Is Yellowjackets based on a true story? The origin of the show explored 

Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets isn't based on a true story (Image Source: Showtime)

TV series enthusiasts eagerly anticipate Yellowjackets Season 3, and a fraction of them wonder whether the thriller series is based on real-life events. The events of the storyline before its climax and what happens after have drawn mixed reactions from viewers.

At the heart of Yellowjackets is a skilled girls' football team in 1996. The team members are on their way to a tournament in Seattle, but their lives take a drastic turn after their plane crashes in a remote and harsh area of Canada.

Notably, the plot of Yellowjackets isn't directly based on a true story. Instead, it is loosely inspired by two major real-life events, the Andes Flight Disaster in October 1972 and The Donner Party.

Read more to explore how these two disasters partly inspired the events of the TV series and how the makers incorporated their original ideas to make the plot thrilling enough.


What is Showtime's TV series Yellowjackets based on?

The girls can be seen suffering in each episode (Image Source: Showtime)
The girls can be seen suffering in each episode (Image Source: Showtime)

As revealed by the creators of Yellowjackets, the TV series isn't based on any true story. Two startling events, the Uruguayan 1972 Andes Flight Disaster, and The Donner Party, inspired the series' storyline.

The flight disaster occurred in October 1972, when a plane carrying 19 players of the Old Christians Club rugby union, 26 other attendees, and the crew crashed. The crash, which happened in the Andes mountain range, claimed 12 lives on the spot. Another 17 people perished due to fatal injuries and the harsh weather conditions of the mountain ranges.

The creators of Yellowjackets based the thriller series on the events of the crash's aftermath. The storyline follows the 72 days the survivors spent in the mountain ranges and how they were rescued.

Another real-life event inspired by the creators of Yellowjackets was the harrowing Donner Party incident during the 1840s. It highlights how members of this party were stuck on their journey to California. Despite knowing a safer route, the group opted for a shortcut from Hastings, ultimately leading them to the Sierra Nevada mountains, where the weather was too cold to bear.

The group struggled to find escape, food, and water, and most of them died. The remaining individuals had no choice but to feed on the flesh of the dead bodies around them. After almost four months, 48 people out of 87 were rescued.

The show's creator, Ashley Lyle, wanted to adapt a film from the book Lord of the Flies, but she ended up making the thriller series on Showtime with all female leads, adding her uniqueness to feature that even girls can survive tough situations.


When will Yellowjackets Season 3 air?

A still from the thriller TV series (Image Source: Showtime)
A still from the thriller TV series (Image Source: Showtime)

Yellowjackets Season 1 and 2 have undoubtedly achieved remarkable viewership, and following the survival story of the girls' soccer team and the mystery behind the Pit Girl, fans want to see more.

Ashley Lyle posted on her X, formerly Twitter that the upcoming season will be weirder and begin from where season 2 concluded. Additionally, Wednesday star Christina Ricci, who plays Misty, told The Hollywood Reporter:

"This season is going to 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."

The girls will have to face even more challenges in Yellowjackets Season 3 while ensuring their survival in the remote area. The creator also shared that they plan to make at least five seasons for the thriller TV series, but that doesn't mean the stories will be rushed.


Till then, you can watch Yellowjackets Season 1 on Netflix.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more infotainment!

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Edited by Priscillah Mueni