There’s no denying that Yellowjackets is on a winning spree. After a massively successful first two seasons, Showtime is gearing up to return with Yellowjackets Season 3. That’s right! Season 3 is all set to bring back the mystery surrounding the New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team’s survival and how things will affect their future.
While the second season explored the gritty drama, leading to one of the characters’ death, Season 3 has promised to bring more “weirder” stuff to the audience’s plate. Ready to get more surprises? Keep reading!
Created by Bart Nickerson and Ashley Lyle, Yellowjackets is set in the ’90s and 2021. After the New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team’s plane crashes deep in the wilderness, their lives turn dark. Things become more chaotic as the surviving team members are left with no choice but to turn to cannibalism for their survival. The series chronicles the girls’ attempt to survive in the wilderness before their rescue.
Yellowjackets Season 3 Is Back
Showtime’s Yellowjackets hit the world by storm with its excellent narration and marvelous portrayal. The series debuted in November 2021. Shortly after its release, the show became one of the most-watched series on the network. In fact, the first season gained a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which shows that the series is a pure gem.
That’s why, in December 2022, Paramount+ announced that Yellowjackets had been renewed for Season 3 ahead of its second season premiere. While fans waited for the highly anticipated second season, which was set to air on Friday, March 26, 2023, the network surprised the audience with a Yellowjackets Season 3 renewal.
It revealed that the first season performed incredibly well on the platform, with an average weekly viewers of over 5M. Showtime and Paramount Media Networks President/CEO Chris McCarthy also said that the first season’s success has pent-up anticipation for season 2. However, they wanted to maximize the momentum by bringing season 3 to the surface.
McCarthy added that the Yellowjackets’ ambition was only exceeded by its execution. He also thanked the incredible creative team behind the series. McCarthy said, “I thank the incredible creative team behind it, including Ashley [Lyle], Bart [Nickerson], Jonathan [Lisco], and eOne [Entertainment One, the production company behind the series], for turning this into such a success.”
Yellowjackets Season 3: Production Status
While Showtime announced the third season in December 2022, the series didn’t undergo filming that year. Yellowjackets was among those series that faced setbacks due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The writing room for the third season was shut down a day after the WGA strike, which started in early May 2023.
Although the series faced delays, per Deadline, it resumed production in early October 2023. It was in the writing phase and took months to start filming. The series started filming in May 2024 in Vancouver. The official series Instagram account announced on May 14, 2024, that Yellowjackets Season 3 had begun production.
It reads, “We know you’re starving… #Yellowjackets Season 3 is officially in production.” The series’ official account also shared a few exclusive photos from the Vancouver set. It also shared a picture of the front page of episode 1’s script, which is written by showrunner Ashley Lyle, directed by showrunner Bart Nickerson, and produced by Jonathan Lisco and Nickerson.
Yellowjackets Season 3 Cast Details
The production committee has confirmed that one new face will join Yellowjackets Season 3. The Bear and Community star Joel McHale will appear as a guest. However, no further details about his character have been released. Besides him, we do know who won’t make a return in the third season. Alex Wyndham and Juliette Lewis won’t return as the police officer Kevyn Tan and the adult version of Nat.
That’s because they both died in the second season finale. It also remains unclear whether Simone Kessell’s Lottie will return. In the finale, she was admitted to a psychiatric institution. Meanwhile, in the ’90s timeline, Javi and Crystal won’t return as they couldn’t make it to the end.
However, their actors Luciano Leroux and Nuha Jes Izman suggested they could return in the form of flashbacks. Now, speaking of the surviving characters who will return in Yellowjackets Season 3 are as follows. Melanie Lynskey will return as Shauna, Christina Ricci as Misty, and Tawny Cypress as Taissa.
Lauren Ambrose as Van and Elijah Wood as Walter will also return. Warren Kole as Shauna’s husband Jeff will return with their daughter Callie (played by Sarah Desjardins). As for the ’90s timeline, Sophie Nelisse as teen Shauna will return, along with Jasmin Savoy Brown as teen Taissa and Liv Hewson as teen Van. Sophie Thatcher as teen Nat, Steven Kreuger as Ben, and Kevin Alves as Travis will also return.
Christina Ricci Had A Heartfelt Moment
Ricci, who plays adult Misty on Yellowjackets, talks about her bond with Juliette Lewis (Natalie) in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June 2024. She said they spent so much time together and bonded strongly. They really loved each other, and their relationship was not comparable.
However, things won’t be the same after Natalie’s death in Yellowjackets Season 3. Although Ricci will return, she won’t be acting alongside Lewis. She said, “It was really sad for her [Juliette Lewis] character [Natalie] to be killed off.” Christina Ricci continued by saying that they had filmed a couple of episodes, and she missed Juliet.
What Will Happen In Yellowjackets Season 3
The second season’s finale left the door open for the third season, which suggests Yellowjackets Season 3 will answer all the questions. In the present-day timeline, Taissa’s sleepwalking problem remains to be addressed. The show hasn’t yet revealed what causes it and what she does when unconscious. So, it’s likely that the third season will explore this angle, revealing her misadventure while sleepwalking.
The finale also suggests that Simone is in the hospital after the car accident. So, it remains to be seen whether she will survive and what happens to their son Sammy. Sammy knows a lot about his mother’s reunion with the high school ex, so what he will do remains to be seen. Simone’s relationship with Van might suffer after reuniting with her ex.
Plus, on the work front, things will turn more dramatic. That’s because Simone suddenly disappeared for a week after she was elected as a state senator. As for Van, it doesn’t seem like she has time to live. Van told Taissa in the second season that she had terminal cancer. But will there be a cure for this in the wilderness to save her?
Misty will face a challenging situation after Nat’s death. Plus, there’s a problem with Walter as well. Can he be trusted? Yellowjackets Season 3 will also reveal Lottie’s fate, as the second season saw her in psychiatric care. As for the ’90s timeline, Javi’s friend will play a huge role, and it focuses on the evolution of the girls’ hunting ritual.
Creator Teases Yellowjackets Season 3 Will Be “Weirder”
On X, Ashley Lyle teased that the third season will be “weirder.” She took to X shortly after the second season’s finale, which broke all the records with 1.5 million viewers on Showtime. Ashley questioned, “Are we gonna get weirder?” She said, “Probably!” The finale death will play a huge role in Yellowjackets Season 3, affecting the antiheroes in massive ways. She suggested that the girls might go even down and dirtier as they struggle to survive.
The showrunner further told The Wrap that Yellowjackets Season 3 will retain the same vibe as the first season. Director Karyn Kusama also suggested that season 3 will explore another 1998 timeline. The same was introduced in the second season, where the survivors returned to the normal world. Kusama said that there is a lot of material left to be explored. The characters will face some major changes after reorienting themselves to normalcy, which is supposed to be. Their normal will be different than others’ normal.
Cast Hints At Season 3 Theme
Christina Ricci told The Hollywood Reporter that season 3 of Yellowjackets will ante a little. This season will be more shocking than the first two seasons, she said. The third season will be brutal and messier. However, viewers can also expect to see a lot of comedy as the show will focus on the darker element of cannibalism.
Samantha Hanratty also told Entertainment Tonight that Yellowjackets Season 3 will be the meltdown. The first season was messy and chaotic, and season 2 was cold and dark as they struggled to survive in winter. Meanwhile, the third season of Yellowjackets will reveal the true faces of people they know.
There Be A Special Episode Before Yellowjackets Season 3
Ahead of the third season premiere, the fans will receive a pleasant surprise. Showrunner Ashley Lyle confirmed via an X tweet that Yellowjackets will return with a special bonus episode. The long-running series will surprise the audience by bringing a bonus episode bridging the two seasons. Ashley replied to a user’s post and said there would be a bonus episode, but it remains unclear when it would return. The production committee has yet to announce its release date.
Will There Be More Seasons?
Hopefully! Showtime has renewed Yellowjackets for a third season, but co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson plan to make it long-running. They plan to last the series for five seasons, and interestingly, they’re “still on track for that.” Showrunner Ashley told Entertainment Weekly that there are always stories to be told. There’s room to return with more seasons. However, she clarified that she and her team don’t think they can continue the series past five seasons.
Ashley said that there are shows that can go on forever. But it’s not the same with Yellowjackets as it explores the story of these characters’ lives. So, she wants to reach a satisfying conclusion, which can deeply conclude the characters’ story arc. “Isn’t really one of those setup shows,” Ashley said, “where it can go anywhere.” So far, they are on track, but there can be a lot of discoveries that might change the track. “So it’s always a little bit surprising.” However, they are on point to conclude things up with five seasons.
Yellowjackets Season 3 Release Date
Although the series was renewed in 2022, it has yet to wrap up filming. Yellowjackets are currently in the filming stage, which will take a couple more months to conclude. In addition, the post-production work will also take four to five months to wrap up everything. Considering this, it doesn’t seem like the show will return soon. However, Showtime told Deadline that the Yellowjackets Season 3 release date will be 2025. This is all for now. Stay with TechRadar247 for more such updates.