Netflix officially confirmed on March 24, 2023, that Joe Goldberg, portrayed by Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley, and his monotone voiceover will be back for You Season 5. Since its debut in 2018, the American psychological thriller television series based on the books by Caroline Kepnes has amassed a cult following of admirers captivated by Joe's insanity.
For starters, Joe is a serial stalker and self-proclaimed romantic who has killed four seasons' worth of victims "for love." At one point, he married a woman named Love, but that absurdity did not prevent him from exhibiting violent tendencies. With Netflix announcing that You Season 5 will be the series’ last installment, avid followers of the show are wondering if Joe will finally face justice for his crimes.
The fourth season saw Joe escape to London in hopes of a calmer life, but he fell back into old habits. Now, with a new woman on his arm, he’s back in Manhattan and surely ready to cause more trouble, and this is where the upcoming installment is expected to pick up. As fans await for more details, we are sharing everything we know about the imminent You Season 5.
You Season 5 Potential Release Date: When will it be available on Netflix?
Unfortunately, the official release date of You Season 5 remains unknown as of this writing. However, previous production schedules suggest that the fifth and final season could debut as early as spring 2024. Fans can anticipate that the forthcoming installment will consist of ten episodes, like the previous four.
To recall, the show’s fourth season was notable for a change in how episodes were disseminated. The first five episodes debuted on Netflix on February 9, 2023, followed by the remaining five a month later on March 9. This type of staggered release is gaining popularity among Netflix's most popular shows, including Stranger Things that followed a similar release schedule, and it's extremely likely that You Season 5 will follow suit.
You Season 5 Cast: Who are the actors starring in the upcoming season?
Based on the conclusion of Season 4, fans expect the following three cast members to return for the final season: Tati Gabrielle as Marienne Bellamy, a librarian and keen observer of the neighborhood’s denizens; Charlotte Ritchie as Katherine “Kate” Gavin-Lockwood, a fearsomely intelligent art gallery director; and Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, who was in London in the fourth season and masqueraded as a university going by the name Jonathan Moore.
Every season features a new cast as Joe moves to a new location in an attempt to escape his chaotic and homicidal past. However, Joe's return to New York opens the door to see some of the same characters from the first season, such as his bookstore friend Ethan, played by Zach Cherry, and his former neighbor Paco, portrayed by Lucas Padovan. The shocking return of Guinevere Beck, played by Elizabeth Lail, and Love Quinn, portrayed by Victoria Pedretti, in Season 4 through a dream sequence also opened up the possibility of seeing more of Joe’s victims come back to haunt him in You Season 5.
Meanwhile, it was disclosed in February that Hollywood scream queen Jenna Ortega had planned to return to the series, but her scheduling for Wednesday prevented her from doing so. In You Season 2, the actress portrayed fifteen-year-old Ellie Alves, who was last seen receiving a substantial amount of money from Joe in order to begin a new existence.
At the 2023 Tudum event, Netflix debuted a special teaser in which Penn Badgley delivered a very special message and hinted at the return of a beloved character. While he could not confirm who, he stated that someone would be out to get him and provided us with flashbacks of individuals from Joe's past who may cross his path again. Fans should watch out for this in the upcoming You Season 5.
Meanwhile, Tracy Beaker Returns star Amy Leigh-Hickman has not given up hope on Nadia Farran’s return even though her character is now behind iron bars for the crimes committed by Joe Goldberg. She told Digital Spy:
"I would love to come back and play her again. I think that if she can pull off everything she did in season four, there's not much she can't do. So I wouldn't put anything past her, I wouldn't past Joe as well. I think that's something they have in common, weirdly."
For those who are unaware, Dawson's Creek showrunner Greg Berlanti and Supernatural producer Sera Gamble adapted the book trilogy of the same name by Caroline Kepnes into the television series You. Michael Foley of How to Get Away with Murder, Gina Girolamo from Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, and Lee Toland Krieger of The Vicious Kind are expected to return and serve as executive producers for You Season 5, while Blake Neely from The Flash will reportedly also be back as the show’s composer.
Penn Badgley, who portrays protagonist Joe Goldberg, also functions as a producer on the show and made his directorial debut in the ninth episode of Season 4. However, it remains unclear if he will be directing one of the episodes in You Season 5.
You Season 5 Plot: What is the upcoming season about?
The exact premise of You Season 5 is being kept tightly under wraps as of press time. However, Penn Badgley, in an interview, hinted at what Joe's final season may entail. He implied that Joe's inner monologue would develop after he ultimately accepted the darkness within himself.
Now that Joe is poised to fully embrace his true nature, fans suspect that if Marienne returns to New York to destroy Joe's luxurious new life, he will not give her a second chance to escape. Moreover, he can now use his girlfriend Kate's wealth and influence to further his privilege and shield himself from consequences. Whatever Joe Goldberg's fate may be, it will undoubtedly be indelible, given that You Season 5 will be the last.
Sera Gamble previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the plan is to incorporate some consequence for Joe, which is how You Season 5 is expected to end. She said:
"We have an idea for season five that we’re excited about. It was never anyone’s intention to run this one into the ground. When we’re done, we’ll be done. And we’ll pack it up. Even in the early conversations with Penn, the idea was not to crank out episodes forever; it’s to feel like we have told the complete story. And though I feel like tonally, we’re very different, and we are not trying to sell Joe as any kind of a hero with a straight face. This is a show that is in the tradition of these single-lead shows with a guy who does increasingly bad things. The beautiful thing about it is that when his arc is complete, so is the show.”
Also, Sera teased a big question about Joe ever receiving justice in You Season 5. She told the entertainment news outlet:
“The conversation we have among the writers, between Greg and I, and a lot with Penn is about the fact that it would be nice to end his arc with some form of justice. Guys like this don't usually see a lot of justice from the world. That's challenging to plot. How does Joe Goldberg go down in a world where he's been branding people with bricks in broad daylight for years? And he's cute! And he gets away with it. The deeper question that we frequently pitch in the writers' room is, 'What's real justice? What would hurt him the most?'"
You Season 5 Trailer: Is there a teaser for the next season?
During the TUDUM event hosted by Netflix, fans received our first look at You Season 5. Lead star Penn Badgley addresses the audience in the 60-second teaser that precedes the final installment. Watch the video below:
Stay tuned to EpicFlix for the latest news and updates about You Season 5!
