Season 2

> Become what you fear. Fear what you become.
>
> Tagline

**Season 2** of the Showtime original series *Yellowjackets* was announced on December 16, 2021 in the middle of the run of the program's highly successful first season.

In the announcement for the new season, Showtime's President of Entertainment Gary Levine stated that the writer's room for the second season had not even met yet, but would come together in January 2022. He indicated that showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco likely have some loose ideas that have not been flshed out and have not been shared with him. He stated that there would be some some surprises in terms of characters, that there are still many questions regarding who survived and exactly what happened in the woods, and likely some characters viewers have not even met yet.

Gary Levine also stated that it was expected that the second season will likely premiere sometime in 2022 and that he hopes the program will air on an annual cycle of one season per year. On December 7, 2022, it was announced the second season would premiere on March 24, 2023 on streaming and on demand for subscribers, with March 26, 2023 as the broadcast premiere date.

The second season will be followed by a third, which was announced on December 15, 2022.

According to showrunner Jonathan Lisco, the first season was about the teens learning to adapt to their harsh surroundings and the adults trying to convince themselves that they could keep the trauma buried. In the second season, however, they get caught and are forced to have a true reckoning.

The season's musical score album was released digitally on June 16, 2023. A soundtrack album featuring songs included in the second season was also released on September 1, 2023.

## Description

> I think last season may seem sort of like a leisurely drive through wine country compared to what we have in store for you. And when I talk about more intense, I don't just mean gore. It will be emotionally and psychologically.
>
> Jonathan Lisco - *SFX* Magazine

The Yellowjackets barely made it through summer, but now as winter begins to bite, we’ll see if hunger and desperation turn into full-on psychosis. While there may or may not be a dark and powerful force inhabiting the wilderness, their survival could depend upon what they choose to believe. Meanwhile, 25 years later, each survivor must determine if the darkness is coming for them or from them.

## Cast

### Main

* Melanie Lynskey as Adult Shauna
* Tawny Cypress as Adult Taissa
* Sophie Nélisse as Teen Shauna
* Jasmin Savoy Brown as Teen Taissa
* Sophie Thatcher as Teen Natalie
* Sammi Hanratty as Teen Misty
* Steven Krueger as Ben Scott
* Warren Kole as Adult Jeff
* Courtney Eaton as Teen Lottie
* Liv Hewson as Teen Van
* Kevin Alves as Teen Travis
* Simone Kessell as Adult Lottie
* Lauren Ambrose as Adult Van

with

* Christina Ricci as Adult Misty

and

* Juliette Lewis as Adult Natalie

### Recurring

* Alexa Barajas as Mari
* Jenna Burgess as Teen Melissa
* Sarah Desjardins as Callie Sadecki
* Nuha Jes Izman as Crystal
* Mya Lowe as Gen
* Jenna Burgess as Melissa
* Nicole Maines as Lisa
* Nia Sondaya as Akilah
* Elijah Wood as Walter Tattersall
* Alex Wyndham as Adult Kevyn Tan

Courtney Eaton, Liv Hewson and Kevin Alves are all now credited as starring cast, having previously been credited as guest stars in the first season. Simone Kessell and Lauren Ambrose join the starring cast as the adult versions of Lottie Matthews and Vanessa Palmer, though Ambrose does not appear as Palmer until the end of the fourth episode of the season, despite being credited in all episodes.

## Home video

The second season of *Yellowjackets* is slated to release on DVD and Blu-ray on October 10, 2023. In addition to the nine episodes of the seasons, it will include the bonus features Behind the Buzz, Creating *Yellowjackets* and the music video of Alanis Morisette's cover of the theme song "No Return."

## Casting and development

Main article: Season 2/Casting and development

A number of new cast members were announced for the second season. These include two characters appearing for the first time as adults: Lauren Ambrose as adult Vanessa Palmer and Simone Kessell as adult Lottie Matthews. Elijah Wood is a new character, described as a member of the citizen detective community named Walter who challenges Misty Quigley in ways she doesn't see coming. Other new cast members include Nuha Jes Izman as Crystal, Nia Sondaya as Akilah (replacing Keeya King), Nicole Maines as Lisa, and François Arnaud as Paul. Jason Ritter will appear in a currently unspecified role. Although most of the show's cast remained the same, there were many new crew-members behind the scenes.

An initial tease of 15 seconds for the second season was posted on December 7, 2022, along with the news of the season's release date. An approximately one minute teaser was posted on January 13, 2023. Showtime also posted two other videos, a "Yule Log" and "The Summoning," which are believed to contain clues regarding the new season.

The official trailer for the new season was posted on March 9, 2023.

On March 23, 2023, Showtime posted a promotional video in the style of an MTV News report on the disappearance of Flight 2525 by MTV News's Kurt Loder. MTV News, like Showtime, is a division of Paramount Media Networks. The "report" includes a reference to a website, wherearetheyellowjackets.com, styled to look like a typical 1990s website and featuring a link to report information. Clicking on this link results in a page stating the visitor is "lost in the digital Wilderness," followed by an ASCII text depiction of the symbol.

## Reception

As of the afternoon of March 25, 2023, the second season of *Yellowjackets* carries a 94% Certified Fresh rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes with a total of 53 reviews, 52 Fresh and only one Rotten. The site's Critics Consensus feature states that "Having already made a startling first impression, *Yellowjackets* coils itself in a second season preparing for the long haul -- thankfully, its superb performances and mesmeric ambience are fine substitutes for fast answers." *Yellowjackets* is featured in April 2023 issue of *SFX* Magazine (#364). The article includes commentary from the show's staff, such as showrunner Jonathan Lisco, who stated that the incredible reaction to the series floored the creative team and that much of the nuance and complexity they seeded were what fans reacted to the most.

The second season premiere broke records for Showtime, becoming the top debut for any season of show on the platform and beating out *Dexter: New Blood*.

## Gallery

### Videos

Yellowjackets Season 2 Official Trailer - SHOWTIMEYellowjackets Season 2 Official Teaser - Yellowjackets - SHOWTIMEYellowjackets Official Buzz Teaser - Yellowjackets Season 2 - SHOWTIMEYellowjackets Returns March 24 - Season 2 - SHOWTIMEYellowjackets Yule Log - SHOWTIMEYellowjackets Season 2 - The Summoning - SHOWTIMECAMP YELLOWJACKETS - SHOWTIMEWhat's New This March - SHOWTIMEThe Cast of 'Yellowjackets' Chat All Things Season 2 - Around The Table - Entertainment WeeklyYellowjackets Cast Weighs in on Their Favorite Fan TheoriesYellowjackets Season 2 Preview from the Cast - SHOWTIMEThe Search for the Yellowjackets Continues - Kurt Loder Reports - MTV NewsWhat's to Come on Yellowjackets Season 2 - SHOWTIMEYellowjackets Cast Reflect on Season 2 - SHOWTIME

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Lynette (December 7, 2022). ‘Yellowjackets’: Showtime Sets Return Date For Emmy-Nominated Drama. Deadline. Retrieved on December 9, 2022.
2. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (December 16, 2021). ‘Yellowjackets’ Gets Early Renewal: Showtime’s Gary Levine On Series’ Breakout Success & Season 2 Surprises. Deadline. Retrieved on December 16, 2021.
3. ↑ Guttmann, Graeme (January 16, 2022). Yellowjackets Season 2 Will Likely Premiere In 2022. Screen Rant. Retrieved on January 23, 2022.
4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (December 15, 2022). ‘Yellowjackets’ Gets Early Season 3 Renewal By Showtime As Chris McCarthy Lays Out Programming Strategy & Signals Slate Review. Deadline. Retrieved on December 15, 2022.
5. ↑ Bennett, Tara. (2023, April). "Queen Bees." *SFX*
6. ↑ DiscussingFilm on Twitter
7. ↑ Dresden, Hilton (March 10, 2023). ‘Yellowjackets’ Cast Hint at Epic Episode in New Season - SXSW 2023. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on March 11, 2023.
8. ↑ Rice, Lynette (March 9, 2023). ‘Yellowjackets’: Showtime Drops New Trailer For Season 2 Of Drama From Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. Deadline. Retrieved on March 9, 2023.
9. ↑ *Yellowjackets*- Season 2. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on March 25, 2023.
10. ↑ Campione, Katie (March 27, 2023). ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Premiere Draws Nearly 2M Viewers, Breaks Showtime Streaming Record. Deadline. Retrieved on March 31, 2023.