The women of “Yellowjackets” have more trials and tribulations ahead of them, as the bona fide hit Showtime series has clinched an early Season 3 renewal three months ahead of its sophomore installment’s late March premiere date.
Season 1, which has a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and received seven Emmy nominations, averaged more than 5 million weekly viewers across platforms and was the second-most streamed series in Showtime history, behind “Dexter: New Blood.” Produced for Showtime by studio Entertainment One (eOne), the series is currently in production in Vancouver, with creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who executive produce with showrunner Jonathan Lisco.
“With YELLOWJACKETS’ runaway success in season one and the pent-up anticipation for season two, we wanted to maximize 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.”
Season 2 of “Yellowjackets” stars Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci and Tawny Cypress. Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under,” “Servant”) and Simone Kessell (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”) have also joined the second season as series regulars, portraying adult versions of Van (Liv Hewson) and Lottie (Courtney Eaton), along with Elijah Wood in a season long guest arc.
Equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama, “Yellowjackets” is the unbelievable saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.
Season 2 also stars Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole and Kevin Alves.
“Our decision to pick up YELLOWJACKETS for season three before season two airs demonstrates our strong commitment to the show and its ability to continue to grow as well as how it fits clearly within a SHOWTIME brand,” McCarthy added. “We’re confident that we are just getting started, with lots of room to grow, which is testament to the show’s creative team and vision.”
The decision is in line with Paramount Global president Bob Bakish’s words about the Showtime brand, and the premium network’s eye toward building out franchises through series like “Dexter,” “Homeland,” “Billions,” “The L Word” and “The Chi.”
“We intend to use our successful franchise strategy to fuel the future for SHOWTIME whereby fans make connections with a franchise, and franchises further build the brand and our streaming services and ultimately building term long value for the company,” McCarthy said. “In order to realize that full potential, we will take a critical eye on all series, asking how big can we go in order to place the right creative bets to be additive to the overall company’s IP bank – which means some shows won’t make the cut and others will receive a lot more resources and attention, taken together we only see opportunities to further grow the SHOWTIME brand.”
“Yellowjackets” Season 2 premieres March 24 on streaming and on demand for all Showtime subscribers, before making its on-air debut March 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Deadline first reported the renewal news.
