Netflix’s You Season 4 ended on a rather shocking note, so will Joe’s killer storyline continue into Season 5?
Hello, You. After taking the world by storm since its 2018 release, You, the Netflix show that is based on the book series by Caroline Kepnes, has been getting bigger and bigger with every season.
Season 4 Part 1 flipped the script, as not only was Joe not the main killer this season, he also had a stalker of his own. However, Part 2 has proceeded to even flip those aspects on their head.
But now with the fourth season ending in such a shocking way, what direction will the series take? Will there be a Season 5, and what could even happen in it?
Will there be a Season 5 of You?
As of writing, no Season 5 has been confirmed for You. However, the show’s creatives want there to be another season.
Season 4 received a renewal days before season 3 aired in 2021, but the same can’t currently be said for Season 5. Its return may likely depend on the success of Season 4, as Netflix is very concerned with viewership numbers.
However, showrunner Sera Gamble wishes for there to be another season, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “We have an idea for season five that we’re excited about.”
Main star Penn Badgley also shared his hopes for another season to Entertainment Tonight, but also claimed that, “I certainly can’t spoil it but I would think that if we don’t get another season, this [Season 4 finale] could be a somewhat satisfying end.”
However, he added, “Joe, at this point, he’s like a post-modern icon. He’s such a popular dude but… there’s gotta be, to me, a more thorough, satisfying conclusion.”
As for when the show could return – if it does – it likely won’t be until late 2024 at the earliest. That’s based on the past pace for the show’s production, as filming for season 4 began in March 2022, and Part 1 arrived to Netflix on February 2023.
You Season 5 may be its last
While there’s no official statement about when You will end, the story does seem to be heading towards a conclusion. Gamble has promised that the show won’t go on indefinitely, stating to Vulture that, “The arc of the series is the arc of the character, and when that arc is complete, so is the show.”
“We have no intention of making 15 seasons of this show,” she explained. “This is not CSI: Joe Goldberg. It’s not procedural. He changes over the course of the show. And there’s a point where we’re done.”
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Badgley also spoke to the Happy Sad Confused Podcast about Season 5 potentially being the show’s last: “I signed a six-year contract right out the gate. So they could do two more if they wanted, [but] I think if there’s another season, I think it’s only going to be one. I think – this is my understanding, but I don’t know, I really don’t know. But I know that everybody concerned, from the top on down, nobody wants this show to become tired.”
What could happen in ‘You’ season 5?
You Season 4 ended with Joe back in New York, meaning that everything has the potential to come full circle. Gamble told The Cut, “We always knew we wanted him to go back to New York, have a homecoming, have his real name, shave his beard, and look like Joe Classic, but that he would be much more in the category of people he used to watch from afar. Now he has near unlimited resources. He has the support of powerful people and he has a lot less ambivalence about what he does in private. So, that’s the setup.”
We could see a variety of cast members return, from Beck’s old friends, to his past neighbor Paco, or other characters like Ellie – who was originally planned to come back in Season 4 – Marienne, and even Nadia, though she is stuck in prison right now.
In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Penn Badgley explained that the future of You will focus on his ascent into power, and whether or not he will receive any justice: “I think he actually can go to a new place and, if and when it happens, it’ll probably be this spectacular resolution that everybody’s hoping it could be, because now he has further to fall. He has power and the stakes are high. He’s not just some guy anymore.”
The actor also spoke on Joe’s newest obsession Kate, saying that “she’s the last meaningful relationship he’ll be in. I don’t think there’s another one coming down the pike…Yeah, I think she’s his endgame.”
Kate seems to have accepted Joe for who he truly is, which will make for an interesting dynamic in the future of the show. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, if it ever does.
You Season 4 is currently available to watch on Netflix.
You check out the rest of our You coverage here.