Sophia Michaels
“Yellowjackets” was renewed for season three before the second season even premiered this spring, promising fans more chaos, cults, and cannibalism. Showtime confirmed season three in December 2022. The show’s creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, have planned for the story of the ill-fated New Jersey soccer champs to be told over the course of five seasons, so the next season will put the story over the halfway mark.
But when the third season will finally air is, unfortunately, a huge unknown thanks to the ongoing writers’ strike. Back in March, Lyle and Nickerson told The Hollywood Reporter that they were trying to start writing the new season before the strike began. “The possibility of the strike is very real. All we can do is keep moving forward until we have to put our pencils down,” Lyle said. She added that the writers’ room would begin officially meeting in April.
On May 2, Lyle tweeted an update, saying, “Well, we had exactly one day in the #YellowJackets S3 writers’ room. It was amazing, and creatively invigorating, and so much fun, and I’m very excited to get back to it as soon as the #WGA gets a fair deal.” For now, things are delayed until a deal is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“Yellowjackets” Season 3 Cast
Based on where things ended in season two, season three will see Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nélisse return as Shauna, Tawny Cypress and Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa, Christina Ricci and Samantha Hanratty as Misty, Simone Kessell and Courtney Eaton as Lottie, and Lauren Ambrose and Liv Hewson as Van. Only Sophie Thatcher will be back as Nat, since the adult version of the character, played by Juliette Lewis, died at the end of season two. Also expected back are Sarah Desjardins as Callie, Alexa Barajas as Mari, Nia Sondaya as Akilah, Mya Lowe as Gen, Jenna Burgess as Melissa, Kevin Alves as Travis, and Warren Kole as Jeff. It’s not clear if Elijah Wood will return as Walter, the citizen detective.
“Yellowjackets” Season 3 Plot
In the 1990s timeline, things have gotten increasingly dire during the winter and the Yellowjackets have eaten two of their fellow crash survivors. Viewers know the Yellowjackets survivors ultimately spend 19 months in the wilderness, so there’s still a lot of time in the woods for the show to cover. The beginning of season two also offered some of our first flashes of their lives immediately after they’re rescued. It’s possible future seasons will dive into that time, too, but for now, that’s a waiting game.
Meanwhile in the present day timeline, the adult Yellowjackets will be reeling from Nat’s death. Misty and Walter seem to have wrapped up their legal issues stemming from Adam’s murder in season one, so season three will likely follow how they move on in the aftermath of their actions.
“Yellowjackets” Release Date
Because of the writers’ strike, it’s not clear when season three will be able to go into production. If the show does premiere in 2024, it seems it will most likely end up airing near the end of the year.
