‘Yellowjackets’ Receives Promising News Before Season Two Premiere

The hit Showtime series Yellowjackets was just renewed for a third season, over three months before the second season debuts. Yellowjackets was a huge hit for Showtime last year and picked up seven Emmy nominations. The series centers on a group of New Jersey high school soccer players who survive a devastating plane crash and the effect that horrific incident continues to have on their lives.

The early Season 3 renewal comes just days after Showtime finally announced when Yellowjackets Season 2 will premiere. The first episode will be available to stream for Showtime subscribers on Friday, March 24. It will then make its on-air debut on Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The first season averaged over 5 million weekly viewers across all platforms, making it the second-most streamed series in Showtime’s history.

“With Yellowjackets‘ runaway success in season one and the pent-up anticipation for season two, we wanted to maximize the momentum by fast-tracking season three now,” Chris McCarthy, President and CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media Networks, said in a statement Thursday. “The show’s ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredibly creative team behind it, including Ashley, Bart, Jonathan, eOne, and the Showtime team, for turning this into such a success.”

Yellowjackets was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and is produced by Entertainment One (eOne). The story follows along two tracks. In 1996, a New Jersey high school soccer team’s plane crashes on its way across the country in the Canadian wilderness. They are left to survive with very few resources and it looks like they have no chance of rescue. In 2021, the survivors grapple with the horrific memories of their experiences, which continue to hamper their lives as adults. Season 2 production recently wrapped in Vancouver.

The ensemble cast features Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nelisse as Shauna; Tawny Cypress and Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa; Ella Purnell as Jackie; Steven Krueger as Ben; Warren Kole as Jeff; Christina Ricci and Sammi Hanratty as Misty; Juliette Lewis and Sophie Thatcher as Natalie; Lauren Ambrose and Live Hewson as Vanessa; Simone Kessell and Courtney Eaton as Lottie; and Kevin Alves as Travis. Elijah Wood will have a guest role in Season 2.

Lynskey and Ricci earned Emmy nominations for their performances. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, Oustanding Directing (Karyn Kasuma); and Outstanding Casting. The episodes “Pilot” and “F Sharp” were both nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. The entire first season is available to stream on the Showtime app and on-demand for Showtime subscribers.