Sarah Michelle Gellar's Wolf Pack Series: Release Date, Cast, And More

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Twelve years after "Teen Wolf" came roaring into our lives with more werewolf-based high school drama than anyone could ever ask for, series creator Jeff Davis is back with another show about some very wolfy young people. Rest assured, though: if you're not a "Teen Wolf" fan, it's worth noting that Davis already told Entertainment Weekly this show has nothing to do with the six-season MTV series that's getting the movie treatment this year, correcting prior reports that it would be a spin-off of the series.

So if "Wolf Pack" doesn't have a connection to the "Teen Wolf" world, what does it have? Well, judging by the first trailer: a cool and unnerving plot involving California wildfires, a cast of young up-and-comers, and the queen of supernatural TV herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. That's right, Gellar will be returning to the "something spooky is happening to teens genre" decades after her indelible turn on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." That seems like reason enough to tune in to "Wolf Pack," but if you're still undecided, we've also got more details on the show below.

"Wolf Pack" is set to hit streaming on Thursday, January 26, 2023. The show will premiere exclusively on Paramount+, which is home to some major franchises like the Taylor Sheridan-made "Yellowstone" universe, the current slate of "Star Trek" shows, and more. Paramount+ is also where some former Nickelodeon favorites, like "iCarly" and "Fairly OddParents," have dropped their sequel seasons, and where the majority of CBS shows can be streamed. In a crowded streaming landscape, Paramount+ actually has some good stuff, and an affordable price tag, too: plans currently start at $4.99 a month.

While the exact episodic release schedule for "Wolf Pack" hasn't been confirmed yet, Paramount+ originals typically drop two or three episodes on their premiere date before shifting to a weekly release schedule for the remainder of the season. It's a half-binge, half-weekly strategy that's sort of the best of both worlds.

The trailer for "Wolf Pack" follows a group of four teenagers who almost certainly are turning into werewolves. They eye mysterious bite marks in the mirror, meet in the woods under a full moon without seeming to understand how they ended up there, and eventually transform into fanged, yellow-eyed creatures.

But here's where it gets interesting: the kids' journey to wolfhood is kick-started during a raging California wildfire when their school bus is trapped on what appears to be a jammed escape route. We don't see them get bit in the trailer, but there are plenty of animals fleeing the fires by running straight toward them (a real phenomenon!), so it stands to reason that the smoke and flames could also push something supernatural out of the woods.

Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Kristin, a member of a join task force whose job is to investigate the wildfires as arson, but she clearly gets more than she bargained for. "I don't think it's a seven-foot-tall monster," she says at one point, indicating that a) she's playing a total Scully type and b) reports of these wolf-kids have gotten around. There's also a chance they're not the only predators out there, as the first footage shows one teen receiving a mysterious, creepy phone call while another woman is dragged from the wreckage of her car.

As thrilling as "Wolf Pack" looks, Davis tells EW it's also related to issues teens are facing today, including anxiety and isolation. "That's really what the story is about," he says. "These four kids finding each other, and finding their pack, and finding their people."

As mentioned, the cast of "Wolf Pack" includes "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar in a welcome return to live-action television, playing a task force agent opposite "Westworld" and "Lost" star Rodrigo Santoro. Gellar currently stars in the animated series "Masters of the Universe: Revelation," and has previously leadlined shows like "The Crazy Ones" and "Ringer." Still, Gellar has recently opened up about how experiences on the set of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" shaped her perspective on what a TV set can be like, and not exactly in a good way.

But Gellar's return to the genre that made her a household name is more than welcome, and this time around, she'll be able to make a positive impact on set life with another role: she's also on board the series as an executive producer. Series creator Davis also executive produces, as do Jason Ensler, Joe Genier, and Mike Elliott. Ensler is set to direct the pilot (per Deadline), while Davis is also writing for the series. The show is based on a book by Edo van Belkom.

The show's cast includes Armani Jackson and Bella Shephard as Everett and Blake, two teens whose lives get disrupted after the wildfire incident. Tyler Lawrence Gray and Chloe Rose Robinson, meanwhile, play adopted twins with a mysterious connection to a previous wildfire. You may know Jackson from the Paramount+ teen comedy "Honor Society," or the Sundance selection "Palm Trees and Power Lines." Shepherd has guest-starred in "iCarly," "The Wilds," and "Orange is the New Black," while both Gray and Robinson are relative newcomers.

Paramount+ debuted a moody, beautiful-looking teaser trailer for the series at New York City Comic Con in October, but now the show has a full trailer that gives us a few more clues about what to expect. Along with the plot points mentioned above, the "Wolf Pack" trailer features silver bullets, several possible love connections, and an eerie cover of – not kidding here – LeAnn Rimes' "Can't Fight the Moonlight."

It doesn't tell us too much we don't already know, but in case you need it, here's the official synopsis for "Wolf Pack":

When a raging wildfire descends on California, a mysterious creature hiding out in the forest is awoken and a group of teenagers find their lives changed forever.