on CBS' long-running "The Young and the Restless," racking up a gargantuan total of 933 episodes. The "Lioness" star originated the role during his initial run from August 1999 to November 2010. 

He later made a dramatic return from December 2017 to April 2018 for a storyline that steered the character into darker territory. Even though J.T. was seemingly killed off, Luckinbill briefly reprised the role again in March 2019, and returned for a third and final time in May 2023 for a special guest appearance celebrating the show's 50th anniversary.

Reflecting on his 2017 return to "The Young and the Restless," Luckinbill candidly chatted with TV Insider about his character's beginnings and why he stuck around for so long. "I'm overly protective of J.T., to a fault," he shared with the outlet. "I started playing him 20 years ago ... Initially, it was a three-episode character ... Fast forward 11 years later, and I was still there. I was the only actor who played that character. That's a testament to how well the character was written and to the fans."

Luckinbill went on to gush about the strong friendships he made during his tenure on the show, fondly describing the cast as a family or high school class. "I love the people and the place. Even though I'm doing something different now, the possibility of coming back and revisiting the show seemed exciting." When he said he was "doing something different now," Luckinbill was referring to producing. You'll see his name attached to acclaimed films such as "Sicario" and the Oscar-winning "La La Land." If daytime television isn't where you recognize him from, he also made a string of one-time guest-starring appearances in series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Nip/Tuck," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Criminal Minds."

Fast forward to today, and Luckinbill couldn't be happier trading daytime drama for black-ops missions. In a 2026 interview with TV Insider, he described his "Lioness" castmates as "a great ensemble," adding that Kyle is "probably the most fun character I've ever played."