Showtime’s hit series Yellowjackets has returned for a second season, and some of its horrifying scenes have left fans wondering if it’s all based on true events.
Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the mystery thriller series follows a girls’ football team in 1996 who, while travelling to a tournament in Seattle, crash-land in the Canadian wilderness and are left stranded for nineteen months. Between their attempts to survive, the show also jumps to their adult lives in the present day.
Early episodes in the second season have introduced the show’s first acts of cannibalism, which were teased in the first run of episodes.
The series’ first season received seven nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards last year, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci.
Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty and Juliette Lewis also star in the series.
New additions to the cast for season two include Lauren Ambrode (Six Feet Under) as the adult version of Vanessa Palmer, Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi) as the adult version of Courtney Eaton, and Elijah Wood (The Lord Of The Rings) as citizen detective Walter.
Is Yellowjackets based on a true story?
While the show itself isn’t based on a true story, creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson have confirmed that it was partly inspired by two real-life events: The Donner Party and the 1972 Andes Flight Disaster.
The Donner Party was a group of 19th century American pioneers who attempted to migrate to California from the Midwest on wagons. While taking a detour from the Californian trail, the group found themselves stuck on the freezing Sierra Nevada mountains, forcing them to resort to cannibalism to survive.
The Andes Flight Disaster, meanwhile, arguably serves as the show’s main inspiration. The real-life incident saw a Uruguayan rugby team stranded in the Andes mountains after their plane crashed on their way to an exhibition game in Chile. 16 people managed to survive 72 days after the crash. It was later revealed that the survivors resorted to cannibalism.
The events of the Andes Flight Disaster were documented in the 1974 book Alive, which was later adapted into a Ethan Hawke-led movie in the ’90s. Lyle has cited both the real-life tragedy and book as major inspirations for Yellowjackets.
In December last year, the show was renewed for a third season. At the time, Chris McCarthy, president of Showtime and Paramount Media Networks, said: “With Yellowjackets runaway success in season one and the pent-up anticipation for season two, we wanted to maximise the momentum by fast-tracking season three now.
“The show’s ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredible creative team behind it… for turning this into such a success.”
