As a wild mix of genres, the first season of “Yellowjackets” 2021 developed into a surprise success. The focus is on a survival drama, but viewers quickly realized that there is much more at stake than just surviving. The series about a group of schoolgirls who fell in the wild is now entering its second season on March 24th on the Paramount streaming service.
“Yellowjackets” tells the story of a successful team of young women soccer players. But the coming-of-age story takes a dramatic turn early on when the high school girls’ plane crashes over the Canadian wilderness en route to a tournament. A survival thriller full of mystery and horror elements develops, in which even cannibalism plays a role. The survivors can be rescued 19 months later, but what exactly happened in the woods? And why is what started back then still not over 25 years later?
As in the first season, the new episodes also play on different time levels. “Once upon a time there was a place called the wilderness,” says young Van, played by Liv Hewson, 27, in a second-season trailer. “He was beautiful but also violent and misunderstood. And he waited and waited to befriend whoever that arrived.”
There was “something dark” out there in the wilderness all the time, the adult Natalie (Juliette Lewis, 49) is sure. But the girls didn’t leave this darkness behind in the woods back then – and even a quarter of a century later they still have to fight with it.
The summer after the crash was tough, but the winter brings even greater challenges, as the Paramount streaming service announced in advance. Hunger and fears increase and the already existing tensions between the team members increase further. This also affects the psyche of the girls, who must find out how far they will go to survive. “I think this shit gets a lot worse out here,” Van suggests.
Of course, the streaming service does not reveal exactly how the story about Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, 45), Misty (Christina Ricci, 43), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, 46), Natalie (Lewis) and the others continues. “The Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood (42), who takes on a guest role in the new season, describes the further plot of the series in a teaser trailer in conversation with Ricci quite aptly: “Kidnapping, cults, death .Your friendships are a little more complicated than most.”
In addition to Wood, Simone Kessell (47) and Lauren Ambrose (45) are also new. Others include Sophie Nélisse (22), Jasmine Savoy Brown (29), Sophie Thatcher (22), Samantha Hanratty (27), Courtey Eaton (27), Steven Krueger (33), Warren Kole (45) and Kevin Alves ( 31) to see.
Spectators can expect top-class excitement again. Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson are also responsible for the series. In 2022, “Yellowjackets” was nominated for a total of seven Emmys, including Best Drama Series and Best Director. There were also nominations for Lynskey and Ricci for best leading and supporting actress, respectively. However, the production could not win the important US television award.
All the secrets of the girls will not be revealed in the second season, because a third season is already planned, as was confirmed at the end of 2022. Work on the other episodes is expected to begin shortly. Lyle and Nickerson are already working on the story for the third season from April, they only want to take a short break in the summer if possible, as they just revealed in an interview with the industry magazine “The Hollywood Reporter”. In addition, according to Lyle, they are not averse to possible spin-offs. While these would have to make sense, they would have some ideas.
