‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Premiere Draws Nearly 2M Viewers, Breaks Showtime Streaming Record

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime is keeping its Yellowjackets team intact.

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

EXCLUSIVE: The ongoing changes at Showtime have reached the network’s development slate which has been cut down significantly, with a slew of projects getting a pass, I hear.

Yellowjackets producers are once again making their Emmys submissions for Season 2!

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Season 2 of Showtime’s hit genre series “Yellowjackets” is ready for another dance at this year’s Emmys, after premiering to critical acclaim and record-breaking numbers for the network. The plans for the acting submissions have changed slightly from the first season, Variety has learned exclusively. Breakout star Sophie Nélisse, who plays the teenage version of Shauna, will now join her adult counterpart Melanie Lynskey in the lead actress drama category, with hopes of landing a nomination. The pair will be joined by co-stars Tawny Cypress and Juliette Lewis, who portray the adult version of their characters, Taissa and Natalie, respectively.

Yellowjackets has returned to our screens for a second season, with the mystery thriller continuing its intense, traumatic and compelling dual timeline narrative.The second instalment of the Showtime series kicked off last week (March 24), with new episodes set to air weekly until May 14.A synopsis for season two of Yellowjackets reads: “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.“Meanwhile, 25 years later, each survivor must determine if the darkness is coming for them or from them.”Yellowjackets airs on Showtime in the US, but viewers in the UK can watch the show on Paramount+.You can watch the second season premiere episode of Yellowjackets, titled ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen’, on the streaming service now, along with every episode of the first season of the series, which originally aired between November 2021 and January 2022.Paramount+, which is the current home of Yellowjackets, costs £6.99 a month.There was good news for fans of Yellowjackets back in December when it was confirmed that the show had already been renewed for a third season.“With Yellowjackets’ runaway success in season one and the pent-up anticipation for season two, we wanted to maximise the momentum by fast tracking season three now,” Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media Networks, said in a statement.“The show’s ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredible creative team behind it, including Ashley, Bart, Jonathan, eOne and the Showtime team, for turning this into such a success.”

Following the season 2 premiere of Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” on March 26, the Emmy-nominated hit series broke records across the network’s platforms.

Season two of Yellowjackets broke records for Showtime!

BreAnna Bell “Yellowjackets” has broken a new record with its Season 2 opener. Following its March 26 premiere, the series became Showtime’s most-streamed debut ever, hitting nearly 2 million viewers across platforms according to figures from Nielsen, comScore, and Showtime’s internal streaming data. “Dexter: New Blood” previously held the title. Showtime also boasts that it’s the best Season 2 premiere for the network in more than 10 years and nearly double the series premiere audience. The debut marks a 110% rise in viewership from the series premiere in November 2021 and 40% jump from “Yellowjackets” Season 1 finale in cross-platform viewing.

Warning: Spoilers for “Yellowjackets” season 2. Do not read if you have not watched episode one, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,” written by creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. The creators, showrunner Jonathan Lisco, actor Sophie Nélisse and others break down the season 2 premiere while speaking with ET’s Deidre Behar. 

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

After a surprise-filled season 1 finale, is finally back with new episodes — and the season 2 premiere did not disappoint, delivering one shocking moment after another. And the biggest one was the return of Ella Purnell as Jackie Taylor, the captain of the soccer team who initially survived the plane crash before freezing to death in the wilderness at the end of season 1. While the series did not resurrect Jackie, she was fully alive as part of the visions Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse) was having of her late best friend while sitting with her dead body in the meat shed.

Like looking in a mirror! Yellowjackets follows a group of survivors — in the past and present — after a plane crash leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness.

Warning: Spoilers for “Yellowjackets” seasons 1-2. Do not read if you have not watched the season 2 premiere, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,” written by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer.  

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Following one of the most shocking finale episodes in recent TV history, the highly anticipated second season of “Yellowjackets” is finally here. The Emmy-nominated series arrives on Showtime on Friday, March 24 but will also be available to stream for free on Paramount+ beginning Sunday, March 26. The Showtime breakout hit — which stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci, among others — follows a high school soccer team after a near-fatal plane crash leaves them deserted in a remote location in the wilderness. The girls find themselves at the center of a “Lord of the Flies”-inspired survival horror story in the 19 brutal months before they’re rescued.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for the first episode of “Yellowjackets” on Showtime. Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” is back, and viewers who hoped to hear a song from ’90s icon Tori Amos finally get their wish, as music supervisor Nora Felder delivers a tasty treat in the form of the 1994 song “Cornflake Girl.” Felder replaces former music supervisor Jen Malone, having helped Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” soar up the streaming charts with “Stranger Things” Season 4. “Cornflake Girl” closes out the first episode. Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) has a hard time saying goodbye to Jackie (Ella Purnell), who froze to death in the Season 1 finale, after the two best friends had a fight, and Jackie spent the night outside in a snit. Shauna, guilt-ridden, spends much of the Season 2 premiere with Jackie’s corpse in the meat shed, talking to her (guest star Purnell talks back).

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

After a surprise-filled season 1 finale, is finally back with new episodes — and the season 2 premiere did not disappoint, delivering one shocking moment after another. And the biggest one was the return of Ella Purnell as Jackie Taylor, the captain of the soccer team who initially survived the plane crash before freezing to death in the wilderness at the end of season 1. While the series did not resurrect Jackie, she was fully alive as part of the visions Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse) was having of her late best friend while sitting with her dead body in the meat shed.

It’s good to be back. Yellowjackets left fans with plenty of questions about the fate of the group in the wilderness — and whether the aftermath of their trauma would lead to more shocking deaths.

SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,” the Season 2 premiere of “Yellowjackets,” now streaming on Showtime. “Yellowjackets” — which earned seven Emmy nominations for its freshman season, including one for outstanding drama — set the internet alight during Season 1 in a way that feels tough to match, which its showrunners, co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco, are all too aware of. In an interview with Variety, Nickerson said they tried to approach the Season 2 premiere carefully, in order to set up “this season of story that we’re very excited about,” while also wanting to give fans “something that expresses appreciation for you tuning in.”

Yellowjackets kicks off its second season this month.Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the mystery thriller series follows a girls’ football team in 1996 who, while travelling to a tournament in Seattle, crash-land in the Canadian wilderness and are left stranded for nineteen months. Between their attempts to survive, the show also jumps to their adult lives in the present day.The show’s first season received seven nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards last year, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci.Other members of the cast include Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty and Juliette Lewis.The exact number of episodes hasn’t been officially confirmed.

Melanie Lynskey would really like to stop being asked about being body shamed on the set of Yellowjackets.

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime has opted not to renew The L Word: Generation Q for a fourth season. The decision comes two months after the series’ third season ended its run. However, the franchise may continue on the network — The L Word: New York (working title), a reboot of the groundbreaking original series, is in development with the 2004 series’ creator Ilene Chaiken attached, I hear.

“Yellowjackets” has returned, and if you thought things couldn’t get any more wild on the Showtime drama series, prepare to be proven wrong. Season 2 continues the bifurcated storylines of the titular soccer team stranded after a plane crash in the 1990s, and the grown-up survivors dealing with their past trauma in present day.New revelations, expanded mythology and new characters permeate the new season as the story barrels forward, with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Jasmin Savoy Brown), Misty (Christina Ricci, Sammi Hanratty), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Sophie Thatcher) all returning.Elijah Wood joins the cast as Walter, a citizen detective, while Lauren Ambrose appears in Season 2 as the adult version of Van (played in the 1990s timeline by Liv Hewson) and Simone Kessell plays the adult version of Lottie (played in the ‘90s by Courtney Eaton).The new season picks up pretty immediately after Season 1 left off, with the survivors dealing with a harsh winter and dwindling food supply back in 1996 while the present day versions of the characters find that their past continues to haunt them in significant ways.

BreAnna Bell “Each survivor must determine if the darkness is coming for them or from them,” reads Showtime’s official description for Season 2 of “Yellowjackets” and the writers this season reveal they were not holding back as they embarked on this follow up to their explosive debut. Executive producers Jonathan Lisco and Drew Comins teased the themes of trauma and ptsd explored in Season 2 of Showtime’s thrilling drama “Yellowjackets,” and how it will affect the present-day players at the second season premiere held at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theater on Wednesday night. With new cast members including Simone Kessell and Lauren Ambrose, who portray adult Lottie and Van, the teenage and adult yellowjackets crew along with creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson walked the red carpet to the theater for a special screening which was followed by a brief Q&A segment.

TV’s favorite soccer team is back — and fiercer than ever! The cast of Yellowjackets slayed at the season 2 premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 22. 

The Sopranos inspired season two of Yellowjackets, showrunners have claimed.Yellowjackets tells the story of a team of talented female high-school soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they have attempted to piece back together.The series became Showtimes’ highest-viewed new series in six years, with over five million viewers weekly.In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creators of the show Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickelson discussed how normalising cannibalism, murder, and trauma is connected back to the Italian mob boss.

Christina Ricci portrayed teacher Marilyn Thornhill in season one of Wednesday on Netflix.

many new faces joining when the Emmy-nominated drama returns with season 2 is Elijah Wood. The 42-year-old actor will play a citizen detective named Walter during a season-long guest arc on the series. According to Showtime, he is expected to challenge Christina Ricci's character, Misty, one of the grownup survivors trying to figure out who is threatening to expose the secrets of what went on when she and her soccer team were stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash 25 years prior. «A lot of my scenes this season have been with Elijah Wood and it's wonderful working with him again,» Ricci previously told ET about reuniting with the actor, whom she previously shared the screen with in the 1997 film, . Ahead of the series' return on Sunday, March 26, the reunited co-stars opened up about working together again and teased what's in store for their characters, including a possible on-screen romance for the duo we're dubbing «Wisty.» Looking back on, Ricci admits to ET's Deidre Behar, «We weren't really adults at that time.

know a thing or two about survival onscreen — and off. In the breakout Showtime series, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell each play the adult versions of members of the Wiskayok High School girls soccer team, who survived a horrific plane crash that left them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with each of the actresses -- who have all successfully navigated their careers -- and asked them about their secrets to surviving and thriving in Hollywood. «When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me,» Ricci told ET.

Christina Ricci is always down to play around in the weird and macabre world of Netflix's She just can't say whether or not that's actually in the cards just yet.The celebrated actress walked the carpet at the season 2 premiere of, held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Wednesday, and she spoke with ET's Deidre Behar about both of the highly rated TV shows she's been a part of just in the past year.In, Ricci stars as the seemingly sweet and supportive teacher Marilyn Thornhill, who is ultimately revealed to be secretly evil. She's ultimately defeated by some angry bees and a swift kick in the face, but her actual fate is left somewhat ambiguous.However, Ricci understandably played coy when asked if she might be a part of the hotly anticipated second season, telling ET, «I don't think I'm allowed to say.»However, Ricci happily added, «On my end, the door is open» for a return, if the show wants to bring her back.«She was so fun to play!» Ricci marveled.

Melanie Lynskey says she feels very «fortunate» for the best things in her life, including her career, her sweet husband, Jason Ritter, and their adorable daughter.The celebrated actress walked the carpet at the season 2 premiere of , held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Wednesday, and she spoke with ET's Deidre Behar about Ritter, and his casting in the second season of her popular showtime series.«I don't think I can tell you anything,» Lynskey admitted, when it came to details about who Ritter would be playing in the hit psychological horror drama, and added that she didn't have anything to do with his casting — which was entirely the idea of creator Ashley Lyle.«Ashley, in fact, came to him and said, 'Would you want to do this particular thing?' And he was really excited,» said Lynskey, who also added that she and Ritter «have no scenes [together]. We didn't work together.»Ultimately, Lynskey said it was «kind of helpful to not work together because, you know, one of us has to be with our child.»Lynskey and Ritter — who began dating in 2013 — got engaged in 2017 and welcomed their baby girl in December 2018.

Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, and Tawny Cypress look amazing at the premiere of their Showtime series, Yellowjackets!

know a thing or two about survival onscreen — and off. In the breakout Showtime series, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell each play the adult versions of members of the Wiskayok High School girls soccer team, who survived a horrific plane crash that left them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with each of the actresses -- who have all successfully navigated their careers -- and asked them about their secrets to surviving and thriving in Hollywood. «When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me,» Ricci told ET.

returns with season 2, it will include the addition of two new major characters: the adult versions of Lottie and Van, played by Simone Kessell and Lauren Ambrose, respectively. The two actresses join the Showtime drama as it continues to explore what happened to a group of teenagers who survived a horrific plane crash and their respective adult versions who have been forced to reckon with what went on when they were stranded in the wilderness. While speaking to ET, both Kessell and Ambrose talk about what it was like joining the ensemble cast and working with their counterparts, Courtney Eaton and Liv Hewson, who originated the younger versions of their characters in the past timeline. «It was amazing,» Ambrose said of joining the likes of Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, who were established as the core grownup survivors in season 1 before it was revealed that others had made it out alive.  The star, who's «admired their work for long,» added that she was «really excited to be able to join in and continue telling the story of [these characters].»  Cypress then joked that «there was a hazing period» for the newcomers.

Joshua Alston Showtime’s buzzy, bloody drama “Yellowjackets” finds itself in a most precarious position going into its second season. Trying to top a successful first season is always a challenge, particularly when the maiden voyage earns six Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama. But the inherent pressure to maintain the momentum is acute for “Yellowjackets,” a puzzle-box show that teases supernatural elements. Recent television history is littered with the wreckage of similar shows that started out tense and intriguing, then collapsed once it became clear that the storytellers built an ornately beautiful box but forgot to put anything rewarding inside it. Creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, along with showrunner Jonathan Lisco, solved that issue by stuffing their puzzle box to the brim with two harrowing serialized stories. In one story, members of a high school girls’ soccer team survive a plane crash en route to a tournament only to face an unforgiving, wintry wilderness and what could be a malicious supernatural entity pushing them toward madness. In the other story, set 25 years later, the Yellowjackets who survive the woods are freighted with trauma, and desperate to conceal the grave choices they made as kids.