Yellowjackets Season 2: Everything We Know About the Showtime Series’ Return

Last year, Showtime premiered Yellowjackets, a survival series that melded the horrors of the wilderness with the horrors of adolescence. With a killer ensemble cast including Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, and Tawny Cypress, the show was nominated for seven Emmy Awards in its first season, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for Lynskey, and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Ricci.

Now, Yellowjackets is gearing up for Season 2 with the news that Elijah Wood has joined the cast. In honor of the new addition, we’ve rounded up everything else we know about the forthcoming season.

What is Yellowjackets About?

Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and run by Jonathan Lisco, Yellowjackets chronicles the journey of a girls high school soccer team after they survive a plane crash in 1996. The series shows both the teenagers as they struggle to live in the wilderness for 19 months and the adult version of the team in the present day, where the trauma of the crash still follows them. Lyle, Nickerson, and Lisco all executive produce the show, while Karyn Kusama executive produced and directed the pilot episode.

Where Did Yellowjackets Leave Off at the End of Season 1?

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 1 finale of Yellowjackets, “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.”] Season 1 concluded with several definitive answers to the story’s present day murder mystery while also revealing a clearer picture of the final body count for the stranded high school soccer squad. In our last glimpses of the past for now, team captain Jackie freezes to death after exiling herself from the group’s cabin and the remaining teens fall behind Lottie, who appears to have a supernatural connection to the wilderness.

In the present, Shauna and Misty have several loose ends to tie up regarding their respective murders, Taissa has won her election but lost her family, and Natalie has been kidnapped by an unidentified group. As a final twist, it is revealed that Lottie is still alive and may have a direct connection to Travis’ alleged suicide.

Who Starred in Season 1 of Yellowjackets?

Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown,  Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty, Liv Hewson, and Courtney Eaton portrayed the young versions of the soccer team, while Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Lauren Ambrose, and Simone Kessel portrayed their adult counterparts. They will all be returning.

Ella Purnell, Steven Krueger, and Warren Kole also starred in the first installment. It’s unclear if Purnell will reprise her role in some capacity. In an interview with Variety, Lisco teased a cameo in Season 2, saying, “Just because she’s dead, and she is dead… that doesn’t mean that she can’t appear, right?”

Who Is Joining Yellowjackets for Season 2?

The biggest addition to Yellowjackets Season 2 is Elijah Wood, best known for playing Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the show, Wood will play Walter, a dedicated Citizen Detective who will challenge Misty (Hanratty and Ricci) in ways she won’t see coming.

Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under, Servant) and Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi) will be promoted to the main cast this season, while Hewson and Eaton have been upped from recurring characters to series regulars.

When Will Yellowjackets Season 2 Premiere?

While we don’t yet have a release date, production for the next installment of Yellowjackets is slated to begin later this month in Vancouver. The first season of Yellowjackets is streaming now on Showtime.

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