After being pushed back for a long time because of the Hollywood strikes, Yellowjackets finally came back to our screens with Season 3. And not only did it return, it came back stronger than ever. Season 3 turned out to be the most-watched season of the show so far. This clearly shows that Yellowjackets isn’t just a one-time success. It has built a strong fanbase and keeps people hooked with its unique and emotional story.
The show follows a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness. What starts as a survival story soon becomes something much deeper, full of mystery, trauma, and difficult choices. It also jumps between two timelines: what happened in the wild, and how the surviving girls are living as adults years later. That mix of past and present, plus the strong acting and writing, has made the show a favourite for many viewers.
Despite all this success, fans were left in suspense after the Season 3 finale aired in early April. Showtime didn’t immediately say whether the show would be renewed for another season, which made people nervous, especially since it had been doing so well.
Thankfully, there’s good news now: Season 4 is officially happening. While we don’t know all the details yet, it’s clear that Showtime believes in the show’s future, and so do the fans. More twists, drama, and answers are on the way.
Is Yellowjackets renewed for season 4?
Yellowjackets was officially renewed for Season 4 in late May, nearly seven weeks after the Season 3 finale aired on Paramount+. For a while, fans were unsure what was going on, especially given how popular the show had become.
While Showtime didn’t explain the delay in making the announcement, it’s likely that behind-the-scenes talks were happening, especially around contracts and schedules, since the show has a large ensemble cast. Coordinating availability and securing agreements with all the actors probably took some time. Now that it’s confirmed, fans can finally relax knowing that more intense storytelling, mystery, and survival drama are on the way.
Yellowjackets Season 4 release date: When to expect it?
When Showtime announced Yellowjackets Season 4, they kept things very hush-hush. There were no juicy plot hints, no casting updates, not even a teaser image. The only thing that could be gathered from the announcement was that the show’s current leadership, Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco, would stay on as co-showrunners, continuing to guide the story.
As for when we’ll actually get to watch it? If everything moves along at the usual production pace (writing, filming, post-production, etc.), fans can realistically expect Season 4 to premiere by the end of 2026. So yes, the wait might be long, but at least we know it’s coming.
Yellowjackets Season 4 cast: Who might return?
When Showtime announced Yellowjackets Season 4, they didn’t name a single returning actor, not even a hint. But based on how the show usually works, it’s safe to assume that all the characters who are still alive (in the story) will be back for more.
Interestingly, Yellowjackets also has a habit of bringing back dead characters in flashbacks, visions, or dream sequences, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some familiar faces again, even if they’re technically not alive anymore.
For example, could Juliette Lewis return as Adult Natalie, despite sitting out the entirety of Season 3? Absolutely possible, though there’s been no confirmation yet. And as for Hilary Swank, who made a surprise guest appearance in Season 3 as Adult Melissa, her character left a strong impression, and there’s a good chance she’ll show up again, too.
So while we don’t have a cast list yet, expect both the living and the departed to stir up more chaos in Season 4.
Yellowjackets present-day cast
- Melanie Lynskey as Shauna
- Tawny Cypress as Taissa
- Christina Ricci as Misty
- Sarah Desjardins as Callie
- Warren Kole as Jeff
- Elijah Wood as Walter
- Lauren Ambrose as Van
- Simone Kessell as Lottie
- Juliette Lewis as Natalie
- Hilary Swank as Melissa
Yellowjackets wilderness cast
- Sophie Nelisse as Shauna
- Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa
- Sophie Thatcher as Natalie
- Samantha Hanratty as Misty
- Courtney Eaton as Lottie
- Liv Hewson as Van
- Kevin Alves as Travis
- Alexa Barajas as Mari
- Nia Sondaya as Akilah
- Jenna Burgess as Melissa
- Ashley Sutton as Hanna
Yellowjackets Season 4 plot speculations
The creators of Yellowjackets have maintained since early in the show’s development that they have a five-season story arc planned. That means Season 4 will likely serve as a build-up to the final chapter, rather than bringing the full story to a close. The show is expected to continue with its dual-timeline format, weaving together events in the 1990s with developments in the present day.
In the flashback timeline, Shauna has now assumed leadership within the group and made it clear that she intends to stay in the wilderness. At the same time, Natalie, Misty, and a few others appear to be working on some kind of escape or rescue plan. Because there are still several teenage characters alive in the 1990s who are not accounted for in the present-day storyline, viewers can likely expect more internal conflict and additional deaths.
In the present day, Shauna’s emotional and psychological state is growing more unstable. With her husband and daughter now out of her life, the two people who gave her stability are gone. This shift may cause her to become more volatile and unpredictable, creating potential conflict with the remaining survivors. Season 3 already saw the deaths of two characters in the present timeline, and the next season will likely continue to raise the stakes with more loss and tension.
There’s also one character whose storyline remains a mystery: Walter. Since meeting Misty in Season 2, Walter has remained on the fringes of the main plot, but his actions suggest that he’s more involved than he appears. Although Misty distanced herself from him in the third season, Walter seems to have continued working behind the scenes on something that could be important to the main narrative. What that is, or how it might influence the direction of Season 4, remains to be seen.
The showrunners have expressed interest in eventually showing the characters returning to society after their time in the wilderness.
According to co-showrunner Ashley Lyle, they are excited about the opportunity to explore how these individuals try to reintegrate into normal life after going through such a traumatic and isolating experience. She emphasised that even if they do escape the wilderness, their psychological struggles and emotional scars will continue. Lyle also noted that the show hasn’t fully explored the cultural and social aspects of the 1990s, and that upcoming episodes could offer a more detailed look at that time period once the characters return home.
What happened in Yellowjackets Season 3
The Season 3 finale of Yellowjackets delivered a lot of drama in both the 1990s wilderness storyline and the present-day plot. In the flashback scenes, Shauna finally steps into a leadership role, becoming what fans know as the “antler queen.” She subtly manipulates the group so that Mari becomes the target of their next ritualistic hunt. This leads to a major revelation: Mari turns out to be the mysterious “pit girl” whose death and aftermath were shown in the very first episode of the series. Her fate had been teased since the beginning, and it was finally confirmed in this shocking sequence.
However, Shauna’s growing power doesn’t go unchallenged. While she begins to solidify control over the group, Natalie takes action. She finds the working radio that had been hidden by Misty inside the wreckage of the crashed plane and climbs a mountain to send out a distress call. Someone responds to her call, suggesting that help might be on the way. This major development raises the possibility that the rescue from the wilderness might take place as early as Season 4, even though the series itself will continue beyond that.
Meanwhile, the present-day storyline is equally intense. In a surprising twist, Melissa is revealed to be alive, and she ends up killing Van. This event adds further tension to an already fractured group. Another major moment comes when Shauna’s daughter, Callie, kills Lottie. It wasn’t intentional; she pushed Lottie down the stairs after Lottie became aggressive and began claiming that Callie, like her mother, was also a “child of the wilderness.” The confrontation rattles Callie, and even though her action was likely driven by fear and instinct, it fulfills Lottie’s disturbing prophecy in a symbolic way.
After the incident, Callie confesses everything to her father. Together, they decide the safest option is to distance themselves from Shauna, believing her influence and behavior have become too dangerous. At the same time, tensions escalate between the other survivors. Taissa blames Shauna for Van’s death, arguing that Shauna’s actions, especially her earlier attempt to kill Melissa, set the tragedy in motion. As a result, Taissa and Misty appear to be plotting something, hinting that they may be preparing to confront or take action against Shauna in the near future.
Where to watch Yellowjackets
All three current seasons of Yellowjackets are available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime. Viewers can catch up on the full story, from the team’s harrowing survival in the wilderness to the complex aftermath decades later, by watching the entire series on the platform.
