Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell on Their 'Yellowjackets' Initiation, Meeting the Younger Stars (Exclusive)

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

Warning: Spoilers for “Yellowjackets” season 2 are below.

Season 2 of Yellowjackets had a buzzy premiere week.

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Season 2 of Showtime’s hit genre series “Yellowjackets” is ready for another dance at this year’s Emmys, after premiering to critical acclaim and record-breaking numbers for the network. The plans for the acting submissions have changed slightly from the first season, Variety has learned exclusively. Breakout star Sophie Nélisse, who plays the teenage version of Shauna, will now join her adult counterpart Melanie Lynskey in the lead actress drama category, with hopes of landing a nomination. The pair will be joined by co-stars Tawny Cypress and Juliette Lewis, who portray the adult version of their characters, Taissa and Natalie, respectively.

The Season 2 premiere of Yellowjackets delivered Showtime‘s best debut for a second installment that the network has seen in more than 10 years.

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains plot points from the season premiere of Yellowjackets on Showtime.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Following one of the most shocking finale episodes in recent TV history, the highly anticipated second season of “Yellowjackets” is finally here. The Emmy-nominated series arrives on Showtime on Friday, March 24 but will also be available to stream for free on Paramount+ beginning Sunday, March 26. The Showtime breakout hit — which stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci, among others — follows a high school soccer team after a near-fatal plane crash leaves them deserted in a remote location in the wilderness. The girls find themselves at the center of a “Lord of the Flies”-inspired survival horror story in the 19 brutal months before they’re rescued.

Now that has returned with season 2, there's been a renewed search for answers to the biggest questions about the show, including everything from when the young survivors will become cannibals in the past to what's going on with Adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) in the present. While at its core, the Showtime drama is about what happened to a group of teenagers after a plane crash stranded them in the wilderness for 19 months and how a few of the grownup survivors are reckoning with the secrets that amassed both then and now, it's a puzzle box series that introduces new pieces with each episode. And as a result, fans have run wild with theories and ideas about every detail of the series, much to the delight of its creators, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who admitted to ET that they «have been, along with the entire cast and most of our EPs, trolling Reddit a little bit and watching Twitter.» And in doing so, they noticed during season 1 that «somebody out of the thousands of comments that have come up has rightly predicted almost everything.»That said, there are still many (new and old) questions to be asked, theories to be addressed and answers to be debated. And as season 2 continues to roll out, this article will be updated with information from each new episode as well as additional insight from the creators and the cast, including the adult players, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey and Tawny Cypress, and their younger counterparts, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Sammi Hanratty, Sophe Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher.

Yellowjackets kicks off its second season this month.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.The show’s 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.Other members of the cast include Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty and Juliette Lewis.The exact number of episodes hasn’t been officially confirmed.

“Yellowjackets” has returned, and if you thought things couldn’t get any more wild on the Showtime drama series, prepare to be proven wrong. Season 2 continues the bifurcated storylines of the titular soccer team stranded after a plane crash in the 1990s, and the grown-up survivors dealing with their past trauma in present day.New revelations, expanded mythology and new characters permeate the new season as the story barrels forward, with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Jasmin Savoy Brown), Misty (Christina Ricci, Sammi Hanratty), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Sophie Thatcher) all returning.Elijah Wood joins the cast as Walter, a citizen detective, while Lauren Ambrose appears in Season 2 as the adult version of Van (played in the 1990s timeline by Liv Hewson) and Simone Kessell plays the adult version of Lottie (played in the ‘90s by Courtney Eaton).The new season picks up pretty immediately after Season 1 left off, with the survivors dealing with a harsh winter and dwindling food supply back in 1996 while the present day versions of the characters find that their past continues to haunt them in significant ways.

BreAnna Bell “Each survivor must determine if the darkness is coming for them or from them,” reads Showtime’s official description for Season 2 of “Yellowjackets” and the writers this season reveal they were not holding back as they embarked on this follow up to their explosive debut. Executive producers Jonathan Lisco and Drew Comins teased the themes of trauma and ptsd explored in Season 2 of Showtime’s thrilling drama “Yellowjackets,” and how it will affect the present-day players at the second season premiere held at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theater on Wednesday night. With new cast members including Simone Kessell and Lauren Ambrose, who portray adult Lottie and Van, the teenage and adult yellowjackets crew along with creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson walked the red carpet to the theater for a special screening which was followed by a brief Q&A segment.

many new faces joining when the Emmy-nominated drama returns with season 2 is Elijah Wood. The 42-year-old actor will play a citizen detective named Walter during a season-long guest arc on the series. According to Showtime, he is expected to challenge Christina Ricci's character, Misty, one of the grownup survivors trying to figure out who is threatening to expose the secrets of what went on when she and her soccer team were stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash 25 years prior. «A lot of my scenes this season have been with Elijah Wood and it's wonderful working with him again,» Ricci previously told ET about reuniting with the actor, whom she previously shared the screen with in the 1997 film, . Ahead of the series' return on Sunday, March 26, the reunited co-stars opened up about working together again and teased what's in store for their characters, including a possible on-screen romance for the duo we're dubbing «Wisty.» Looking back on, Ricci admits to ET's Deidre Behar, «We weren't really adults at that time.

know a thing or two about survival onscreen — and off. In the breakout Showtime series, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell each play the adult versions of members of the Wiskayok High School girls soccer team, who survived a horrific plane crash that left them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with each of the actresses -- who have all successfully navigated their careers -- and asked them about their secrets to surviving and thriving in Hollywood. «When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me,» Ricci told ET.

Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, and Tawny Cypress look amazing at the premiere of their Showtime series, Yellowjackets!

know a thing or two about survival onscreen — and off. In the breakout Showtime series, Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell each play the adult versions of members of the Wiskayok High School girls soccer team, who survived a horrific plane crash that left them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. ET's Deidre Behar spoke with each of the actresses -- who have all successfully navigated their careers -- and asked them about their secrets to surviving and thriving in Hollywood. «When I first started, and still as adults, this career has always been an escape for me,» Ricci told ET.

“Yellowjackets” definitely hit a nerve with its inspired combination of “Now and Then,” “Lord of the Flies” and “Alive”; the series quickly became one of Showtime’s most successful ever, with about 5 million viewers tuning in each week. The inspired premise of a group of plane crash survivors — told in the “then” and “now” — was only enhanced by the stellar cast who brought it to life, like Melanie Lynskey as Shauna, now a suburban mom and housewife with homicidal impulses; Juliette Lewis as the edgy, extremely damaged grown-up Natalie; and Christina Ricci as the obsessive Misty, who was basically to blame for the entire disaster, as her teenage self (Samantha Hanratty) was enjoying the camaraderie of the girls’ life in the wild so much that she destroyed the plane’s black box to prevent the team from getting rescued in the first place.The “Yellowjackets” casting team deserves all the awards, as the older and younger versions of the main characters match up seamlessly.

With a show like “Yellowjackets,” where the mysteries are everything, you can’t reveal too much too soon. David Lynch and Mark Frost learned that lesson with “Twin Peaks,” a clear inspiration for Showtimes‘s hit series in terms of tone and setting, which solved its central question halfway through its second season and then quickly faltered for the remaining episodes (until, of course, the divine “The Return,” two decades later, which defied all conventions).  READ MORE: New ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Trailer: Showtime’s Cult Hit Series Returns On March 24, Premieres On-Air On March 26 Co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson said they envisioned their Showtime hit as a five-season series, and so far they are doing an excellent job of keeping up the momentum while also keeping the show as wild and weird as possible.

With a show like “Yellowjackets,” where the mysteries are everything, you can’t reveal too much too soon.