We know Christmas is all everybody can think about right now, but we are already counting down the days until Valentine's Day as that is when we will be able to sink our teeth into season three of Yellowjackets.
A drama about teenagers who get stranded on an island and resort to cannibalism to survive doesn't exactly scream Valentine's Day, but that's what Yellowjackets fans have in store next year. The first look teaser even jokes, 'Eat your heart out.' Very romantic!
But it appears that it won't be all love and romance as new teaser images show the adults sat at a funeral as the teens are in full survival mode as we wait as patiently as we can for the season premiere.
The Emmy-nominated show (that's ten Emmy nominations) created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson follows two simultaneous timelines to tell the story of a team of talented high school football players called 'the Yellowjackets' who are left stranded somewhere in the Canadian northern wilderness following a plane crash in 1996, and their adult lives 25 years later.
Yellowjackets debuted to critical acclaim in December 2021 and was quickly renewed for a second season – much to fans' delight. The second season was no different, with the third season confirmed even quicker than the second.
Who survived the last season? Are there any new characters joining the show for season three? And what about season four?
Without further ado, here's everything you need to know...
When does season three of Yellowjackets come out?
The first two episodes of season three air on 14 February, aka Valentine's Day, on demand for Paramount+ and Paramount+ With Showtime subscribers. Its linear Showtime debut comes two days later on Sunday 16 February.
Filming began back in May, with Sophie Nélisse, who plays teenage Shauna, saying, 'Yeah, we start in like a month. Yeah, we go back to Vancouver in a month. I have my apartment there. We haven’t read any scripts. We don’t know anything. I wish I could tell you spoilers. I don’t have any.'
Is there a bonus episode before season three airs?
Yes... and no... In June 2023, Lyle confirmed that there would be a bonus episode released to curb viewers’ appetites before the release of season three. However, we are going to have to wait a little while longer to see it.
Giving an update in December, she said, 'The truth is that there is a bonus episode but we may need to wait a bit longer for it.'
Where can I watch the trailer for season three of Yellowjackets?
Lyle has taken to X to tease the new season before. 'Are we gonna get weirder? Probably! Will the fallout of *redacted*’s death affect our (anti)heroes in massive ways? Will our girls’ struggle to survive against the elements (and themselves) get even down and dirtier? Do we still have to tell the story of Pit Girl? You betcha!'
You can watch the first teaser for the third season here.
What is going to happen in Yellowjackets season three?
'I will say we see season three as a little bit of a return to season one in terms of the vibe, though. All I will say is that the girls have been out there for a while and they’re thriving,' Lyle told TheWrap.
In the first season, viewers saw more of the Yellowjackets as teenagers, building relationships, enjoying the nice weather, swimming in the lake and generally bonding with each other, whereas season two certainly took more of a dark turn...
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June, actress Christina Ricci said that the upcoming season would be 'even more shocking and surprising' than ever before. 'It’s definitely going to be brutal. But they also put a lot of comedy into it. So I think it’s just going to be ... extremely Yellowjackets-y.'
In October, Lyle told Vanity Fair, 'We are going to learn more about what happened in the wilderness that they are so afraid of coming out. We hope it will be both satisfying and at times unexpected. And I think that we have found ourselves—let me think of how to say this.
'The stakes are pretty high in the present-day storyline, perhaps in a way that they did not feel in season two, and that was really exciting for us to delve into.'
Who will star in Yellowjackets season three?
The adults in the show are played by Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose, Simone Kessell, Warren Kole and Sarah Desjardins, with Elijah Wood returning in a recurring role.
The cast of their younger counterparts includes Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Courtney Eaton, Liv Hewson, Kevin Alves, Ella Purnell and Steven Krueger (who plays the only adult in the past timeline, as the Yellowjackets coach).
Joining the cast in guest roles this season are two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank and Joel McHale.
Of course, (spoiler alert) original star Juliette Lewis will not be returning for season three because her character Nat was killed in the finale of season two.
Nat was accidentally and lethally dosed by her friend and fellow survivor Misty (Ricci). Speaking about leaving the show Lewis told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I thought they wrapped up the characters really beautifully, and I just love good writing, so I was happy to be a part of it.
'And I'll miss my cast. Such a good group of girls, I love them so much. They're going to do amazing.'
The season also ended with other bodies being uncovered in the past timeline as the girls resorted to cannibalism to survive their gravest circumstances yet.
Will there be further seasons of Yellowjackets?
Most likely, yes! The series co-creators Lyle and Bart Nickerson have said they picture the show ending up with as many as five seasons in total.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).