A mysterious story of survival, betrayal, and desperation, Yellowjackets was an instant
hit — but what should we know going into Season 2?
Season 1 of Yellowjackets premiered in November 2021, and chronicled the events of a devastating
plane crash that left the members of a women's high school soccer team stranded in the woods
without contact or rescue for 19 months.
Depicting the twin storylines of the time immediately after the crash and the lives
of the tragedy's few survivors a few decades later, the show was quickly met with critical acclaim,
For those who watched the show around the time that it aired, your long wait for a follow
up to Season 1's intense cliffhangers will come to an end shortly.
Yellowjackets Season 2 will premiere on streaming and on-demand for Showtime subscribers on
March 24, and will premiere on air on March 26.
While a long year may have passed since the finale premiered, the time fans have had to
wait just means they can expect Season 2 to be the best it can possibly be.
Showrunner Ashley Lyle told TheWrap,
"It's a deeply serialized story and we wanted to make sure we didn't rush it, and that we
got it right.
And so this was the earliest we could accomplish that."
As the first season of "Yellowjackets" comes to a conclusion, we flash back to the '90s
and see that the teens are about to face down a frigid winter in a Canadian forest.
Jealousy, hunger, and madness are beginning to set in, and we know for a fact that Season
2 will focus on this dark and dangerous period.
"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you.
If you hadn't—"
"What?
Huh?
Stolen him?"
Speaking with Variety, showrunner Ashley Lyle confirmed the show would be returning to the
cold forest.
During this storyline, viewers will likely learn about the forces stalking our protagonists,
why the forest refuses to let them leave, and how low and desperate the behavior of
the freezing teammates becomes as the days grow shorter.
As for the present-day timeline, we're not exactly sure where the show will go from there,
but it will no doubt involve the murder of Adam Martin, the kidnapping of Natalie, and
the return of Lottie.
One of the strongest aspects of Yellowjackets is its incredibly talented cast.
But who will be coming back for Season 2?
Well, we know that Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, and Tawny Cypress are
returning to play the adult versions of Shauna, Misty, Natalie, and Taissa.
Plus, Sophie Nélisse, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, and Jasmin Savoy Brown are
all coming back to play their respective teenage counterparts.
We can also expect to see Liv Hewson as teenage Van and Courtney Eaton as young Lottie — both
of whom have been made series regulars.
However, the big question remains: will we see their adult versions?
As it turns out, the answer is yes.
Lauren Ambrose of Servant and Six Feet Under will play the adult version of Van while Simone
Kessell of Our Flag Means Death and Obi-Wan Kenobi will be starring as the Antler Queen
herself — Lottie.
Kevin Alves will also be returning to play series regular Travis.
You may also want to keep an eye out for Lynskey's real-life husband, Jason Ritter.
Also, Nia Sondaya of Truth Be Told has been cast as teen Akilah, replacing Keeya King.
Variety reports that Nicole Maines of Supergirl and François Arnaud of The Borgias have also
joined the cast.
Maines will be playing Lisa, someone with a connection to the adult version of Lottie,
while Arnaud will play Coach Scott's boyfriend.
"Did you hear that mom?
Dad?
God?
All my furry forest friends?
I'm gay!"
Other small roles we'll be seeing again include Steven Krueger as Coach Ben Scott and Warren
Kole as Shauna's husband.
However, perhaps the biggest casting news comes straight from Middle-earth.
According to Deadline, Elijah Wood has signed on for a season-long guest arc as a citizen
detective alongside Misty.
The folks at Showtime seem to have taken a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach
to Yellowjackets Season 2 by bringing back the warped geniuses behind the first season.
Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson make up the dynamic duo who created the visceral survival
series, and — along with Jonathan Lisco — they were the creatives running the show.
Needless to say, their twisted brainchild became a smash hit, earning all three Emmy
nominations and a place on Season 2's production team.
In fact, Showtime was so impressed with Lyle and Nickerson that the company signed them
to an overall deal, allowing them to work on new Showtime series.
While we're excited to see what new messed-up projects they'll cook up, we're mostly psyched
to see the original showrunners bring "Yellowjackets" Season 2 to horrifying life.
Similar to most TV series, the individual episodes of Yellowjackets Season 1 were helmed
by different directors.
Some standouts to work on the first season include feature directors Eduardo Sánchez
and Daisy von Scherler Mayer, as well Billie Woodruff, who's worked on numerous music videos
with Joe and Toni Braxton.
However, perhaps the biggest get for the show was Karyn Kusama, who directed the pilot and
served as an executive producer for the series.
Kusama excels in tense films that play with horrific concepts like The Invitation and
Jennifer's Body.
And that suspenseful expertise is on full display in the pilot episode, which opens
with a terrifying sequence where a young girl runs for her life, hunted by her former teammates.
It's a gut-punch of a first episode, and fortunately, Kusama is coming back for Season 2.
Speaking about the new season, she told The Playlist
"Season 1, in my opinion, did a great job of completely upending the idea of an expected
direction for any of it.
And so I would just say that Season 2 is a continuation of that kind of surprise and
humor and tonal collision that is essentially as surprising and crazy as real life."
There's a whole lot going on in Yellowjackets Season 1, from Shauna's pregnancy to Lottie's
cult to the seemingly supernatural forces lurking in the forest.
And with two timelines to follow, you'll no doubt need a refresher before Season 2 is released.
So where can you catch up on all the survivalist horror?
Well, if you want to revisit "Yellowjackets" Season 1 check it out for the first time,
you can do so by visiting Showtime, where you can watch the series for the cost of a
monthly subscription.