Yellowjackets season 4: key information
– Officially renewed in May
– No release date just yet
– Main cast expected to return
– No official plot details
– Season 3 finale hints at future episodes
– Showrunners have plans for five seasons
Yellowjackets season 4 is on the way and no doubt fans are buzzing to hear that one of the best shows on Paramount Plus is returning. And thank goodness too, because that season 3 finale made us shocked, surprised and sad.
And it was that violently explosive finale that catapulted Yellowjackets to become Paramount’s most-watched season finale ever with 3 million cross-platform viewers worldwide in its first seven days (as per The Hollywood Reporter).
A wonderful blend of survival thriller and coming-of-age drama, the show has followed two timelines for three seasons now – one in 1996 as a group of female high school soccer players are deserted in the wilderness after their plane crashes, and one, in the present day as they live with their memories and secrets. After all: “The past is never really the past”.
With Yellowjackets season 4 officially coming, here’s everything we can expect from release date speculation, predicted cast, plot rumors, and more.
Full spoilers follow for Yellowjackets seasons 1-3. Potential spoilers are also discussed for season 4.
Yellowjackets season 4 release date prediction
There’s no Yellowjackets season 4 release date yet, but we do know it’s officially on the way. And that’s thanks to a swift renewal a month after season 3 big cliffhanger finale.
In a statement by Chris McCarthy, Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios (per Variety), he said: “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+”.
There’s no word on when production will start, but with season 1 dropping in 2021, season 2 in 2023 and season 3 in 2025, I’d imagine we won’t see season 4 until late 2026 or early 2027.
Yellowjackets season 4 trailer speculation
With filming yet to commence on Yellowjackets season 4, there’s no official trailer to share.
As is the case with most hit shows, the trailer will most likely drop in the weeks or months leading up to the show’s release. I’ll be sure to update here as soon as I hear more.
Yellowjackets season 4 predicted cast
Spoilers follow for Yellowjackets season 1 to 3.
Given what unfolded in season 3, here’s the predictedYellowjackets season 4 cast we’d expect to return:
- Melanie Lynskey as Shauna
- Christina Ricci as Misty
- Tawny Cypress as Taissa
- Sophie Nélisse as young Shauna
- Sophie Thatcher as young Natalie
- Samantha Hanratty as young Misty
- Courtney Eaton as young Lottie
- Jasmin Savoy Brown as young Taissa
- Sarah Desjardins as Callie
- Liv Hewson as young Van
- Elijah Wood as Walter
- Hilary Swank as Melissa
- Nelson Franklin as Edwin
- Ashley Sutton as Hannah
- Joel McHale as Kodiak
There were four big deaths in season 3 and if you’re yet to watch it and haven’t seen the spoiler alerts, this is your time to head into the wilderness before you read this.
Lauren Ambros (Van), Steven Krueger (Coach Ben), Simone Kessell (Lottie) and Alexa Barajas (Mari) all met their ends in true Yellowjackets’ deadly and violent fashion in season 3.
So, unless they make a haunting reappearance like Ella Purnell (Jackie) has in a few episodes in both season 2 and 3, then we may well have seen the last of them.
Yellowjackets season 4 story synopsis and rumors
Full spoilers follow for Yellowjackets seasons 1-3.
With very little known about theYellowjackets season 4 plot, the best thing we can do is talk about where season 3 left viewers and if you’ve watched the season finale, you’ll know it was a lot.
Shauna became the official Antler Queen, Natalie found the plane’s transponder device that Misty tried to smash up back in season 1 – and it still worked(!), we still have no idea what Walter is up to, and unsurprisingly, given previous seasons, there was a fair amount of deaths. And that’s putting it lightly.
As present-day Shauna found herself abandoned by both Callie and Jeff, after it was revealed that Callie accidentally killed Lottie, she finally read Melissa’s letter. And then, she started to write her own recollection of what unfolded in the wilderness all those years ago.
But when Melanie Lynskey spoke to Variety, she expressed her hopes that this doesn’t mark the end of her and Jeff’s story: “I think Jeff trying to have a conversation with a completely unleashed Shauna would be really interesting. I think he’s a bit excited by that aspect of her personality, but also very scared of it”.
When it comes to season 4’s plot though, Melanie said: “I have no idea. After this season, I have less of an idea. It could be anything. I could be killed off in episode 1 of season 4. I literally don’t know”.
As mentioned above, Natalie was successfully able to use the plane’s black box that Misty had hidden away to reach out for help, hearing the response: “Yes, I can hear you”. So, this seemingly marks the beginning of the rescue of the girls.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Lyle briefly addresses what’s next for the girls: “As we said, they’re not out of the woods yet, both literally and proverbially, but as a child of the ’90s, we have not actually gotten to explore the ’90s in a real way.
“And I think that putting them back home at some point in a ’90s timeline and getting to fully immerse ourselves in that time period is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Where to watch Yellowjackets?
Wondering how to watch Yellowjackets seasons 1, 2 and 3? All three seasons of Yellowjackets are available to stream for those with a Paramount Plus with Showtime subscription, one of the best streaming services right now.
Will Yellowjackets return after season 4?
It seems the plan has always been for five seasons, so I’d be very surprised if it didn’t return at least for one more season.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly back in 2023, co-creator Ashley Lyle said: “The original plan was about five seasons, and we feel like we’re still on track for that”.
Adding: “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”.
While that was a couple of years ago, it’s not clear whether plans have changed in the creator’s minds, so we’ll have to wait and see.
For more Paramount+-based coverage, read our guide to the best Paramount+ shows.
