Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson are a husband-and-wife writer/producer team from shows like “The Originals,” “Narcos,” and “Dispatches From Elsewhere.” In this episode of The Discourse, the duo sat down with host Mike DeAngelo to talk about putting together one of the biggest hits of the season, Showtime’s “Yellowjackets.”
“Yellowjackets” is a show about a female high school soccer team stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash – the show follows the aftermath of the crash in the 1990s and the modern versions of the survivors as they deal with the trauma and possibly supernatural issues that may or may not have followed them home. It’s filled with action, drama, horror, a dash of cannibalism, and a sprinkle of forest demons! You truly never know what’s going to pop up on the show. It stars Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, and so many more amazing actors and actresses.
“It actually started with the idea of the teenagers out in the wilderness. This sort of girl sports team, the plane crash, you know, elements of ‘Alive,’ elements of the Donner Party. I think we actually pitched it as, what if the kids from ‘Dazed and Confused‘ became the Donner Party.” Lyle shared about the inception of the show.
There’s also a hint of supernatural elements scattered throughout the season that’s hooked a large portion of the audience into deciphering clues and trying to predict where the show may be headed. Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson seem less interested in giving concrete answers in the future and more interested in the emotional truth of their characters moving forward.
“I think the most important point when it comes to the supernatural is what our characters believe. That ultimately is more important than what’s real and what isn’t, and, of course, we’re walking a bit of a line and we know it and we want to make sure that we give our viewers a satisfying experience and there’s only so much ambiguity you can get away with after a certain point, but we’ve always been sort of fascinated by varying phenomena. Possession is something that has been sort of documented. Whether or not it’s real – it’s something people believe that’s happened to them and other people believe happens to them.” Lyle said. “I think that we’re very interested in those sort of questions more than we are with answers.”
As for Season 2 of “Yellowjackets,” the pair teased that it’s all a part of a “multi-season plan.”
“I guess we can tease for Season 2 – you know, there are other survivors out there and that will come into play. I also think that, much like we were discussing the supernatural before, the idea of belief and what people do and don’t believe in – that will be very central thematically to the second season. And I think that we’re well aware that we’ve maybe tried the viewership’s patience a little bit with our tease of cannibalism in episode one and I’d like to assure everyone that we will not be dragging that out forever, so get ready.” Lyle said.
“Yellowjackets” just finished its first season and is available to stream in its entirety on Showtime Anytime. You can listen to the full discussion below:
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