You, the popular Netflix psychological thriller, will be airing its final season on April 24. This show was adapted from the famous book series written by Caroline Kepnes, and became quickly well-received after the first season. Seven years have passed since then, and the show is finally ready to conclude the story with its first new season since 2023.
The show You is focussed around a serial killer who stalks, tortures, and eventually kills his victims. The first season of the show was revolutionary in its way of characterizing the obsession that Joe Goldberg has for his victims. Following the success of the first season, the show was renewed for a second season with many characters and plot points staying the same, but a changing cast. Penn Badgley, who previously starred in Gossip Girl, returned as Joe Goldberg and would continue to star for all five seasons, with Elizabeth Lail, Luca Padovan, Zach Cherry, Victoria Pedretti, and Shay Mitchell also returning alongside him for parts of the show. After the success of the split fourth season in 2023, season five was renewed and announced to the public with fans eagerly anticipating the return of the show.
“Once I heard that You would finally be wrapping up, I have decided to finally watch the whole show in preparation for it. I’ll say, even though I’m only three seasons in, that this show is really incredible and I am so excited to watch season four and experience season five with everyone soon,” said sophomore Ted Rosequist.
The show– 10 episodes per season– tells a story in each season of Joe meeting a woman whom he falls in love with and subsequently becomes obsessed with. Throughout the show, he meets a series of women ranging from an aspiring writer, to a chef, to his next door neighbor, and he goes to extreme lengths to be with them. During the fourth season, he goes to London to find his one true love, but he ends up finding another girl to obsess over. The story will return to New York for the final season and allow the show to come full circle.
“I have never been such a big fan of You, but I have seen some members of the cast in many other productions, so I doubt that I would dislike the show. I may decide to binge it once the show is finished, but with it being a Netflix show, I have no doubt that it will be excellent,” said sophomore Jacob Glassberg.
With the show taking place in a new location each season, the cast is constantly rotating, with Badgley being the only actor to return for all four seasons. This leads to the show feeling drastically different each season as the cast, crew, and location are completely new each season. Like many Netflix shows, You has a large set of producers and executives, with Greg Berlanti and Sara Gamble developing the show and with Gamble also being the show’s sole showrunner. Caroline Kepnes, the author of the original You series, has also taken a large hand in the show, helping to make sure all of the characters from the books are handled with care on the screen.
“I have really enjoyed seeing this show grow and change over the years. I started watching during the pandemic, and I am really excited to wrap this show up and see the ending, as bittersweet as it may be,” said freshman Krish Israni.
The show itself was first announced in 2015, and it took many years for Berlanti and Gamble to allow the show to come to fruition. Many different entertainment platforms refused to take on the show, leading to many years of searching. However, once Lifetime decided to take the show into their arsenal, the show became extremely popular, and the second season was quickly renewed after the smooth production and dedication of the executives throughout the first season.
Very little is known about what You season five will have in store, but much of the lead cast and other related information has been confirmed. Badgley will be returning as Joe once again, with Charlotte Ritchie from season four, and a plethora of new cast members such as Madeline Brewer, Anna Camp, and Griffin Matthews. Aside from that, the location being New York and the 10 episodes of the season have only been confirmed. The rest of the information will be released with the show on April 24 of this year.
With the final season returning to New York, there are only two main returning cast members and the rest being fresh and new. Fans are excited to see how Joe Goldberg ends his story, and this final season will hopefully put a bow on a show that has thrived over its many seasons.