“Yellowjackets” has broken a new record with its Season 2 opener. Following its March 26 premiere, the series became Showtime’s most-streamed debut ever, hitting nearly 2 million viewers across platforms according to figures from Nielsen, comScore, and Showtime’s internal streaming data. “Dexter: New Blood” previously held the title.
Showtime also boasts that it’s the best Season 2 premiere for the network in more than 10 years and nearly double the series premiere audience. The debut marks a 110% rise in viewership from the series premiere in November 2021 and 40% jump from “Yellowjackets” Season 1 finale in cross-platform viewing.
“’Yellowjackets’ broke records as the most streamed Showtime debut ever thanks to Ashley, Bart, Jonathan and our extraordinary ensemble cast who brought season two to even greater heights,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks. “By tapping into our proven strategy of promoting series across our full portfolio of brands at Paramount Media Networks, we successfully broadened the reach and brought new viewers into this incredible series that deftly combines psychological horror, dark comedy and coming-of-age drama.”
Hailing from creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Season 2 of the twisted drama picks up with the soccer team as they face a harsh winter ahead in the woods. In the face of their deepening hunger and fear, the tension among our Yellowjackets has only grown worse. As they confront the horrible truth of what survival entails, the real nightmare for each of them will be to figure out who they are— and what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive.
In 2022, “Yellowjackets” was nominated for seven Emmy awards in the drama categories, including nods for series, lead actress (Lynskey), supporting actress (Ricci), directing (Kusama). The series also received two nominations for writing, one for Lyle and Nickerson, the other for Lyle, Nickerson and Lisco.
The series is executive produced by Lyle, Nickerson and fellow showrunner Jonathan Lisco; Drew Comins of Creative Engine, Ameni Rozsa, Sarah L. Thompson and Karyn Kusama.