Everything we know so far about You season 5

It's been more than one year since You season 5 premiered on Netflix, and we have some killer updates to share about the fifth and final season of the Netflix series about the sociopathic serial killer, Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley.

Netflix renewed the series for its fifth and final season in March 2023 after the final episodes of season 4 were released. It's been a year since then, but the writing process and filming start was delayed by the writers' and actors' strikes. Now, things are moving quickly on season 5.

The cast and crew officially started filming You season 5 in New York City on Monday, March 25, 2024. Production is reportedly going to last until Aug. 1, 2024. That's in line with how long it took to film previous seasons. The fourth season filmed from March to August back in 2022, and then the season arrived on Netflix in February 2023. Unfortunately, with this production timeline it likely means that there won't be a new season of You on Netflix until 2025.

There are some more big changes on the way in You season 5, too. Sera Gamble has moved on as showrunner. Gamble co-created the series and was the showrunner for the first four seasons. Netflix is keeping things in-house for You season 5 after Gamble left the series. Justin W. Lo and Michael Foley, two writers from You, have taken over as co-showrunners for the final season.

You season 5 is coming in 2025

Despite what you might read online, Netflix has not confirmed the release date for You season 5, and it’s going to be a while until they do. In early 2023, it looked like there was no question if You season 5 would be released on Netflix in 2024, but then the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in May. Then, the actors (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike in July. Throughout the late spring, summer, and early fall TV production was very slow or not happening at all.

After the writers' and actors' strikes concluded in fall 2023, Netflix has been quick to get shows back into production and filming on You is slated to begin in Spring 2024. With filming running through August, it's looking like the show will then enter post-production which can take a few months.

During a Next on Netflix presentation on Feb. 1, Netflix revealed a lengthy list of shows coming in 2024 which included many hit series previously confirmed as well as a number of shows fans had been hoping would return this year such as Emily in Paris and Outer Banks. However, You season 5 was not featured anywhere in the highlights suggesting the show is no longer slated to be coming this year and has been delayed due to the strikes. Deadline confirmed You season 5 will arrive in 2025. Luckily, we shouldn't be waiting too long into 2025 to see the final season.

At this point, we're guessing the final season will be coming in the first quarter of 2025 with February 2025 looking like a strong possiblity for the show's final episodes to drop -- or at least the first batch of epsodes should Netflix split the season again.

Release Prediction: Spring 2025

Joe Goldberg deserves to be brought to justice in You season 5

Unfortunately, Netflix announced You season 5 will be the final season of the series, and executive producer and showrunner of the first four seasons, Sera Gamble, shared big thoughts about what should happen to Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley).

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about season 4 and season 5, Gamble, who has left the series for the final season, told the outlet that she believes Joe deserves to be brought to justice in the finale season when asked if Joe is going to survive.

"That question is a spoiler. 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?"

Perhaps, no one is more excited to make the final season of the series than those behind the series. In a Netflix press release, Gamble said of the renewal:

"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."

It’s obviously very bittersweet that the series is coming to an end, but it’s that time. Netflix confirmed the news on March 24, 2023.

Penn Badgley had already revealed that he thinks You season 5 might be the final season. Here’s what Badgley told Indie Wire:

"It feels to me like we need to do another season. It feels to me like Joe needs to get what’s coming to him, and now he has further to fall because he has all this power and wealth,” Badgley said. “But of course, that’s not up to me. I don’t know where it’s going. But to me, with this concept and with this character, we always wanted to be responsible and it’s not just the kind of thing we can let keep going because it’s doing well.I know the creators of the show always had this next season in mind as its last, should there be another one. And then it will probably be a spectacular resolution because it feels to me like something is in the works by the very end of this season."

What’s next for Joe Goldberg in season 5?

Netflix gave us a tease at what’s to come through a short teaser video released at the 2023 TUDUM event. In the video, which you can watch below, Penn Badgley states there are “many loose ends from Joe’s past” before the clip cuts to different characters from Joe’s past. This includes Henry, his son, Marienne (Tati Gabrielle), and Ellie (Jenna Ortega). Fingers crossed we’ll see them again in the final season!

At the end of You season 4, Joe is back in New York City. Elements of his past have been revealed to the world. He’s in the limelight beside Kate Lockwood and her new company. We know Joe seems comfortable with his situation, but we know things won’t stay that way. If Joe is really the Joe we know, he’ll become obsessed with someone else, and he’ll have to work out that whole situation with Kate, who has seemingly accepted Joe’s serial killer and stalker past.

There are so many directions this story could go for Joe, but I think it’s going to go full circle with him being back in New York and playing on our expectations of what Joe is going to do next. Based on the recent character descriptions that Netflix shared, Joe will be back in the bookstore in season 5, which is another full-circle moment. It's going to be great to see ways that Joe has changed in the last few years and the many ways he's stayed the same.

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Sera Gamble teased what Joe might be up to in the fifth season, explaining his state of mind after that explosive season 4 finale:

"He’s a little bit different in that he doesn’t maybe have the same level of almost guilt and justification going on, just honesty and acceptance of doing what he needs to do. The thing that’s scary about Joe isn’t that he’s some dead-eyed, emotionless murderer because he’s not."

I’m very curious to see what it means that we’re already getting teases about the “many loose ends from Joe’s past.” Is that a misdirection? It seems to hint that people from Joe’s past will return to try to take him down in the new season. There are only a few people who could be interested in doing that, although the list is getting longer and longer. Let’s go through it!

In the first season, Joe left the mug full of his urine at Peach Salinger’s house when Joe killed her. Could that come back to bite him? We’ll see!

In the second season, the real Will Bettelheim (Robin Lord Taylor) is alive, and he knows things about Joe’s past and hacking that could be useful to someone trying to stop Joe once and for all. We also have Ellie, played by Jenna Ortega, who’s been getting payments from Joe, monthly, for keeping quiet about what went down with her sister, Delilah (Carmela Zumbado).

In the third season, Joe is really messy. He is responsible for the death of Natalie (Michaela McManus and Love (Victoria Pedretti). The Quinns already want revenge, as we see in season 4, but he’s revealed his ways to Marienne, who escapes him in season 3 and season 4, along with his neighbors, Theo (Dylan Arnold) and Matthew (Scott Speedman), and “friends,” Cary and Sherry Conrad (Travis Van Winkle and Shalita Grant). He also left his son, Henry, with Dante (Ben Mehl).

In the fourth season, Joe leaves another trail of mayhem and carnage in his wake. Mainly, though, it’s Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman), who is in prison for the murder of Edward (Brad Alexander), who Joe framed as the Eat the Rich Killer, and has yet to reveal anything. Nadia is the wild card heading into season 5. She, like others, has paid a tremendous price, but she also is alive, like Marienne.

You season 5 cast

Penn Badgley and Charlotte Ritchie wil be back as Joe and Kate in You season 5. Here's the cast list for season 5:

• Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg
• Charlotte Ritchie as Kate Galvin
• Anna Camp as Maddie and Reagan Lockwood
• Madeline Brewer as Bronte
• Griffin Matthews as Teddy Lockwood

Netflix confirmed three new cast members for season 5, including Anna Camp, Madeline Brewer, and Griffin Matthews. Camp will play Kate's twin sisters Maddie and Reagan, while Griffin Matthews plays Kate's brother. Brewer stars as Bronte, who works at Joe's bookstore in season 5.

Outside of Badgley and Ritchie, it’s hard to say who could be back for season 5. We think there’s going to be a whole new cast for season 5 as Badgley and Ritchie’s characters settle in for life in New York City. Gamble also teased in February 2023 that characters from Joe’s past might return:

"Any character who’s not dead who knows anything about Joe, it’s fair game to try to exert any justice. And any character who is dead, [Joe] has a really active imagination."

Gamble also teased Jenna Ortega’s potential return, if her schedule permits it: “We have ideas for Ellie if her schedule allows her to visit us again.”

• Tati Gabrielle as Marienne Bellamy
• Tilly Keeper as Lady Phoebe
• Amy-Leigh Hickman as Nadia Farran
• Jenna Ortega as Ellie Alves 

There’s been so much talk about Jenna Ortega returning to You, especially after Wednesday became one of the biggest Netflix shows in history. It was revealed that Wednesday was actually the reason Ortega couldn’t return for You season 4, so there are definitely some plans to bring back her character, Ellie Alves. Wednesday season 2 is also in the works, so there’s a chance that could keep Ortega out of season 5, as well.

At the end of season 4, Marienne escapes thanks to Nadia who later ends up in prison. She didn’t even testify on her own behalf or reveal anything about Joe or his involvement as the “Eat the Rich” killer. So, that’s three people who are still alive who directly know about Joe’s past.

As mentioned, the list of people who know what Joe has been doing is growing. We have the Quinn family, Theo, Matthew, Sherry and Cary Conrad, and Will Bettelheim who all have a history with Joe. With a little help from Ellie, Marienne, and Nadia, Joe’s past could bite him in season 5.

As mentioned, multiple characters from previous seasons are included in the You season 5 TUDUM teaser, of course with old footage. This teases we could be seeing them again!

It’s been confirmed that You season 5 will be set in New York City, the setting of the first season of the series. It’s great to see the series come full circle for the final season. While we loved the seasons set in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and London, there’s just something about New York that feels right for season 5.

It will be interesting to see if and how characters from previous seasons will return for You season 5. There are a lot more options with the new episodes set in New York City to make that happen.

At the time of publishing, Netflix has not confirmed the episode count for You season 5, although it’s assumed it will be 10 episodes like each season so far. We’re also waiting to hear if Netflix will release the season in two parts. That’s what happened in season 4, but it did not work nearly as well in terms of the overall story of the season.

That’s all we know about You season 5 so far. It’s on our list of the best Netflix shows right now. If you need more recommendations, check out the list. Stay tuned for more news about the hit series!