After a relatively quiet few months dominated by “The Last of Us,” the prestigious TV landscape is about to get very, very crowded. With the upcoming Emmy eligibility deadlines looming, cable networks and streaming services are scrambling to make sure their biggest shows are in everyone’s minds when voting begins.
The action starts this weekend as both HBO and Showtime launch new seasons of the biggest prize contenders. The final season of “The Successor” premieres Sunday night on HBO, and “Yellowjackets” will soon return to Showtime. However, Showtime’s unique release strategy makes it easy to arrange the viewership of the two shows.
“Yellowjackets” Season 2 premieres linearly on Showtime on Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m. ET. But it is now available to stream on Showtime’s streaming platform. The rest of Season 2 will unfold in the same way, with new episodes every Friday before airing on Sunday nights. It’s an approach Showtime has used for years with its biggest shows like “Billions” and “Ray Donovan.”
The mystery-filled first season of “Yellowjackets” has left fans on the edge of their seats for most of the past year as they wait for answers about the show’s most cryptic elements. However, early reviews suggest that Season 2 will develop at a more leisurely pace, prioritizing character development over plot twists.
“Where Season 1 bombarded audiences with action and information, Season 2 is almost pure continuation, introducing fresh tidbits here and there, but mostly sticking to established arcs and mysteries,” wrote IndieWire’s Ben Travers. “There are still mysteries as to who will survive (and more importantly, how), but season 2 is smart not to try a hard reboot: there’s no need to rehash last year’s events by jumping forward in either timeline to add twists and producers too. don’t try to recreate the early shock and awe of the plane crash in Season 1 with another eye-popping spectacle. (There’s no exaggeration at that point, and it’s best if you don’t even try.) Season 2 keeps moving forward … but the dizzying buzz of ‘Yellowjackets’ driving has been replaced by a snail’s pace. Season 2, through six episodes, seems to be dealing with appropriately complex difficulties for the main characters, but the road to confrontation is padded with too much snow.”
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