Yahoo News Yellowjackets bosses say show is on track for 5-season plan
Yellowjackets knows how to deliver a shocking moment. In its first season, the Showtime series gave viewers near-constant twists and turns from the moment it started. (Fans know what we're talking about.)
Now, as the show prepares to keep the buzz going into its second season, the creators are feeling good about the five-season plan they originally pitched for the story about how 19 months in the wilderness can irreparably change a group of people.
"The original plan was about five seasons, and we feel like we're still on track for that," co-creator Ashley Lyle tells EW in our latest cover story. Although Lyle says "there's always room for things," she clarifies that "we don't really see this as being more than a five-season show. I think that there are shows that can go forever, but I think that when you're telling such a deeply serialized story and it's about these characters' lives, you want to reach a satisfying conclusion and not just drag things out forever. This isn't really one of those setup shows where it can go anywhere. So far, we've been really on track. Season 2 is largely what we always planned, but you do make a lot of discoveries along the way and so it's always a little bit surprising."
Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME 'Yellowjackets' stars Kevin Alves, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Nélisse, Mya Lowe, Liv Hewson, and Jenna Burgess in season 2
In other words, every single shocking moment isn't planned out. There's got to be at least a little room for change along the way. "In terms of some of the major places that we wanted to land or move the story to, that is happening, but a lot of the dynamics and what it means to the characters are different than I necessarily thought they would be," co-creator Bart Nickerson adds. "Some of the major sign posts are still happening, they're just happening in different ways, which I kind of feel like is perfect for keeping the experience alive and vital on our side. We take a lot of excitement from the discovery portion. It's a big part of our process and the thing that we enjoy the most about doing this. We feel like the architecture that we started with is still holding up, but all the rooms are turning out pretty different in this exciting way."
For example, the creators point to the characters of Jeff (Warren Cole) and Callie (Sarah Desjardins), Shauna's (Melanie Lynskey) husband and daughter, who play a bigger role in season 2 simply because they were so good in season 1. So it's safe to say nothing is set in stone, but for now, the story hasn't veered too far off course.
Yellowjackets returns for season 2 on March 24.
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