‘Average Joe’ Season 2 Episode 4 Release Date, Streaming Details, and What to Expect From ‘Choose the Lion’

Paramount+’s action comedy thriller ‘Average Joe’ is moving into the middle stretch of its second season, and viewers tracking Joe Washington’s overseas troubles have a new episode to circle on the calendar. Episode 4, titled “Choose the Lion,” is set to premiere on September 2, 2026, following the weekly Wednesday pattern the show has kept since its two episode launch.

The series follows Deon Cole as Joe Washington, a Pittsburgh plumber whose discovery of his late father’s criminal dealings has put him and his loved ones in peril. To find out who is targeting his family, Joe enlists his friends Leon, Cathy, and Touch to join him in Cape Town, South Africa, in what starts as a search for answers and quickly turns into a dangerous adventure.

‘Average Joe’ Season 2 Episode 4 Release Date and Time

Paramount+ rolled out Season 2 of ‘Average Joe’ on August 19, 2026, giving subscribers the first two episodes immediately before shifting into a weekly release pattern for the remaining six. Episode 3, “Dead Mobs and Hitmen,” arrived on August 26, and it kicked off the weekly rollout that carries the season through the fall.

Following Episode 4, Episode 5, titled “Blindspot,” premieres on September 9, and Episode 6, “Keep It Together,” follows on September 16, with Episode 7, “Simple Pleasure,” landing on September 23. That schedule keeps the show on a consistent Wednesday cadence through the back half of its eight episode run.

Paramount+ does not appear to publish a bespoke release time for ‘Average Joe’ specifically, but the platform has a well documented pattern for its Wednesday originals. Multiple other Paramount+ series, including ‘Landman’ and ‘School Spirits,’ have consistently dropped new episodes around 12am PT, which is 3am ET, and that same early morning window is the one most viewers should expect for ‘Average Joe’ as well.

Viewers on the East Coast will likely see the episode appear before sunrise, while those on the West Coast can expect it at midnight local time. International audiences will see the episode land later in the day depending on time zone, generally in the morning or early afternoon hours.

Where to Watch ‘Average Joe’ Season 2

In the United States, ‘Average Joe’ Season 2 is available with a Paramount+ subscription, and the season can also be streamed through the Paramount+ Prime Video Channel, the Paramount+ Apple TV Channel, or the Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel. Canadian viewers have the same options, streaming directly through Paramount+ or via the Paramount+ Prime Video Channel.

The show has changed homes since its debut. Created by Robb Cullen, ‘Average Joe’ Season 1 debuted to strong reviews, earning an 86 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and quickly becoming the number one scripted drama series on BET+ during its debut week. It moved to Paramount+ after BET+ was shut down following Paramount’s buyout of Tyler Perry Studios’ minority stake in the platform.

As reported by Deadline in its exclusive account of the announcement, the eight episode season was confirmed for a global August premiere alongside a batch of first look photos ahead of release. That kind of early confirmation is typical of how Paramount+ has handled promotion for the series, giving fans a clear runway before episodes actually arrive.

For anyone catching up, all of Season 1 is also currently available on the platform, which should help new viewers understand the fallout from the father’s hidden criminal life before jumping into the current season’s Cape Town storyline.

What to Expect From Choose the Lion

The official description for ‘Choose the Lion’ points to an episode that pushes several storylines forward at once. Sipho increases the bounty on the Americans while Phylis invites Touch to a sacred place, Imani helps Joe find another hidden clue that leads them to a devastating discovery, and downtown, Leon and Cathy’s relationship is tested in unexpected ways.

That synopsis suggests the season’s central mystery, tied to Joe’s father’s stolen money and the dangerous people looking for it, will keep tightening around the group even as personal relationships among the friends face new strain. The bounty detail in particular signals that the danger facing Joe’s crew in South Africa is escalating rather than cooling off.

Episode 3 had already set up a violent turn for the group. Joe discovers a revelation about Imani, and Imani and the Americans band together to find answers only to walk into a dangerous situation, culminating in a brutal showdown that forces Joe and the boys to fight their way out alive. “Choose the Lion” appears positioned to deal with the aftermath of that confrontation while introducing the new complications around Sipho and the sacred place Phylis mentions to Touch.

Given the pace of the season so far, viewers should expect the show to keep balancing its darker crime elements with the character driven humor that made the first season stand out, rather than leaning entirely into action for its own sake.

‘Average Joe’ Season 2 Cast

The main cast for Season 2 includes Deon Cole as Joe Washington, Malcolm Barrett as Leon Montgomery, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams as Cathy Montgomery, Michael Trucco as Touch, and Katlego Lebogang as Imani. That core group makes up the friends traveling together through the Cape Town storyline.

The broader cast also includes Kathrine Barnes as Arina, Pasha D. Lychnikoff as Nicolai Dzhugashvili, Ashani Roberts as Sgt. Pam Talford, Tammy Townsend as Angela Washington, and Ashley Olivia Fisher as Jennifer Washington. These characters help fill out the family and law enforcement threads connected to Joe’s situation back home.

Deon Cole’s Joe Washington believes he can finally move forward after tying up the loose ends his criminally enmeshed father left behind, only for a new threat to pull him right back into danger. That setup has effectively rebuilt the show’s stakes for a second time, giving each returning cast member a fresh reason to be pulled into the fallout.

With ‘Choose the Lion’ arriving September 2 and the bounty on Joe’s group only growing, how far do you think Sipho is willing to go to get to the Americans first.