Paramount+ has finally confirmed the release date forYellowjacketsseason 3, but shockingly has yet to give an update on the mysterious season 2 bonus episode. Arriving nearly two years afterYellowjacketsseason 2’s endingin May 2023, the titular team is officially coming back to the small screen for season 3 on August 10, 2025.Yellowjacketsseason 3 will return with two episodes premiering on February 14, followed by weekly new episodes streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Yellowjacketsseason 3 returning so soon in 2025 comes as an exciting relief, as season 2 left several mysteries following adult Natalie’s death in the present and the cabin burning down in the past. Based onYellowjackets’ castand crew teases, season 3 brings the teens into more “feral” states in the wilderness, while the adults deal with the fallout of their latest tragic loss. However, before the show dives into season 3’s new twists, it’s important to remember thatYellowjacketsseason 2 technically isn’t over, as the creators confirmed that a bonus episode would premiere prior to season 3.
Yellowjackets Season 2’s Bonus Episode Still Doesn’t Have A Release Date (With Less Than 3 Months Before Season 3)
Yellowjackets' Season 2 Bonus Episode Was Confirmed In June 2023
As exciting as it is to get anupdate aboutYellowjacketsseason 3, it only makes the wait for the season 2 bonus episode even more excruciating. It was previously reported thatYellowjacketsseason 2 would have a total of 10 episodes and that Jason Ritter (husband of Shauna actor Melanie Lynskey) would make a cameo, yet season 2’s story effectively came to an end with no cameo in episode 9, “Storytelling.” Therefore, it was widely speculated thata bonus episode was in the works, which co-creator Ashley Lyle confirmed in June 2023.
ConsideringYellowjackets’ teen actors confirmed they weren’t present to film the bonus episode, the theory that it’s a “bottle” episode telling the backstory of the “Cabin Guy” isn’t too far-fetched.
Lyle revealed thatYellowjackets’ bonus episodewould be released “between seasons,” yet, 18 months later, season 3 is quickly approaching without any update on the bonus episode. There were rumors thatYellowjacketsseason 2’s bonus episode was filmed around the same time as the rest of season 2, as there weresupposedly leaked images of Jason Ritter in costume in the wilderness, which implied that he’d appear in the extra outing. Therefore, it doesn’t seem that the delay in the bonus episode’s release is due to filming or scheduling issues.
The cast and crew ofYellowjacketshave been tight-lipped about what the bonus episode will entail, but the rumors surrounding Jason Ritter’s cameo have led to plenty of speculation about the mysteries it may solve. The since-deleted images of filming showed Jason Ritter alongside fellow actors in the wilderness, with his flannel costume leading totheories that he’s playingYellowjackets' dead “Cabin Guy” in a flashback. ConsideringYellowjackets’ teen actors confirmed they weren’t present to film the bonus episode, the theory that it’s a “bottle” episode telling the backstory of the “Cabin Guy” isn’t too far-fetched.
Yellowjackets Season 2’s Bonus Episode Rumors Might Be Crucial For Season 3’s Story
The Bonus Episode Being About The Cabin Guy Would Help Set Up Season 3’s Mysteries
If it really is separate from the main plot of theYellowjacketsteens in the past and survivors in the present, then Showtime could opt to delay the bonus episode until after season 3 if they so choose. However, that doesn’t seem like a beneficial play for the studio, especially if the rumors about it focusing on the Cabin Guy are true. Considering howYellowjacketsseason 2 ended, it seems like the perfect time to tellthe Cabin Guy’s backstorybefore jumping into season 3.
Yellowjackets: Why The Cabin Was Abandoned (& Attic Twist Explained)
In episode 3, the Yellowjackets find a mysteriously abandoned cabin in the wilderness. Who did it belong to, and what happened in the attic?
In the final moments ofYellowjacketsseason 2, the teens awoke in the wilderness to find thattheir cabin, where they had been living for several months, was set ablaze. The girls and Travis rushed outside into the snow and looked on as their only form of shelter burned to the ground, with Coach Ben implied to be the arsonist. BeforeYellowjackets’ cabin storyline is officially over as the teens find new shelter in season 3, season 2’s bonus episode is the perfect time to provide closure about the location by revealing what happened to its previous inhabitants.
Yellowjacketshas confirmed that Hilary Swank and Joel McHale will be joining the season 3 cast in undisclosed roles.
Additionally, since the Cabin Guy wasn’t living there alone, the fates of his fellow inhabitants may give some indication of what the wilderness has in store for the teens after the cabin’s destruction.Yellowjackets’ mysterious symbolwas found by the Cabin Guy’s corpse in the attic, so his tragic fate and connection to the symbol may have a bearing on the teens’ upcoming supernatural experiences in season 3.There are also theories that Cabin Guy had a daughter who is still alive inYellowjackets’ past timeline, so the bonus episode could separately set up her potential introduction.
When Yellowjackets Season 2, Episode 10 Could Be Released
The Bonus Episode Will Need To Increase The Anticipation For Season 3’s Arrival
Yellowjacketsseason 3 premieres on June 05, 2025, but it’s expected that there will be more than a one-week gap between the season 2 bonus episode and the upcoming season’s releases. Showtime will likely choose a release time that allows the opportunity for more audience members to watch the bonus episode, so it could be coming around the holidays.
No official announcement has been made, butYellowjackets’ season 2’s bonus episode could be released as early as Thanksgiving week, making it ripe for “feast” jokes. If the network wants to release it a bit closer to season 3, then the bonus episode could finally air around Christmastime, which would leave about six weeks before the new season’s arrival. The release of the season 2 bonus episode will likely be a strategic move to kick off the momentum for the anticipation ofYellowjacketsseason 3’s premiere, so anytime between late November and mid-January seems like a fitting window.
Yellowjackets
Cast
Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
