Why Yellowjackets Is Like Lost Explained By Christina Ricci

With filming underway on season 2 of the show, Christina Ricci explains how Yellowjackets reminds her of Lost. Yellowjackets season 1 debuted in November 2021, and by the end of the season saw its viewership quadruple in numbers. The psychological horror series that features a blend of intimate drama and overarching mysteries earned praise from critics and created a strong fan base who are waiting with bated breath for season 2.

The series includes two separate timelines that follow the high school soccer team, the Yellowjackets, after being stranded in the wilderness, and their adult counterparts of those who survive. Ricci plays the adult version of Misty, a nurse with an eerie obsession for true crime mystery, and a determination for problem-solving. Flashbacks and flashforwards throughout the series give the viewer hints at to how the events in the wilderness affect the Yellowjackets who made it out, as well as offer in-depth character studies into how much people can change in some ways, but also remain so similar even while experiencing incredibly traumatizing events in their youth. With this unique narrative structure and mysteries abound, one star is sharing their thoughts on comparison to another popular mystery show.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ricci discusses how watching Yellowjackets as a viewer reminds her of the experience of watching Lost. Ricci is asked what it’s like to work on a series so shrouded in mystery that even a new casting announcement results in fans at the ready to see how that casting announcement may act as a clue for season 2, to which she compared how passionate both fan bases are with their theories. See what Ricci said below:

“It’s really fun, I mean the only thing it reminds me of as a viewer is Lost really. You know where like everything was a clue, and anytime there was a new cast – you know what I mean – I love that show too. I was obsessed. So it reminds me of that which I think is really cool because having been a fan of that show, it was the best thing ever to these tidbits and the mystery, and so I love being a part of something that it’s super fun. But I’m always like, it also makes you very nervous as a participant that you’re going to say something that you’re not supposed to, so it can be a little stressful.”

Yellowjackets and Lost share several similarities, including the structures of each episode in the respective series involving flashbacks and flashforwards, a group of people having to survive after a plane crash, and elements of mystery that even border on the supernatural at times. Another key similarity between the two shows is that both have episodes that are released weekly, as opposed to entire seasons being released at once, a common option these days for new shows that are released on streaming sites. Although some fans may want every episode of Yellowjackets to be released at the same time, so the season can be binged, each episode in season 1 being released weekly allowed more word of mouth to spread, and more time between each episode for its community of fans to develop theories surrounding what will happen next.

Lost debuted its season 1 in 2004, a time several years before streaming series would be available, and at the time it became known as a water-cooler show due to the complexities that each episode offered, and the resulting discussion among fans that this spurred ahead of the next episode airing. Yellowjackets had a similar effect, as Ricci mentions, with fans grasping on to any potential clue in order to try to guess where the writers of the series will take it next. The critical reception for Lost‘s later seasons dipped in comparison to its earlier ones, so hopefully the next season, or seasons, of Yellowjackets will continue to satisfy both fans and critics as much as season 1 did. With Yellowjackets staring filming for season 2 in August, viewers will have to continue following updates regarding its season 2 premiere date, as well as look out for potential indications of what season 2 will entail as production continues.

Sources: THR