How many episodes is 'Yellowjackets'? What to know about season one

If you spent your holidays the way we did, it was wondering, "How many episodes is Yellowjackets going to have this season?" and "Why do I have to wait until next week to find out what happens?!"

The suspenseful Showtime drama—about a high school girls' soccer team whose plane crashes and leaves them fending for their lives in the Canadian wilderness in 1996, like Lord of the Flies soundtracked by The Cranberries—is the first streaming hit of the new year and has already been picked up for a second season.

But we've got plenty of twists and turns we need to untangle before we get there. Here's how many Yellowjackets episodes fans can expect and how to catch up on the series if you haven't started yet. (Be warned: you will get addicted!)

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How many episodes is 'Yellowjackets' season 1?

The first episode of Yellowjackets premiered on November 14, 2021. The psychological thriller series—a mix of coming-of-age relatability and, uh, cannibalism (seriously)—will have ten hour-long episodes total for its first season, meaning the grand finale will air on January 16, 2022. 

What day is 'Yellowjackets' on?

Yellowjackets airs on Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on Showtime, with new episodes released weekly.

How to watch 'Yellowjackets' in the US:

You can watch Yellowjackets with a Showtime subscription (a 30-day free trial followed by $10.99 per month). Hulu users can also gain access to the series with a Hulu + Live TV subscription at $69.99 per month (pay an extra $5.99 for an ad-free experience). 

How to watch 'Yellowjackets' in the UK:

British audiences were introduced to the dramatic survival story when the first episode premiered in the UK on Sky on Thursday, December 2, 2021. With the ten episodes airing weekly on Thursdays rather than the stateside Sundays, the final episode of Yellowjackets season 1 will drop on February 3, 2022.

What is 'Yellowjackets' about?

The series centers on the titular Yellowjackets, a New Jersey high school girls' soccer team whose plane ride to a national tournament in Seattle turns nightmarish when they crash in the northern wilderness, leaving the remaining team members to resort to savagery to survive. 

The timeframe jumps from the teenagers in 1996 to their adult counterparts 25 years later in present-day 2021. So we know that some of the girls survive—we just don't know how. 

'Yellowjackets' season 2: what we know so far

Good news, Yellowjackets fanatics—your favorite girls' soccer team is coming back! On December 16, 2021, halfway through its first season, Showtime announced that the show was picked up for a sophomore edition, tweeting: "*Mother, mother plays in the background* Season 2 of #Yellowjackets is coming."

Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment Networks Inc., said in a press release: "Yellowjackets is a genre-bending, riveting story told across time periods, exploring the journeys of these women at two of the most formative times in their lives." 

"We have an unbelievable cast, led by Juliette [Lewis], Christina [Ricci], Melanie [Lynskey] and Tawny [Cypress], in a series that’s going to leave you on the edge of your seat with every episode," Winograde added. 

Obviously, it's too early in the game to know about an official premiere date yet for Yellowjackets season 2, but at least the promise of a second season means that we'll be getting answers to all of our questions and conspiracy theories soon.