Joe Goldberg is ready to hunt again after his trip across the pond. You, Netflix's smash hit series starring Pen Badgley, has unsurprisingly been renewed for a fifth season and final season following the wild success of both parts on the streamer. Between its whodunnit first half and the bombshell second part that featured Badgley's directorial debut and a twist that the actor thought was "refreshing" for the series, it drew in a staggering 75.81 hours of viewing time after Part 2's debut and continued to hold on to its position in the Top 10 in weeks after.
Based on the book series by Caroline Kepnes, You has followed Joe as a seemingly-untouchable killer for four seasons now. Starting with his pursuit of Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) in Season 1, the series has seen him jump from obsession to obsession, killing whoever he feels is in the way of him getting closer to his target. He finally married one of his crushes in Season 3, the chef with some dark secrets of her own Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti), though he fell back into his old habits by pursuing Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) and ultimately killed Love after her attempt to finally do him in. Season 4 recently saw him don the moniker of Professor Jonathan Moore in an attempt to blend in with the intellectuals of London, though he quickly found himself obsessing once again and facing down the "Eat the Rich" killer that wasn't quite what audiences initially perceived. Part 1 of the season took a major gamble in terms of changing the perspective of Joe initially and, especially with Part 2, it paid off in a major way in terms of critical acclaim and viewership.
The possibility of a Season 5 has been in the mind of series co-creator Sera Gamble for some time now. After the release of Season 4 Part 1, she spilled that she and the writing team, along with co-creator Greg Berlanti, were already weighing options for how to follow up the massive new season. Moreover, she spoke about pursuing the ultimate end goal of finally bringing Joe to justice. Badgley, for his part, predicted that Season 5 could be the end in hopes of keeping the series from becoming stale.
Season 4 was hardly seen as stale, though. Thanks to the refreshed perspective, critics made the latest run of episodes Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% score even though audiences weren't as thrilled with a 63% score. Collider's own Rae Torres gave the season a B+, praising the series for finding new ways to take the typical You formula for a loop and shock audiences all over again. Its jaw-dropping finale, in particular, left many wishing for more to see where Joe heads next after coming out on top after his brush with high society.
Netflix shared a handful of quotes from the creatives behind the smash hit, with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter saying:
"We are so incredibly grateful to Netflix and Sera and everyone that has been a part of this show from the beginning. Sera is the most brilliant writer and partner and she will remain a key part of the YOU family as an executive producer. We intend to bring her every idea we can from our company for years to come. Ever since our friends at Alloy shared Caroline Kepnes’ fantastic book we have always conceived it as a five season journey. We are excited to continue our relationship with Mike and Justin as they take over the reins as co-showrunners and prepare to bring Joe Goldberg home.”
Showrunner Gamble similarly joined in to say, "As I step back from day-to-day showrunning to focus on new projects, I'm immensely grateful to co-creator and all-around genius Greg Berlanti, Caroline Kepnes, my friends at Berlanti Productions and Alloy Entertainment, and our steadfast partners at Warner Bros and Netflix. Making the show alongside our writers, producers, directors, cast and crew has been an honor and ridiculously fun. And I feel lucky to have worked with an artist as gifted and thoughtful as Penn Badgely. I'm proud of what we've all accomplished and feel privileged to pass the torch. I'm excited to watch and support the You team as they bring Joe Goldberg's journey to its delightfully twisted conclusion."
Who Headed to London for Season 4 of You?
Badgley was joined by a number of new colleagues, obsessions, and victims in Season 4 alongside the returning Gabrielle. Newcomers included Amy-Leigh Hickman, Charlotte Ritchie, Lukas Gage, Ed Speleers, Tilly Keeper, Niccy Lin, Aidan Cheng, Eve Austin, Ozioma Whenu, and Dario Coates. The upcoming season would certainly see Badgley return at his most powerful with Ritchie's Kate along for the ride as the series finally seeks closure.
All episodes of You Season 4 are available now on Netflix. Check out the trailer for the latest season below: