The missing episode of Yellowjackets gets an update ahead of the season 3 premiere. After more than a year of waiting, it’s been confirmed that Yellowjackets season 3 will premiere on February 14 and kick off with two new episodes. The upcoming installment will feature new characters played by Joel McHale and Hilary Swank, with the latter appearing in an undisclosed recurring role. With the Showtime series looking to pick up the pieces after the death of Natalie “Nat” Scatorccio, there’s been no word on a previously teased bonus episode.
TVLine’s Matt Webb Mitovich was asked about the missing Yellowjackets episode, specifically whether it is a “dead thought now.” Mitovich responded by saying, “You are 100% correct.” He then went to explain that there was zero mention of the bonus episode, which was meant to air between seasons, in the thriller’s recent press releases. Paramount+, which is the streaming home of the series, had no comment about the subject.
What The Yellowjackets Bonus Episode Would Have Meant
Ashley Lyle, who co-created the hit Showtime series with husband and collaborator Bart Nickerson, shared on social media that there would be a bonus Yellowjackets season 2 episode. The post, which dates back to June 2023, has the co-creator confirming there will be a bonus episode debuting before the start of season 3. It can still be viewed below:
Listen, I watched a livestream of a burning candle and the freakin' Superbowl on the blind hope of a trailer. Staying up a couple hours late on the off chance of a bonus episode? Walk in the park.#Yellowjackets @yellowjackets96 @ashannlyle
— Antler Queen (@elvenashes) June 1, 2023
There were never any details about what the bonus episode might consist of. However, before the season 2 premiere, it was announced that Jason Ritter, husband of Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey, would make a guest appearance. Set photos hinted that Ritter could be playing the person who was in the teens’ wilderness shelter before the plane crash. Ritter, who currently stars on the CBS reboot of Matlock, might have made his guest turn during the bonus episode. It would have been significant, considering that the shelter is lost to a fire in the Yellowjackets season 2 finale.
Our Take On The Seemingly Scrapped Yellowjackets Episode
With its first loss of a major cast member in Juliette Lewis (who played the adult Nat) and a more muted response to season 2, it could be the case that the team behind the popular thriller is looking to put the focus on what’s next for the Yellowjackets characters rather than attempt to fill some in-between blanks. As the co-creators begin their press tour for season 3 in the next few months, in any case, they’ll have the opportunity to detail what happened to the bonus episode.
Yellowjackets season 3 will premiere on February 14, 2025, streaming first on Paramount+ with Showtime and then airing two days later on Showtime.
