This equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama tells the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.5/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 74
TMDB: 7.5/10
Production
Entertainment One, Beer Christmas, Lock Jaw, Showtime Networks, Entertainment One Television, Paramount Players
Cast
Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty, Warren Kole, Courtney Eaton, Lauren Ambrose, Christina Ricci, Kevin Alves, Liv Hewson, Sarah Desjardins, Nia Sondaya, Alexa Barajas
Where to watch
Netflix, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, addictive blend of survival thriller, psychological horror, and character drama, Yellowjackets is one of the most distinctive ensemble series of the 2020s. Its dual-timeline structure, strong performances, and escalating mystery make it especially rewarding if you like shows that are messy, propulsive, and a little unhinged.
Best for
Viewers who like mystery-box dramas with real emotional stakes
Fans of survival stories and psychological horror
People who enjoy ensemble casts and dual-timeline storytelling
Viewers who don’t mind ambiguity, tonal shifts, and slow-burn payoff
Skip if
You want tidy answers and a fully resolved mythology
You dislike graphic violence, cannibalism, or intense body-horror elements
You prefer straightforward realism over heightened, symbolic storytelling
You get frustrated by shows that intentionally withhold information
Overview
Yellowjackets works because it refuses to choose between being a survival saga, a teen drama, and a horror series. The wilderness timeline has the momentum of a nightmare you can’t wake up from, while the present-day storyline gives the series its bite: the adult survivors are funny, damaged, defensive, and constantly one bad decision away from collapse.
Worth noting
The cast is a major reason it lands. The younger and older versions of the characters feel meaningfully connected, and the show gets a lot of mileage out of watching old dynamics curdle into paranoia, guilt, and self-protection. It’s also unusually good at using pop-cultural memory, music, and social texture to make the 1990s timeline feel lived-in rather than just nostalgic.
Bottom line
That said, it’s a show that thrives on escalation more than neat resolution. Some viewers will love the mystery and symbolic weirdness; others may feel the series stretches its clues and occasionally overplays its hand. Still, when it’s working, it’s compulsively watchable and genuinely unsettling, with enough character work to keep it from feeling like empty shock value.