{
  "id": 12353741,
  "title": "Lioness Season 3's Rajeev Malhotra Tribute Explained",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/lioness-season-3s-rajeev-malhotra-tribute-explained",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T10:21:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2278476/lioness-season-3-rajeev-malhotra-tribute-explained/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the conclusion of the final episode of Lioness Season 3, viewers were confronted with a somber revelation regarding the abduction of Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña), but also paid a heartfelt tribute to a crucial behind-the-scenes contributor. The episode paid homage to the memory of Rajeev Malhotra, acknowledging his \"tireless commitment and unwavering support\" on the Taylor Sheridan show. He will be deeply missed, the tribute card reads. The tribute sparked curiosity among viewers about Malhotra's connection to the series.\n\nRajeev Malhotra was a producer on Lioness, having worked on the second and third seasons of the show. He passed away in a hospital on July 28 at 1:17pm, surrounded by his loved ones, including his father, brother, nephew, cousins, Catherine Jordan (his long-term partner), and Chad Galster (an editor who worked on Lioness). Chad was among the 20-plus co-workers who visited Malhotra in the hospital. According to producer and cartoonist David Derks, Malhotra suffered a heart attack while in Cedars Sinai Cardiac ICU. Despite becoming ill last week, Malhotra continued to push through the relentless production schedule of television to ensure episodes were delivered. He tragically succumbed to the heart attack a few days later.\n\nMalhotra's association with Taylor Sheridan began during the second season of Yellowstone when he served as an associate producer on the episode \"Sins of the Father,\" which was ranked as one of the best episodes of Yellowstone by TVLine. Malhotra's role progressed to become a co-producer for Season 4 and a full producer for Season 5. He continued working on Sheridan's projects, including the Yellowstone prequel series 1883 and the follow-up series 1923. Malhotra also began producing Lioness and Landman in 2024, with his last collaboration with Sheridan being on the Michelle Pfeiffer-led miniseries The Madison in 2026.\n\nThose who worked alongside Malhotra on Sheridan's shows expressed their personal tributes on social media. Editor Abe Kurien thanked Malhotra for hiring him and trusting him during the Yellowstone TV show in 2020, and for the opportunity to be part of the Yellowstone Family with other Sheridan productions. Kurien expressed gratitude for the knowledge he gained and hopes to carry on Malhotra's legacy.",
  "summary": "The \"Lioness\" Season 3 finale contains a tribute to someone called Rajeev Malhotra. Here's who he was and why he was so important to the Rajeev Malhotra series.",
  "key_points": [
    "Rajeev Malhotra, producer, passed away July 28 at 1:17pm",
    "Malhotra suffered heart attack while in Cedars Sinai Cardiac ICU",
    "Malhotra worked on Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Lioness, Landman"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}