A third season of thriller “Yellowjackets” is slated to premiere this Valentine Day with the first two episodes airing on Paramount+’s Showtime plan. They will run new episodes every Friday that are available on Showtime at 7 p.m. after their broadcast.
The 90s-set survival drama tells the story of the New Jersey Yellowjackets, a high school soccer team slated to compete at nationals; however, fate takes a turn when their tournament-bound plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, forcing the girls (and their now amputee soccer coach) to survive a grueling 19 months in the forest isolated from civilization.
The last episode aired on May 7, 2023. The show was initially set to return in 2024 but was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The writers room finally reopened in September of 2023 with filming wrapped up in May 2024.
The show follows the story of the teens’ descent, and their eventual formation of a cannibalistic cult made in a vain attempt to ensure their survival. Told across two timelines, viewers follow the girls in 1996 as they struggle to survive in the wilderness and then their stories 25 years later.
The official trailer dropped on Jan. 22. In a VoiceOver, Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse) said, “Once upon a time, a bunch of teenage girls got stranded in the wilderness, and they hunted their friends, feasted on their flesh and they went completely nuts.”
“Yellowjackets” last left off in a shocking place. In the finale of season two, adult Yellowjacket Misty Quigley (Christina Ricci) accidentally kills surviving teammate Natalie Scatorccio (Juliette Lewis). Meanwhile in the teen timeline the girls’ cabin was mysteriously burnt down, leaving the Yellowjackets with no shelter in the middle of Canadian winter.
Little has been revealed about the upcoming season so far; however, it was announced that Ella Purnell will be making a return as Jackie Taylor — a teenage Yellowjacket who was killed and eaten in the first season and returned in ghost form to haunt Shauna Shipman in season two.
Two entirely new cast members have been announced as well. “Community’s”Joel Hale is set to star in season three. Hillary Swank was also revealed to be on the cast list. However, their roles have been kept under wraps, perhaps hinting at them playing a newly revealed survivor or an antagonistic force to the adult Yellowjackets.
It’s also been announced that the first episode of season three takes place six weeks after the finale of season two. In an interview with Deadline, Courtney Eaton, who plays teen Lottie, hinted at the show taking a darker turn.
“It spirals real out of control by the end of the season,” Eaton said in the interview. “A lot of things are answered, there’s a lot more blood, and people just fully lose their mind.”
Tune in tonight on Paramount+ Showtime plan to watch the season premiere of “Yellowjackets.” Episodes will continue to be released every Friday through the streaming service.
This story was written by Allison Scherquist. She can be reached out to as allison.scherquist@marquette.edu.
