Yellowjackets co showrunner signs a new overall deal with Warner Bros. and HBO Max

Major TV news: Jonathan Lisco, whose name you might recognize as one of the co-showrunners behind the twisty, utterly popular Yellowjackets, just signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television and HBO Max. This translates to the fact that Lisco will create and/or work on other new projects with Warner Bros./HBO Max whilst staying part of Yellowjackets as an executive producer and consultant for its Season 4.

To the fans, that is reassuring: a recognizable creative figure remains in the game. And in the streaming Hollywood, it means business as usual, where studios hire a known showrunner and give them a window to work on new things in the hope that the next thing they do will become the next big hit.

What it actually means

An overall deal typically commits a creator solely, albeit temporarily, to a studio that gets the first look and first chance on new concepts that the creator can come up with. What this will mean for Lisco is access to Warner Bros.’ development teams, production resources, and the HBO Max platform in which prospective pilots and series can be shopped. Meanwhile, he is expected to remain on Yellowjackets as an executive producer/consultant, supervising the show’s tone and ongoing arcs, all while continuing to work on other pursuits with the production companies.

However, according to the most recent updates, the financial or structural components of the overall deal between Warner Bros. Television and HBO Max and Jonathan Lisco are not known. It is simply protocol with most studio deals that the firms usually keep such information secret.

Why Yellowjackets fans shouldn’t panic

The headlines do not imply that the series at hand is being dropped. Season 4 has been greenlit by Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, wherein Lisco is said to be retained as executive producer and consultant. It is a fairly common arrangement on TV shows: the producers/writers, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who created the show in the first place, are still running the day-to-day writers' room, but these creators have a consulting EP to give guidance in terms of the overall tone of the season, major storylines, and bold choices. Practically, that makes the show have continuity and allows Lisco to divide his time between the show and the new arrangement he has going with Warner Bros.

What Lisco might bring to Warner Bros. & HBO Max

Looking at the previous works of Lisco, a pattern can be seen, such as in Halt and Catch Fire, Southland (3rd Season), Animal Kingdom, and Yellowjackets, all of them being character-led stories whose genres utilize themes like crime, survival, or psychological drama. That aesthetic aligns with the specific genre preferences of HBO Max, which, like other streaming services, is very fond of creator-driven prestige content. Under this agreement, Lisco would produce limited series, thrillers, or ensemble dramas that would be dark, morally ambiguous, and atmospheric (the kind of shows people might not have a hard time binge-watching, shows that will be bold and interesting). He is a good writer and a good producer, and he knows how to manage a good writers' room, meaning that he can ferry other writers and can draw directors and actors towards rich material.

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And so, together with Yellowjackets, the new overall deal of Jonathan Lisco with Warner Bros. Television and HBO Max is like winning a golden ticket that comes with the freedom to create new ideas and a ready channel bringing the next hit-worthy shows. We as audiences can now only expect so much more from him on the screen.

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