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In Season 3 of Yellowjackets, the girls are no longer alone in the woods.

Ever since a plane crash left the Wiskayok High School Yellowjackets soccer team stranded deep in the Canadian wilderness, there's been speculation about whether the surviving members would encounter outsiders at some point during their 19-month stay in the woods. It turns out they would. While the girls are feasting on their freshly deceased assistant coach Ben (Steven Krueger) at the end of the sixth episode of Season 3, "Thanksgiving (Canada)," three hikers — frog scientists Edwin (Nelson Franklin) and Hannah (Ashley Sutton) and their wilderness guide Kodi (Joel McHale) — step foot into the girls' camp. In the remote area to research the mating habits of the rare Arctic Banshee frog, the scientists are lured by a barbecue smell coming from Ben's roasted corpse — unaware of just how much trouble they're walking into.

The introduction of the scientists, which...

Season 4 picks up after a record-breaking finale — and no one’s walking away clean.

The cannibal cult chaos isn’t over just yet – “Yellowjackets” is coming back for Season 4 on Paramount+ with Showtime, and the rescue is finally in sight (maybe). After a record-breaking third season full of mind games, pit traps, and emotional body blows, the show’s headed into its wildest chapter yet. We’ve got dead girls talking, survivors unraveling, and a whole lot of questions left in the snow. Here’s everything you need to know about “Yellowjackets” Season 4.

Everything you need to know about ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 4:

When will new episodes air?

What is ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 4 about?

Who’s been cast in ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 4?

What happened at the end of ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3?

How can you watch previous seasons of ‘Yellowjackets’?

7-Day Free Trial $12.99+ / month paramountplus.com When will episodes of ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 4 come on Paramount+ with Showtime?...

Yellowjackets has been renewed!

The hit thriller series has been picked up for a fourth season by Paramount+ with Showtime. The season three finale, which aired on April 13, roped in 3 million viewers in seven days, making it the show’s most watched episode to date.

“Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut, with season three shattering all previous records – we are thrilled to announce its renewal for a season four on Paramount+. Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson have masterfully crafted an utterly singular, genre-defying phenomenon— a perfect alchemy of psychological horror, survival thriller, and coming-of-age drama that continues to captivate audiences worldwide, brought to life by our extraordinarily talented and beloved cast,” Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Chris McCarthy told Deadline.

Keep reading to find out more…

Yellowjackets tells the story of a female high school soccer team who survive a plane crash in the wilderness.

Paramount+ with Showtime has given the green light to Yellowjackets season four. The third season of the series marks the most-watched, with the April finale becoming the most-streamed episode in series history.

On social, season three of Yellowjackets stands as the most-engaged season ever for the show. Production dates for the fourth season will be announced soon.

“Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut; with season three shattering all previous records, we are thrilled to announce its renewal for a season four on Paramount+,” said Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios.

“Ashley and Bart have masterfully crafted an utterly singular, genre-defying phenomenon: a perfect alchemy of psychological horror, survival thriller and coming-of-age drama that continues to captivate audiences worldwide, brought to life by our extraordinarily talented and beloved cast.”

Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of...

Silvana Estifanos, Sophie Thatcher, Jenna Burgess, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Nélisse, Anisa Harris, Liv Hewsonand Samantha Hanratty in ‘Yellowjackets’ seaosn 3 (Photo Credit: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with Showtime)

Coming off the series’ most-watched season to date, Paramount+ with Showtime has renewed Yellowjackets for a fourth season. There’s no word yet on when filming will get underway, or a target premiere date.

“Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut; with season three shattering all previous records, we are thrilled to announce its renewal for a season four on Paramount+,” stated Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios. “Ashley and Bart have masterfully crafted an utterly singular, genre-defying phenomenon: a perfect alchemy of psychological horror, survival thriller, and coming-of-age drama that continues to captivate audiences worldwide, brought to life by our extraordinarily talented and beloved cast.”

The season three finale was the most streamed episode of the series.

After just over a month of silence following its season 3 finale, Paramount + with Showtime has renewed its hit thriller Yellowjackets for season 4. Created by Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco, the series follows the dual narratives of the survivors of a plane crash that left a high-school soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness, chronicling their ordeals and their attempts to hide their secrets in the present. With an ensemble cast, Yellowjackets' mystery has often blurred the line between the supernatural and the psychological, as its survivors grapple with various horrors and threats.

As announced by Paramount+, Paramount+ with Showtime has picked up Yellowjackets for season 4. The news comes just over a month after season 3's finale, "Full Circle", which aired on April 13. Currently, no production schedule or casting announcements have been given for the upcoming season, but it is expected to be revealed soon.

What Yellowjackets' Season...

Buzz, buzz, buzz, folks: Yellowjackets has been renewed for a fourth season on Showtime. The news was announced on Tuesday, May 20, just over a month after its third season finale premiered. The series, which was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, stars Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, and Samantha Hanratty as the teenage survivors in flashback, with Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, and Christina Ricci playing their contemporary adult counterparts.

According to a new report, the newly announced fourth installment has yet to have a production start date, but does come on the heels of what the network calls a "juggernaut" season. "Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut, with season three shattering all previous records – we are thrilled to announce its renewal for a season four on Paramount+," explained Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, in a statement. "Ashley...

“Yellowjackets” has been renewed for Season 4, Paramount announced on Tuesday, touting the record-setting viewership of the Season 3 finale in April, which rose 19% from the Season 2 finale.

“‘Yellowjackets’ has become a cultural juggernaut, with Season 3 shattering all previous records – we are thrilled to announce its renewal for a Season 4 on Paramount+,”Chris McCarthy, co-ceo of Paramount Global and president of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said.

He thanked co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson for how they “masterfully crafted an utterly singular, genre-defying phenomenon,” calling the series, “a perfect alchemy of psychological horror, survival thriller and coming-of-age drama that continues to captivate audiences worldwide.”

The Emmy-nominated drama is about an all-female girls soccer team’s descent into madness and cannibalism after their plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, and how the adult survivors are still traumatized by their ordeal.

The Season 3 finale saw the teen survivors finally make contact with civilization: The...

Buzz, buzz, buzz! Yellowjackets is coming back for a fourth season.

Paramount+ With Showtime has renewed the hit survival series created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson following a season three finale that was full of revelations and courted a still-buzzing audience. Production dates are set to be announced soon.

The season three ender, which streamed April 11 (and aired two days later on the Showtime cable channel), became Paramount’s most-watched season finale with 3 million cross-platform viewers worldwide in its first seven days.

“Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut, with season three shattering all previous records,” says Chris McCarthy, co-ceo of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios. “Ashley and Bart have masterfully crafted an utterly singular, genre-defying phenomenon — a perfect alchemy of psychological horror, survival thriller and coming-of-age drama that continues to captivate audiences worldwide, brought to life by our extraordinarily talented and beloved cast.”

Yellowjackets tells...

Showtime has picked up Yellowjackets for a fourth season. The renewal, which comes a month after the Season 3 finale of the thriller drama, was expected following the strong ratings performance of the most recent installment.

The April 13 finale became the most-streamed Yellowjackets episode in series history with 3M global viewers in seven days across linear and streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, per parent company Paramount Global, which also reported that Season 3 was the series’ most watched to date as well as the most engaged on social media.

“Yellowjackets has become a cultural juggernaut, with season three shattering all previous records – we are thrilled to announce its renewal for a season four on Paramount+,” said Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios. “Ashley [Lyle] and Bart [Nickerson] have masterfully crafted an utterly singular, genre-defying phenomenon— a perfect alchemy of psychological horror, survival thriller, and coming-of-age drama...

The latest season of “Yellowjackets” was the series’ most watched ever. The Showtime original, which was available to watch on Paramount+ With Showtime, now ranks as the second most-streamed global Showtime original ever behind “Dexter: Original Sin.”

Overall, viewership for this latest season was up 3% compared to previous seasons. It should be noted that this year is the first time “Yellowjackets” has released a new season on Paramount+ With Showtime, which was created in 2024. Previously, the drama was only available to stream on Showtime’s now-defunct platform.

Season 3’s finale of the survival thriller secured 3 million global cross-platform viewers during its first seven days of availability. That number marks a 19% increase compared to the overall viewership for Season 2’s finale as well as a 54% increase in the streaming audience for that episode. The finale for Season 3 currently ranks as the most-watched episode of “Yellowjackets” ever.

The series also saw gains on social media.

[Editor’s note: The following interview contains spoilers for “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Episode 10.]

“Yellowjackets” fans are still hard at work choking down that devastating Season 3 finale. But for Showtime’s favorite frog scientist, Ashley Sutton, more theories about the cliffhanger episode — and the popular series’ shadowy future — are as welcome as free samples in a field study.

“My intention the last year and a half has been to really dive into every character and work on auditions,” the actress told IndieWire. “Just fully lean in and create these people’s lives from scratch, so you can really find the human connection with them. I did that with Hannah, and I actually got the opportunity to play her and this crazy arc that she’s on.”

“She’s kind of all over the place,” Sutton admitted, describing a rich relationship with the material first imagined by series co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. The duo share executive producer and showrunner duties with Jonathan Lisco.

Ashley Sutton may not have joined the cast of Yellowjackets until the show's third season, but her relationship with the Showtime drama began long before that. Looking to expand her résumé, Sutton auditioned for a small part in the original pilot from show creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson five years ago. While the actress didn't book the job, she became an instant fan of the genre-bending series.

"When I got that first audition, just reading it and seeing how it's dark and spooky, but also really funny, made me really interested in the show, because I love how it kind of has two genres. It does a little bit of everything," Sutton tells Gold Derby (watch the video interview above). "And so I was like, 'Ok, well, if I book this or not, I'm going to be watching the show.' And ... when it came out, I would watch it just with my friends.

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for Yellowjackets, including Season 3.

The Yellowjackets hive is still buzzing after the explosive season 3 finale. Whether you loved every moment or took issue with some creative choices, one thing is undeniable: the latest season was not only hungrier and bloodier, but also came with a significantly higher body count. We lost many characters we’d grown to admire, yet a shimmer of hope for rescue from the wilderness lingers. Among all the chaos and tragedy, one quietly devastating element accompanied all the events: Misty's grief for Natalie. It was one of the most compelling and emotionally resonant components of the entire season.

Season 3 picks up shortly after the events of the previous season and opens with Natalie’s funeral (Juliette Lewis). One notable absence? Misty (Christina Ricci). Instead of attending, Misty turns to alcohol, especially after visiting Natalie’s storage unit and discovering...

[This story contains major spoilers from the season three finale of Yellowjackets, “Full Circle.”]

After setting up a whodunit earlier in the season, the Yellowjackets finale revealed who killed Lottie Matthews. The answer was a surprising one, but not to the actor who made the fateful push.

Callie Sadecki, the teenage daughter to Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), was the one who shoved the show’s most spiritual successor of the wilderness down a flight of stairs to her death. That powerful push came after an interaction that raised more questions, even though it also provided answers, in the revelatory season three ending, “Full Circle.”

Sarah Desjardins, who plays Callie in the Showtime series’ present-day timeline, tells The Hollywood Reporter that she was sensing a Callie-Lottie face off ever since the tragic season two finale, when Callie was nearly caught in the crossfire of the adult survivors’ “hunt” that took the life of one of their own, Natalie (Juliette Lewis). “How Callie was...

Spoilers: This post contains details about the Yellowjackets, Season 3 finale episode ‘Full Circle’

Although the Yellowjackets newcomer’s fate doesn’t look good, Ashley Sutton’s Hannah will at least survive to see another season.

Leading up to this weekend’s Season 3 finale, the actress spoke to Deadline about getting to reveal “the most honest version” of her character in the episode, which ended with Hannah double-crossing Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) to help Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) call for rescue.

“Hannah is smart,” said Sutton. “She’s playing the game. She knows what she has to do to survive, but I think the intention is to always go home. She doesn’t want to stay out here. She’s just trying to make it another day.”

After killing her fellow captive Kodiak (Joel McHale) during a botched escape attempt and pledging her allegiance to the rising Antler Queen, Hannah sneaks away from...

[This story contains Major spoilers from the season three finale of Yellowjackets, “Full Circle.”]

Yellowjackets hinted to viewers with the title of its season three finale that the Showtime survival series was going to bring it all the way back to the beginning. With “Full Circle,” co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (the latter who directed the episode) made good on their promise to deliver long-awaited answers when they finally revealed the identity of “Pit Girl” to be Mari (Alexa Barajas).

The very first episode launched a mystery around which teammate would be revealed as “Pit Girl,” a nickname that has endured on Yellowjackets‘ three seasons. Somewhere between the two timelines that the show introduced was a wilderness flash-forward of a girl in a white dress running for her life, barefoot through snow, who is then impaled and eaten by her friends. The scene was filmed with stunt actors. The only Yellowjackets actor in the initial scene was Samantha Hanratty, who...

[Warning: The following contains Major spoilers for the Yellowjackets Season 3 finale.] Yellowjackets Season 3 has been the season of answers. Well, the beginning of them, at least. Coach Ben’s (Steven Krueger) fate, the origins of their rescue, and the identities of Pit Girl and the Antler Queen have all been revealed as of the Season 3 finale, but the season has set up a whole new set of questions simultaneously. After forcing the team to stay put in the wilderness, the finale showed Hanna (Ashley Sutton) fully integrated into their survival cult. They were deeper into the second winter in the woods, which we already know will be their last, and they were hungry for another hunt. Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) had complete control of the group, and she stepped in when sensing that Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Van (Liv Hewson) were trying to rig the results of the card draw that would trigger the next human feast. The...

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for the Season 3 finale of “Yellowjackets,” titled “Full Circle,” streaming now on Paramount+ with Showtime.

It’s Mari!

The identity of Pit Girl was finally revealed in the Season 3 finale of “Yellowjackets,” when Mari (Alexa Barajas) accidentally plunged to her death into the stake-filled pit while being hunted by her soccer teammates. The episode also confirmed the true identity of the pilot episode’s Antler Queen: Turns out it was Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) all along.

In the 1990s timeline, the teen plane-crash survivors must endure another harsh winter in the Canadian wilderness, and after their primary source of meat — the farm animals — all die, the group again participates in a sacrificial ritual to survive.

Van (Liv Hewson) and Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) can’t bear to lose another friend, so they rig the deck of cards to ensure that outsider Hannah (Ashley Sutton) will draw the Queen of Hearts.

Note: This story contains spoilers from “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Episode 10.

Since the very first episode of “Yellowjackets,” which showed a girl with dark hair running for her life before falling into a spiked pit and dying, fans have been trying to guess her identity.

The Season 3 finally revealed whose rotten luck it was to end up as Pit Girl. Was it one of the original survivors who drew the dreaded Queen of Hearts card? Or newcomer Hannah (Ashley Sutton), a scientist who stumbled across the feral group and proved she was as ruthless as the rest of them after killing outdoor guide Kodiak (Joel McHale)?

TheWrap spoke with showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco, as well as Sutton, about the clues the show gave us and the deliberate misdirection they hoped kept viewers guessing before the final reveal that Pit Girl was none other than Mari (Alexa Barajas).

Mari...

The following interview contains spoilers from the Season 3 finale episode of Yellowjackets, titled "Full Circle."

The Season 3 finale of Yellowjackets debuted on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday and left fans with another cliffhanger — Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) calling for help from a mountaintop as Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) takes her throne as the Antler Queen. In "Full Circle," the teenage Yellowjackets decide it's time for another hunt, and Mari (Alexa Barajas) is the unlucky recipient of the queen of hearts. While attempting to flee, Mari dies by falling into the pit trap and is subsequently strung up for another feast. Meanwhile, Hannah (Ashley Sutton) tricks Shauna by dressing in Natalie's winter gear as Natalie sneaks off with the refurbished radio transponder.

In the adult timeline, Callie (Sarah Desjardins) is revealed as Lottie's (Simone Kessell) killer. After Callie and Jeff (Warren Kole) decide to spend time away from Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), the...

Major spoilers for "Yellowjackets" season 3 ahead.

Now that it's over, it's fair to say that "Yellowjackets" season 3 rose above the early criticisms. The first half of the season dragged its heels and got dragged in turn by some critics. More than a few fans suspected the writers had lost the plot. But then episode 6 "Thanksgiving (Canada)" got the ball rolling with a new conflict: hikers stumbled on the girls, giving them the chance of rescue. That fractured the team further between those who wanted to go home and those who felt at home in the Wilderness.

The slam-dunk season finale, "Full Circle," even rectified some of the problems with Lottie's (Simone Kessell) death earlier this season, giving her a proper final scene and conclusion with Callie (Sarah Desjardins). And "Full Circle" gave us more answers than just those regarding Lottie's death.

"Yellowjackets" has finally started opening the mystery boxes it set.

[This story contains major spoilers from the penultimate episode of season three of Yellowjackets, “How the Story Ends.”]

Yellowjackets season three has not been for the faint of heart. This season of the hit Showtime series went on a killing spree, both out in the wilderness during the 1996 timeline, as well as in present day with the adult survivors of a plane crash that stranded them for 19 months when they were teenagers.

The most unexpected deaths came in episode four, when Simone Kessell’s Adult Lottie was mysteriously found dead at the bottom of a familiar looking staircase (seen in a vision by Lottie in season one), and in the penultimate episode when Lauren Ambrose’s Van was fatally stabbed in the heart by Adult Melissa (played by guest star Hilary Swank). The finale, which is titled “Full Circle” (written by Ameni Rozsa and directed by co-creator Bart Nickerson), will deliver the long-awaited answer around who killed Lottie Matthews, and viewers will see...

Yellowjackets is going big for the 2025 Emmys.

Gold Derby has confirmed that the Showtime drama is submitting 19 different actors for the third season.

Melanie Lynskey, who earned Emmy nominations for playing Shauna Sadecki in the Showtime drama's first two seasons, will be submitted again in Best Drama Actress. She will be joined in the lead category by Sophie Nélisse, who plays cannibalistic teen Shauna in the wilderness, and Tawny Cypress, who takes on split personalities as adult Taissa Turner.

The rest of the Yellowjackets squad will battle it out in the crowded Best Supporting Actress field: Jasmin Savoy Brown as teen Taissa, Sophie Thatcher as teen Natalie Scatorccio, Samantha Hanratty as teen Misty Quigley, Courtney Eaton as teen Lottie Matthews, Lauren Ambrose as Van Palmer, and Christina Ricci, who was Emmy nominated for Season 1, as adult Misty.

Also submitted in Best Supporting Actress this year will be two non-Yellowjackets: Sarah Desjardins as Shauna's daughter,...

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 9.

Yellowjackets fans can't seem to catch a break. After killing two major characters in Season 3, the series revealed that it is not done this week, with the episode "How The Story Ends" raising the show's body count by two — and one of the goners was, again, a main character. After introducing Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) to the cast, the showrunners proved that adult Melissa could be as vicious as all the other survivors, and she stabbed adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) to death with no mercy. With one episode to wrap up the new season, we can't help but ask: Will there be anyone left by the time the credits roll?

The death of Van is hinted at throughout the whole episode, with young Van (Liv Hewson) making appearances in the present-day timeline and guiding her older self to an...

Yellowjackets season 3 episode 8, "A Normal, Boring Life," last week saw a big revelation - Melissa is alive and married to Hanna's daughter! Plus, Shauna goes back to her old ways as if they're still in the wilderness, telling Melissa to eat the piece of skin she bit off or she'll tell her family everything. That was quite the way to end an episode! So what comes next? We find out in season 2 episode 9, "How the Story Ends." And boy, this one gets emotional towards the end. Here's our review of the episode on Paramount+ and Showtime. Spoilers Below.

Melanie Lynskey as Shauna in Yellowjackets, episode 1, season 3, streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, 2025. Photo Credit: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with Showtime. Melissa reunites with the others

I'm sure Melissa is really, really regretting her decision to send that tape to Shauna now. Before this, the women thought she was dead and she was...

The following interview contains spoilers from the ninth episode of Yellowjackets Season 3, titled "How the Story Ends."

The ninth episode of Yellowjackets Season 3 debuted on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday and showed teen Misty (Samantha Hanratty) finally get her shot at redemption. In "How the Story Ends," the teen Yellowjackets splinter as half the group (led by Sophie Nélisse's Shuana and Courtney Eaton's Lottie) are determined to stick it out in the wild, while the other half (led by Sophie Thatcher's Natalie) are determined to find a way home. In the adult timeline, Misty (Christina Ricci), Tai (Tawny Cypress), and Van (Lauren Ambrose) chase down Melissa (Hilary Swank), who had just escaped from Shauna's (Melanie Lynskey) cannibalistic attack.

Hanratty spoke to Gold Derby about Misty's opportunity to become a hero, where her character's loyalties lie, and her favorite/most shocking moments from Season 3.

What are your...

Note: This story contains spoilers from “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Episode 9.

Hannah, the scientist taken captive by the Yellowjackets in Season 3, Episode 8, makes a split-second decision in Episode 9 to turn on her fellow captive Kody (Joel McHale) to save her own life.

Ashley Sutton, who plays Hannah, talked to TheWrap about how the “sweet and naive” character could go from “zero to 60” so quickly when Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) sees that she and Kody have a knife and are trying to escape.

In a panic, Hannah lies that Kody gave her the knife. He responds by calling her a “c-nt,” and she stabs him in the eye, killing him instantly. And like that, she’s become one of the Yellowjackets. Or, as Sutton phrased it, “We see that side of her where she is very sweet and naive, but she does show up and can play the game too.”

“Yellowjackets” actress Ashley Sutton.

[Warning: The following contains Major spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9, “How the Story Ends.”] Yellowjackets delivered a stunning twist with the introductions of Ashley Sutton, Nelson Franklin, and Joel McHale as Hanna, Edwin, and Kodiak, the three adult hikers who stumble upon the stranded teens at the end of Season 3 Episode 6. Since then, viewers have learned what brought them to this remote area and how they were led to the Yellowjackets’ campsite (they smelled the Coach Ben barbeque — oof). Now, Season 3 Episode 9 has revealed what these new characters will do to get out of these woods alive. Edwin, Hanna’s research and romantic partner, was killed within moments of making contact with the teens in Episode 7. He died by an axe to the head, the fatal blow dealt by Lottie (Courtney Eaton), who then made a meal out of his brain. ...

Warning: The following story contains spoilers about last week's episode of Yellowjackets, "A Normal, Boring Life."

Throughout the first 26 episodes of Yellowjackets, there are multiple instances in which adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) brings out the dark side from behind her harmless homemaker façade. When she drives off a prying journalist in the show's pilot. When she threatens to gut former schoolmate Randy (Jeff Holman) “like a pig” if he tells anyone about his and her husband Jeff’s (Warren Kole) attempt to blackmail the Yellowjackets. When she reminisces about her many times skinning human corpses to scare a carjacker into returning her stolen vehicle. But she never allows that dark side to fully take over. In the Showtime drama’s 27th outing, the eighth episode of Season 3, “A Normal, Boring Life,” she finally does, and it leads to another Emmy-worthy turn from Lynskey.

The episode follows Shauna as she pursues...

This article contains major spoilers for "Yellowjackets."

Well, congrats citizen detectives, you've done it again. "Yellowjackets" season 3 episode 8 "A Normal Boring Life" finally introduces special guest star Hilary Swank. As the fan hive had called, she is playing a grown-up version of plane crash survivor Melissa (Jenna Burgess).

To make sure the audience recognizes her, Swank's Melissa is introduced wearing a baseball cap, like the one her teenage self has often been seen in. As fans had previously caught from promotional footage, Swank is also wearing blue contact lenses to match Burgess' eye color.

Swank's casting fits a pattern. The past storyline of "Yellowjackets" is set in the 1990s, so for the middle-aged characters, the show has cast '90s starlets Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis. Swank, who broke out thanks to "The Next Karate Kid" and "Beverly Hills 90210," fits that mold. Not for nothing, one...

The following interview contains spoilers from the eighth episode of Yellowjackets Season 3, titled "A Normal, Boring Life."

The eighth episode of Yellowjackets Season 3 debuted on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday and left fans shocked by the teens' refusal to be rescued and adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) taking a bite out of her long lost pal Melissa (Hilary Swank). In "A Normal, Boring Life," the teen timeline shows Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) and Lottie (Courtney Eaton) asserting their power, facing off with Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), who wants to get the hell out of the wilderness. Convinced they're "safer" where they are, Shauna and Lottie pull Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown) over to their side and engage in a standoff.

Photo credit: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with Showtime

Eaton spoke to Gold Derby about Lottie's mental state, the shocking discovery of the Yellowjackets, why some of them want to remain lost in the woods, and...

[This story contains major spoilers from season three, episode eight of Yellowjackets, “A Normal, Boring Life.”]

When it was announced that Hilary Swank would be joining Yellowjackets, who she was playing was kept secret. As the third season began to roll out, the Showtime series heavily hinted that a character from the wilderness past was perhaps haunting Melanie Lynskey’s Shauna in present day. For anyone who guessed that Swank would make her debut as the adult version of that person, you were right.

In episode eight, “A Normal, Boring Life,” Swank arrived as Melissa, a new “older” (as the cast of the hit Showtime series calls them) for the teen played by Jenna Burgess in the 1996-97 timeline. Swank plays one of four new characters introduced this season, following the wilderness debuts of Joel McHale, Nelson Franklin and Ashley Sutton.

Teen Melissa’s role expanded in season three when she explored a new relationship with Shauna (played by Sophie Nélisse in the teen version). “It’s a very Yellowjackets romance,...

Since it was announced that Hilary Swank would be joining the cast of Yellowjacketsfor season three, fans have been theorizing who her character could be. Those details have been kept under wraps to avoid spoilers for the plot.

Some initially believed she would be the adult version of Melissa (Jenna Burgess), the young survivor in the wilderness who found more of a voice in season two, and an affection for Shauna (Sophie Nelisse). But in Episode 7, when adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Van (Lauren Ambrose), and Tai (Tawny Cypress) listen to the audio tape that was left on Shauna’s doorstep, and they mention Melissa as a possibility for the sender, Van shoots this down, noting that she is dead. The other option bandied about was that she could be Hannah’s (Ashley Sutton) daughter, Alex, now grown and looking for revenge. The truth sort of combines the two, but in the weirdest way.

After thirteen months of collective solitude, the Yellowjackets got a trio of surprise visitors in the closing moments of Season 3, Episode 6, "Thanksgiving (Canda)." Among them is Hannah, the first adult female to join the Yellowjackets teen timeline. The frog scientist takes center stage in the next episode, "Croak," working alongside research partner Edwin and wilderness guide Kodiak (Joel McHale) to observe the rare Arctic Banshee Frog's mating call.

Portrayed by Ashley Sutton, Hannah and the rest of the trio stumble onto the Yellowjackets as they perform a primal ritual around Coach Ben Scott's severed head. Though Edwin seemingly recognizes the girls as the stranded Yellowjackets, Lottie immediately hacks him to death with a killing ax blow to the noggin—not exactly a warm welcome. Worse, Kodiak flees the scene, forcing Hannah to fend for herself. The debacle produces a thrilling Yellowjackets entry—sorely needed for the otherwise uneven Season 3. It also,...

If you've been following my reviews of this season of Yellowjackets, you'll know that I haven't been enjoying the season very much unfortunately overall. However, last week's episode, episode 6, "Thanksgiving (Canada)," finally delivered what we've been waiting for. And this week, the writers hit the mark once again. Here's our review of Yellowjackets season 3 episode 7, "Croak" on Paramount+ and Showtime. Spoilers Below.

Photo Credit: Colin Bentley/Paramount+ with Showtime

The episode picks up a few days early as we find out two things: it's these annoying frogs making the crazy sounds the girls have been hearing, and we learn just who these new characters are that pop up. They're Edwin played by Nelson Franklin and Hanna played by Ashley Sutton. Plus, there's a surprise third character who I wasn't expecting to see - Joel McHale as Kodi. As an actor mostly known for comedic roles, he absolutely embodies this dramatic character so well!

Note: This story contains spoilers from “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Episode 7.

Ever since “Yellowjackets” debuted, fans have been fixated on one particular character — and we don’t even know who she is. But after the show’s latest, game-changing twist, we might have finally met her.

“Pit Girl,” as has become the fandom’s non-canon nomenclature for the mysterious character, was actually the first person we ever saw on the show. Introduced in the opening scene of the series pilot episode, the fair-skinned brunette sprints through a frozen forest, underdressed, wearing just a nightgown (and the gold heart necklace that has become a significant symbol and major mystery of its own in the Yellowjackets mythology). Whoever she is, Pit Girl is clearly running for her life, surrounded by the sound of animalistic shrieks as she tries to make her escape.

But that escape is cut short when she falls into a pit full of spikes and dies,...

Ashley Sutton first auditioned for Yellowjackets five years ago. The Florida native was trying to build out her acting resumé and was a huge fan of Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson’s television work (they wrote and produced on Narcos and Narcos: Mexico before creating the Showtime drama) when she got the chance to read for a small part in a then-unknown pilot. Sutton can barely remember what scenes she read, or who the character was, but she does remember laughing a lot throughout the process. “Ashley and Bart’s work is quite spooky, but they’re so funny and I really noticed that in the audition,” she says. The part never made it into the show, but Sutton kept tabs on the series: “I was quite diehard from the very beginning.”

Then, years later, she got a call from her team that she was getting another shot at what...

This article contains spoilers for Season 3 Episode 7 of “Yellowjackets”

In this week’s jaw-dropping episode of “Yellowjackets,” we finally learn how guest star Joel McHale fits into the story: He plays a macho outdoor guide named Kodiak who is guiding two scientists (Ashley Sutton and Nelson Franklin) into the wilderness to film frogs when things, shall we say, take a deadly turn.

As we briefly glimpsed in the previous episode, these unfortunate travelers stumble across the plane crash survivors in full howling “feast” mode around a late night bonfire. At first, there is shock on both sides, until Edwin (Franklin) sees the head of Coach Ben and yells, “What the f–k?”

Before anyone can fully explain — that is, if you can ever really explain how you resorted to cannibalism to complete strangers — Lottie (Courtney Eaton) sneaks up behind Edwin and buries an ax in his head.

L-r: Nelson Franklin as Edwin,...

Spoilers for "Yellowjackets" season 3 follow.

The two big casting gets for "Yellowjackets" season 3 were Hilary Swank and Joel McHale. Neither casting, though, was announced with a character description. As of episode 7, "Croak," we still don't know who Swank's character is, but she's playing someone in the 2021 timeline. Good money has it that she's Shauna's (Melanie Lynskey) mystery stalker. The latest episode has finally unveiled McHale's character, though, and it resets the whole chess board.

Going into the new season, I assumed McHale would be playing someone in the present day. It's not like the 1996 story could just reveal he was there in the wilderness all along. Plus, McHale is most famous as the sardonic Jeff Winger on the sitcom "Community" — his acting style seemed like a closer fit for the black comedy of the adults' storyline. Just imagine him playing off the two great comedic talents of "Yellowjackets,...

Spoilers: This post contains details about the Yellowjackets, Season 3 episode ‘Croak’

Yellowjackets fans can finally stop theorizing about three guest stars after their pivotal characters were revealed.

Ahead of this week’s episode ‘Croak’, Yellowjackets creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson told Deadline about working with Joel McHale, Nelson Franklin and Ashley Sutton to bring their “frog scientist vision” to life after it was included in their original show pitch.

“All three of them are amazing,” raved Lyle. “We could not have gotten luckier. Joel was so much fun to work with. He’s exactly as funny as you think he’s going to be. He’s just delightful, and Ashley Sutton is incredible. She brought so much of what we need. Hanna is a really difficult part, because she’s an outsider and she is older than these girls, but she’s not so far removed to not understand...

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Episode 7, titled “Croak,” streaming now on Paramount+ with Showtime.

The Yellowjackets have welcomed new additions to the hive — as hostages.

This week’s episode, “Croak,” begins with a series of events that occurred before the Yellowjackets’ first encounter with outsiders in the wilderness. It turns out that the eerie “screaming trees” the young survivors have been hearing all season aren’t supernatural after all — they’re the mating call of a frog species known as the Arctic Banshee frog.

Viewers are introduced to three new characters: scientists Hannah (Ashley Sutton) and Edwin (Nelson Franklin), a couple eager to document the sounds of the horny, shrieking frogs, and their crossbow-wielding wilderness guide, Kodiak (Joel McHale).

While waiting out a thunderstorm inside their tent, the scientists attempt to bond with Kodiak as they smoke a pine-flavored joint. Edwin jokingly suggests they call a...

This article contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets" season 3 episode 7, "Croak."

Season 3 of "Yellowjackets" spent the first four episodes laying the groundwork for some massive moments of payoff, but episode 5 kicked things into high gear and the season has thrown some meaty stories to the cannibalistic fandom hungering for more. Since the very beginning, fans have known that the surviving Wiskayok High School Yellowjackets soccer team players have been terrified of the general public knowing about "what happened in the woods," but it was assumed that they were afraid the public would find out about their survival cannibalism, or perhaps even their ritualistic ways of determining who would be sacrificed for meat. In season 1, when Taissa Turner (Tawny Cypress) is campaigning for state senator of New Jersey, her opponent Phil Bathurst releases an attack ad depicting her as "cannibalizing your tax dollars," complete with a photo of her eating barbecue to reference...

Yellowjackets is filled with intriguing moments and tons of mysteries. A few have endured through all seasons, including the Antler Queen, the man with no eyes, and the girl running through the woods that fans have affectionately named “pit girl.”

With the release of the third season, fans have been theorizing on pit girl really is. Early on in Season 3, fans predicted that pit girl is Mari (Alexa Barajas). There are a few obvious reasons why. But now, with the latest episode, there’s another potential candidate to consider.

Who Is Pit Girl?

Pit girl is a young woman who appears in a flashforward scene in the wilderness, in the pilot episode of the show. She is seen only from the back running through the woods as whispers are heard that at first sound like animals but then appear to be the other women themselves. Many thought she was Jackie...

After Ben’s death, the Yellowjackets are immediately found by someone in the woods. What will the women do now that they’re potentially saved? Will they accept this help, or will they also go after this man? Meanwhile, the women in the present day feel especially unhinged. Not only do they not trust each other (probably with good reason), but they have different approaches on how to follow the Wilderness. How will the women survive as they continue to feel the Wilderness encroach on their lives? “Croak” is an interesting episode to unpack some of these ideas while introducing some new characters to the evolving story.

Yellowjackets — “Croak” — The Recap

As a frog crawls amongst the ferns, it jumps into a river. There are dozens of others around it in the shallows, and as they climb over each other, the camera zooms out to reveal two scientists, Edwin and...

Imagine you walked in on a group of people, especially teenage girls, like in the image above and then see a severed head (Rip Coach Scott). That's what happened to a couple of new characters in Yellowjackets season 3 episode 6, "Thanksgiving (Canada)," last week on Paramount+ and Showtime.

It's quite the cliffhanger because not only are there newcomers, are they providing some hope for the girls to finally be rescued? We'll find out what happens next in a new episode this week. So when can you start watching?

Yellowjackets season 3 episode 7, "Croak," has two premiere dates and platforms to watch. You can either tune in Friday, March 21, 2025 starting at 3 a.m. Et. Or, there's also the option to check the new episode out on Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 8 p.m. Et on Showtime. We shared a breakdown of the release times below:

Release on Paramount+:

East Coast: 3 a.m. ETWest Coast: 12 a.

Spoiler Alert: This post contains details about Yellowjackets‘ Season 3 episode “Thanksgiving (Canada)“

Three seasons in, Yellowjackets is sticking to the playbook.

Ahead of this week’s jaw-dropping episode of the hit Showtime series, Deadline caught up with co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson to discuss the latest heartbreaking death scene and what it means for the bigger picture of Season 3 and the rest of the series.

“I feel like things really start to ramp up, six onward, and I’m very curious how people would respond,” said Lyle. “I think we do start answering some big questions, and I think the finale is really fun, so I’m just excited for people to watch it. You never know, especially the bigger the move, the more room you’re leaving for divisiveness, but we’re all about making big moves on this show.”

Although Lottie (Courtney Eaton) saved Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) from execution,...

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 6, "Thanksgiving (Canada)."

The Yellowjackets season 3, episode 7 trailer confirms that the new wilderness characters are doomed. After being stranded in the wilderness for over a year without any sign of other human life, the teenage survivors encounter two new characters, played by Nelson Franklin and Ashley Sutton, during Yellowjackets season 3, episode 6's ending. Since the character played by Franklin has seen the severed head of Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger), and the public does not know what the Yellowjackets did to survive, his odds of surviving were already low.

As shared by Paramount+ (via TV Promos), the odds of Franklin and Sutton's characters surviving are even lower now, with Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse) insisting that they can get rescued without leaving any living witnesses. Lottie Matthews (Courtney Eaton) being covered in blood also does not bode well for the newcomers. In the present-day timeline,...

[This story contains major spoilers from season two, episode six of Yellowjackets, “Thanksgiving (Canada).”]

In the latest episode of Yellowjackets, fate finally came knocking at Coach’s door.

Ben Scott, the coach of the Yellowjackets soccer team that has been stranded in the wilderness on the Showtime series, has had a target on his back ever since he may or may not have burned the team’s cabin down in the season two finale. Viewers have never known definitively whether or not Ben, who is played by Steven Krueger, lit the match, forcing the teenage girls into the snowy winter without shelter.

But after he was captured in season three, he was put on trial in the 1996 wilderness and found guilty by majority. The ruling ushered in the gradual demise for the only adult in the wilderness, who withered away as a prisoner until the group’s leader, Antler Queen Natalie (played by Sophie Thatcher), stabbed a knife in his chest as...

Spoilers: This post contains details about the Yellowjackets, Season 3 episode ‘Thanksgiving (Canada)’

Yellowjackets audiences are feasting this week after the Showtime series delivered a death scene that’s been brewing since the beginning.

Following the ups and downs of a trial in which the titular stranded soccer team found Steven Krueger’s Coach Ben Scott guilty of burning down their cabin, the actor and the show’s creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson spoke to Deadline about finally sealing the character’s fate in this week’s episode ‘Thanksgiving (Canada)’, now available to steam on Paramount+ with Showtime, before airing Sunday at 8pm Et on Showtime.

“I knew from the beginning, just from being close with Ashley and Bart when this started,” noted Krueger. “They had essentially told me that the initial plan was for Coach Ben to meet his end at some point in Season 3.”

Nickerson admitted the latest...