Everything to Know About Yellowjackets Season 2

Season one of Yellowjackets ended with so many cliffhangers, it’s a good thing Showtime confirmed the Emmy-nominated show’s second season ahead of its finale, or else there likely would have been riots. Luckily, fans won’t have to go there, because the cannibalism-adjacent show will be returning to New Jersey very soon to hopefully answer all the questions that have been on our minds since the first season ended. Like round one, the second installment of the series will likely also be a slow burn, but that doesn’t mean anticipation for season two isn’t building rapidly with every new update about the show that comes out of the network. So, to tide you over, and keep you updated on everything there is to know about the show, we’ve gathered all the information there is on Yellowjackets season two.

Is there a trailer for season two of Yellowjackets?

A new official trailer for the highly-anticipated new season dropped on March 9. The roughly two-minute clip opens with young Van telling the group back in the forest: “Once upon a time, there was a place called the wilderness. It was beautiful, but it was also violent and misunderstood. And it waited, and waited, to befriend whoever arrived.” The rest of the trailer, which is soundtracked by a haunting Florence Welch cover of No Doubt’s “Just A Girl” recorded specifically for the show, gives a glimpse into what else season two will bring—including the aftermath of the girls’ rescue in the 90s, present-day issues with the law (and the murder the women covered up in season one), and the continued reckoning with how the awful events of the past continue to affect everyone involved today. Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) features prominently, as a former mental institution-patient-turned-cult leader, it seems? Who Natalie (Juliette Lewis) believes is the key to their salvation. Watch below:

When will season two of Yellowjackets be released?

Season two of Yellowjackets will kick off Friday, March 24, 2023 with the first two episodes streaming online. If you want to watch on the Showtime cable network, however, you’ll have to wait two more days before you can watch the premiere on Sunday, March 26.

Are there more new cast members for the second season of Yellowjackets?

Season one introduced us to the young Yellowjackets while also allowing us get to know the adult versions of a handful of the teammates. Now, season two promises to add some more present-day characters to the show. Six Feet Under star Lauren Ambrose will be joining the cast as the adult version of goalie Van, confirming that the character survived the team’s time in the woods (albeit with some pretty horrific facial scars from a wolf attack). In addition, Liv Hewson, who played a young Van in season one, has been upped to a series regular, which means we’re going to be seeing more of her this time around.

In addition to Van, we will also get to meet adult Lottie in season two, and see how twenty-five years after the crash affected the soccer player turned cult leader. Simone Kessell of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Our Flag Means Death will take on the role as the grown-up Lottie, meaning we will finally get the answer to the question that ended season one: “Who the fuck is Lottie Matthews?”

Some new non-Yellowjackets will also be joining the group. Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood is joining the cast as Walter, a citizen detective who “will challenge [Christina Ricci’s] Misty in ways she won’t see coming.” Wood’s character will have a full-season arc, meaning we’ll get to see a lot of him in season two.

On Tuesday, January 10th, Showtime shared a first look at Wood in the series, opposite Ricci:

A guest appearance will also be made by Jason Ritter, who is married to Melanie Lynskey in real life (Lynskey portrays adult Shauna on Yellowjackets). It’s the second time that the couple will be acting together on-screen, after working on Hulu’s Candy series with fellow married duo Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake.

Which characters from season one of Yellowjackets are returning?

The new cast members will be joined by a whole lot of familiar faces, including Christina Ricci as the unhinged Misty, Lewis, Lynskey, and Tawny Cypress as modern-day Taissa. Of course, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Nélisse, Sophie Thatcher, and Jasmin Savoy Brown will return as their younger counterparts.

As of now, it’s unclear if Ella Purnell—whose character, Jackie, faced a cold and untimely death in the season one finale—will be returning for round two. Though the character is dead, showrunner Jonathan Lisco isn’t counting her out, and Jackie could return in some capacity. “Just because she’s dead...that doesn’t mean that she can’t appear, right?” he told Variety. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Jackie’s journal included some cultural references from after the time of her death. Initially, it seemed like a blunder on the show’s part, but now Lisco is clarifying that it could play into the character’s possible return. “It’s not a mistake,” he said of the journal detail. “We will find out.”