Yellowjackets Season 3 Adds Community Star to the Cast

In a thrilling development for fans of Yellowjackets, Showtime has just confirmed that Community star Joel McHale is set to join the ensemble cast as a guest star for its upcoming season (via Variety). The Emmy-nominated psychological thriller concluded its second season in 2023 with nine gripping episodes that combine mystery, survival, and drama. The show was renewed for Season 3 ahead of the Season 2 premiere. While details regarding McHale’s character are being kept under the wraps for now, adding such a versatile talent to the already stacked ensemble cast is certainly intriguing.

Yellowjackets weaves a compelling story that centers around a high school girls’ soccer team surviving a plane crash in the remote northern wilderness. Alongside their attempts to survive, the series explores their lives 25 years later, in 2021, unpacking the mystery of what really happened to them in the 19 months that they were stranded. The survivors may now be in their 40s, but they’re still haunted by the atmosphere and relationships they endured as teens.

Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson in association with Showtime and Lionsgate, the ensemble cast of Yellowjackets includes Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Sophie Nélisse, Juliette Lewis, Ella Purnell, Samantha Hanratty, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Thatcher, Lauren Ambrose, Liv Hewson, Courtney Eaton, Steven Krueger, Kevin Alves, and more.

As for Joel McHale, the actor is no stranger to starring in shows with a cult following. He played Jeff Winger in the beloved sitcom Community from 2009 to 2015 and is set to reprise the iconic role in the upcoming Community movie. McHale also starred in the critically acclaimed culinary comedy, The Bear, on FX as a recurring character. Currently, he plays Frank Shaw, the main character in the Fox comedy series, Animal Control, and hosts Crime Scene Kitchen.

What Can We Expect From Yellowjackets Season 3?

Season 2 of Yellowjackets concluded on a shocking note and left many lingering questions around both timelines. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say that as the present-day story and the 1996 storyline converged, we saw a terrifying new development unfold for the girls. While there is no release date for Yellowjackets Season 3, the show’s co-creator hinted at the direction it would follow in an interview with TheWrap last year. She referred to the layers of intrigue in Season 1 and revealed that Season 3 will be “a little bit of a return to Season 1 in terms of vibe.” Lyle also added:

“All I will say is that the girls have been out there for a while and they’re thriving.”

Christina Ricci has also teased Season 3, calling it “brutal.” Details of the premise are well-guarded, but the star’s excitement promises a riveting continuation to the story.

“[the new episodes will be] even more shocking and surprising than the previous seasons. It’s definitely going to be brutal. But they also put a lot of comedy into it. So I think it’s just going to be … extremely Yellowjackets-y.”