The acclaimed television series Yellowjackets got a major vote of confidence from Showtime when the premium cable network renewed it for a third season — all before its second season had even premiered.
Showtime is looking to capitalize on the show’s success by fast-tracking a third season three months ahead of season two’s premiere date, Deadline reported on Thursday.
According to the publication, the network also had a tight deadline for a renewal, as the deadline for picking up the cast contract options was coming up in mid-December.
The series, which includes stars Christina Ricci and Melanie Lynskey, follows the team members of a high school soccer team who are forced to try to survive for 19 months in the Canadian wilderness after their plane crashes on the way to a tournament.
That was fast! Showtime renewed its hit survival thriller Yellowjackets for a third season three months before season two even premiered, Deadline reported on Thursday; Christina Ricci seen in the series
In addition to looking back at their struggle to live, the surviving members of the team are shown as they struggle to fit into their adult lives years later.
The series was a hit for the network, garnering over 5 million weekly viewers, and it went on to receive seven Emmy nominations, though it didn’t win any of the awards.
Chris McCarthy, the president and CEO of both Showtime and Paramount Media Networks, told Deadline that the renewal was an attempt build on the impressive ‘momentum’ of Yellowjackets’ first season.
‘With Yellowjackets’ runaway success in Season one and the pent-up anticipation for Season two, we wanted to maximize the momentum by fast-tracking Season three now,’ said McCarthy. ‘The show’s ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredible creative team behind it, including Ashley, Bart, Jonathan, eOne and the Showtime team, for turning this into such a success.’
Nick of time: The show, which follows a group of high school soccer players as they try to survive a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, was renewed just before the cast’s options ran out; Melanie Lynskey seen in Yellowjackets
It’s a hit: Showtime’s president and CEO Chris McCarthy said the network wanted to capitalize on the show’s success after it garnered more than 5 million weekly viewers; still from Yellowjackets
Renewing before season two has even been released display Showtime’s ‘strong commitment to the show and its ability to continue to grow as well as how it fits clearly within a Showtime brand,’ he added.
McCarthy also outlined a plan for the kinds of series that Showtime will be focused on cultivating under his leadership.
‘As we head into 2023 and beyond, our plan is to lean into Showtime’s strengths and focus on three key areas that have defined the brand. Complex and subversive antiheroes like Dexter and Yellowjackets, powerful high-stakes worlds like Homeland and Billions, and unconventional cultural takes like The L Word and The Chi — all with an eye towards making the biggest hits possible and building them into hit franchises as we have done very successfully across the company,’ McCarthy said.
He also singled out Yellowstone and South Park, along with ‘global unscripted’ shows, as franchises that ‘have helped to drive Paramount+ to the fastest-growing streaming service in the U.S. two years in a row,’ adding, ‘And now we are excited to bring this franchise thinking into the great set of hit series that have defined Showtime.’
Going dark: He singled out the show, along with Showtime’s recent Dexter sequel series, as a direction for the network; still from Dexter: New Blood
Paramount has reportedly been discussing the future of Showtime as a separate network, or possibly as a facet of a single unified streaming service, but Yellowjackets’ strong streaming numbers reportedly have kept the idea of a separate network alive.
The show became the network’s second most-streamed series behind its recent Dexter revival.
The fact that McCarthy also mentioned The L Word in his comments may have suggested that The L Word: Generation Q is sticking around with Showtime.
The CEO also said that Showtime is working to stay relevant against other premium networks and streamers, such as HBO and Warner Bros. streaming service HBO Max.
Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish previously said that Showtime would ‘lean into franchises’ in hopes of drawing viewers in more, and McCarthy shared more details about that plan.
Doubling down: McCarthy told Deadline that the network will now focus on franchises. Shows that can’t be turned into franchises will likely be canceled; till from Yellowjackets
He indicated that the network would shift its resources to shows with a better possibility of being turned into franchises, while ‘some shows won’t make the cut’ and would be canceled.
The Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge–starring City On A Hill was previously canceled in October of this year, and McCarthy hinted that other shows on Showtime’s roster would soon be getting the ax, presumably if they didn’t have the potential to create spinoffs.
‘We intend to use our successful franchise strategy to fuel the future for Showtime whereby fans make connections with a franchise, and franchises further build the brand and our streaming services and ultimately building long-term value for the company,’ McCarthy continued.
‘In order to realize that full potential, we will take a critical eye on all series, asking how big can we go in order to place the right creative bets to be additive to the overall company’s IP bank — which means some shows won’t make the cut and others will receive a lot more resources and attention, taken together we only see opportunities to further grow the Showtime brand.’
Going all in on IP: ‘In order to realize that full potential, we will take a critical eye on all series, asking how big can we go in order to place the right creative bets to be additive to the overall company’s IP bank,’ McCarthy added; Juliette Lewis seen in Yellowjackets
Source: | Dailymail.co.uk