The Yellowjackets season 1 finale asked more new questions than it answered old ones, making it clear that the story needed to continue with season 2. Yellowjackets appeared on multiple lists of the best new shows of 2021, and the season 1 finale makes it clear that the TV show isn’t finished yet. Yellowjackets follows a girl's soccer team that survives a plane crash in the wilderness in 1996 as they struggle to live there for 19 months before they are eventually rescued. This is told alongside a narrative set in the present day that sees some of the survivors work to try and keep their secrets hidden while continuing to live their lives.
In the Yellowjackets season 1 finale, viewers looking for concrete answers might have been surprised by the new puzzles posed. Not only do they learn that Taissa (Tawny Cypress) has a strange shrine covered in blood in her basement, but also that Jackie (Ella Purnell) was not the person killed in the episode 1 intro, and that Lottie Matthews (Courtney Eaton in 1996) is still alive in the present day — and is behind some larger mysteries. Here's everything that's known about Yellowjackets season 2.
The Latest Yellowjackets Season 2 News
The biggest recent bit of Yellowjackets season 2 news comes in the form of casting. In the Yellowjackets season 1 ending, it was revealed that Lottie is still alive, and the adult Lottie has been cast in Simone Kessell (via part of older Van for the 2021 timeline, Lauren Ambrose, (via Deadline), showing that she is also one of the survivors.
Other casting announcements have been made, such as that of Elijah Wood's role, along with a few new characters and a recast. The Yellowjackets season 2 trailer has also dropped, and while it doesn't give away much about the plot, it does seem as though the show could take a more supernatural turn for the next installment. Presumably, the season will be the same length as the previous one, though that has yet to be confirmed.
Yellowjackets Season 2 & 3 Are Confirmed
SHOWTIME announced Yellowjackets season 2 renewal in mid-December 2021 after only 5 of the 10 episodes in Yellowjackets season 1 had been released. The fact that the Yellowjackets renewal came so far in advance of the season 1 finale demonstrates that SHOWTIME has faith in the series. On top of that, season 3 has already been confirmed before any episodes of season 2 aired.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Release Date
It's been a long time coming, but the Yellowjackets season 2 release date has finally been confirmed. Yellowjackets season 2 will release on the SHOWTIME streaming service on Friday, March 24th, 2023 9 pm EST. Consequently, the show will premiere on the cable SHOWTIME network on Sunday, March 26th, 2023, also at 9 pm EST. For now, Yellowjackets season 1 can be seen several places, including SHOWTIME, and Paramount+, and can be purchased on Amazon.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Cast
There are plenty of returning Yellowjackets characters from season 1, and some new ones teased for Yellowjackets season 2. As for familiar faces, all the cast from the 1996 timeline and the 2021 timeline will return. This means audiences will get to see both young Shauna (Sophie Nélisse, The Book Thief) and adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, The Last of Us). Teen Taissa (Jasmin Savoy-Brown, Scream) and adult Taissa (Tawny Cypress) are returning, as are young Natalie (Sophie Thatcher, The Book of Boba Fett) and adult Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Cape Fear).
The complex Misty (Christina Ricci, Wednesday) and her teenage counterpart (Samantha Hanratty, Shameless) are also back. Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) will continue to play the teenage Lottie. The rest of the teenage Yellowjackets team is also back, save for Jackie (Ella Purnell), who died at the end of season 1, though she could appear in flashbacks, and Laura Lee (Jane Widdop) who also bit the dust. In addition, Kevin Alves (Locke & Key) who plays teen Travis has been upgraded to a series regular. Akilah, played by Keeya King in season 1, has been recast and will now be played by Nia Sondaya (Truth Be Told).
A lot of excitement has surrounded who will fill the new role of adult Lottie, and as noted, that privilege went to Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi). In addition, news that an adult Van had been cast spread like wildfire, and the character will be played by Lauren Ambrose (Servant). Other new characters include actress Nicole Mains, who will be playing Lisa, an associate of Lottie's during the 2021 timeline; François Arnaud will be Paul, a writer who is secretly Coach Scott's boyfriend; and Elijah Wood, who has some connection to Misty and plays a character named Walter. Several other cast have been announced, though their roles in the story are undisclosed, and they include Nuha Jes Izman (FBI) who plays Crystal, and Jason Ritter (Freddy vs. Jason) as a guest star.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Story
The Yellowjackets season 2 plot details are defined by the season 1 finale. The introduction of Lottie in the present day and the cult that follows her are sure to be key, while the 1996 storyline still has a distance to go to explain the rituals shown in the Yellowjackets cannibalism scenes, as well as Shauna's possible birth. Further questions, like what's up with Taissa's alter, will hopefully be answered in Yellowjackets season 2. Creators Ashely Lyle and Bart Nickerson have indicated that they have a 5 season plan for the show (via Variety), so all questions should eventually get answered.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Trailer
The Yellowjackets season 2 trailer dropped, and it reveals nearly nothing about the story. The trailer starts out with the adult Natalie being hypnotized and itting that something dark followed them out of the Canadian wilderness and still haunts them to this day. Dizzying jump cuts occupy the screen, with one scene possibly letting audiences know that teenage Shauna might give birth. The trailer also gave audiences a first glimpse of Elijah Wood's character, Walter. With the infamous symbol seen popping up throughout, it's clear that Yellowjackets season 2 will dig even deeper into the cult, and how it has affected the survivors in the present day.
