A TV show that has been called the ‘best new series in a decade’ is dropping on Netflix this week, after boasting a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
Yellowjackets first hit the small screen in 2021 and instantly became a smash hit, starring Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Samantha Hanratty.
The celebrated program follows a high school girls football team who survive a plane crash on their way to a tournament, and are left stranded in the wilderness.
Following the deadly crash, they descend into a cannibalistic clan in a bid to stay alive, with episodes flipping between 1996 and present day, where those who made it out of the woods attempt to piece their lives back together as adults.
The first season initially aired on Showtime and streamed on Paramount+, but will now be landing on Netflix on Tuesday.
Those first episodes of Yellowjackets commanded an extremely rare 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to an audience ranking of 73%, as many rushed to praise the ‘unmissable’ instalments.
‘Don’t be fooled by its teen show trappings: Yellowjackets is a pitch black parable of human desperation that will creep its way under your skin given the chance,’ Caroline Framke from Variety raved.
Vogue’s Emma Specter shared: ‘Genuinely frightening and thoroughly unmissable.’
Candice Frederick from the Wrap commended: ‘When it commits to its chilling suspense, the show is utterly fascinating to watch…
‘Let’s just hope the payoff, and the inevitable reveals to come, are worth the slow-burning effort.’
Uproxx reviewer Carrie Wittmer agreed: ‘Yellowjackets is the best new television show in a decade, with one of the strongest pilots ever made.’
As Jennifer Bisset from CNET simply added: ‘Pay whatever you must to watch Yellowjackets.’
The second season aired last year and a third series is currently in production – it is not clear when fans can expect the next helping, or where the characters could possibly go from here.
Shortly after the pilot aired, show bosses had been teasing that things become pretty dark in the woods, suggesting that the youngsters resorted to cannibalism, magic and murder in the wilderness.
It didn’t take long for this to become apparent as the gang ate what was left of Jackie Taylor’s (Ella Purnell) body in the second episode of season two, after she froze to death at the end of the first series.
The footage was interjected with scenes of the Yellowjackets dressed to the nines in beautiful Grecian gowns, surrounded by an actual feast of fruit and meat on a table covered with candles, adding another layer to the depravity.
Unpacking the footage, the cast later explained that Jackie’s ‘body’ was actually made up of ‘jackfruit and rice paper rolls’ – but still made some of them vomit off camera.
‘It was disgusting… but also kind of delicious. That’s all I’m going to say about that,’ Taissa actress Jasmin told People Magazine.
‘She was made of jackfruit and rice paper rolls, so we nicknamed her Jackie-fruit,’ Courtney Eaton, aka young Lottie, agreed.
‘It was an interesting day to film. I think we freaked out our crew a little bit. I gagged, (Samantha Hanratty) threw up. But yeah, it’s a weird one. I hope the fans like it, I know they kind of want it.’
Where could the third season even go from there…?
Yellowjackets will be available to stream on Netflix from October 1.
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