*Warning – contains major spoilers for You season three.*
The third season of murderous drama You may have only just arrived on Netflix, but it has already been confirmed that lovestruck serial killer Joe Goldberg is going to return for a fourth season of the popular series, that will start filming soon.
In a statement to announce the next season, showrunner Sera Gamble said: “We’re deeply grateful that Netflix has shown You such monumental support and that people around the world have enjoyed watching Joe really get it all very wrong over the past three seasons. The whole You team is excited to explore new, dark facets of love in season four.”
Hello, you.
— Netflix (@netflix) October 13, 2021
For you, YOU has been renewed for Season 4! See you soon. pic.twitter.com/mIqXwvUDIl
Meanwhile, in an interview about the third season with Access, star Penn Badgley revealed that the current season doesn’t go the way people would expect it to. “I think by the end of the first episode, something quite unexpected happens,” he says. “It’s not outside the wheelhouse of what would happen, but you might think that would happen at the very end of the season. So, it’s like, we sort of hurdle along very quickly. So… I think by the end of the season, you’re in this totally different place that you didn’t think you’d be.”
That’s definitely true, and while it isn’t a big spoiler to reveal that Joe survives season three to carry on his murderous stalker rampage another day, there are other big plot twists throughout the current 10 episodes that mean a lot could change for Joe in season four.
Read on for everything you need to know about You season four, including the brand new teaser trailer, cast updates and – spoiler alert – what happens at the end of season three.
You season 4 release date
The fourth season of You has yet to go into production, so we may be in for quite a long wait. We’ll keep this page updated with further news.
The first season of You was launched worldwide on December 26th, 2018, and season two followed exactly a year later. While You was quickly renewed for a third season in January 2020, production was delayed due to the pandemic and not completed until April 2021, with the series arriving on Netflix six months later.
Hopefully, if production on season four starts in early 2022, episodes may be ready for us to watch before Christmas 2022.
You season 4 plot theories
It’s possible season four could be the final season of the hit Netflix series, and in a recent interview with Vulture, star Penn Badgley talked about what he thinks should happen to murderer Joe when the drama comes to an end.
“Punishment is important, but what form of punishment is actually effective? With Joe, the irony is that death is almost too easy for him,” he says, adding that Joe could be tortured (“he deserves it, but does someone deserve to have to do it?”) or just condemned to be miserable for life (“but he already is miserable.”)
Each season of You so far has been based on one of Caroline Kepnes novels – season one is based on her book You, season two is based on Hidden Bodies and season three is loosely based on You Love Me which was published in April 2021. Kepnes has announced she is working on a fourth book, but it is currently unclear whether it will be used as the basis for the next season of You, or which will come first – the book or the series.
So what could Joe be up to next season? If you have finished watching season three (and if not, stop reading now as there are spoilers ahead), you know that Joe faked his own death (by chopping off two of his own toes!), left his baby Henry in the care of couple Dante and Lansing, and framed Love for all their crimes before killing her with aconite and then setting their house on fire.
While he was last seen hunting new obsession Marienne, whom he believes has fled to Paris, it is likely that his love for his son will draw Joe back to California. A new season could have Joe (now going by the name Nick) stalking his own child, perhaps to protect Henry from a re-appearance by Love’s unstable mother Dottie.
It’s unlikely Love is still alive (though, in the world of You, anything is possible), but she (and Victoria Pedretti who plays her) could return in Joe’s mind to haunt him, just as Beck did in season two.
You season 4 cast
So far, the only confirmed cast member returning is Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg.
The teaser trailer hints that Joe is haunted by his past, so it is possible that some of his past victims such as Beck (Elizabeth Lail), Candace (Ambyr Childers) and, of course, Love, could come back to haunt him.
!["Elizabeth]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/12/Elizabeth-Lail-as-Beck-in-Netflixs-You-f87dcfa.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Elizabeth")
Personally, we’d like to see the return of some Madre Linda residents from season three, such as Henry’s adoptive parents Dante (Ben Mehl) and Lansing (Noel Arthur) and that horrendous power blogger couple Sherry and Cary (Shalita Grant and Travis Van Winkle).
We also don’t think Joe has seen the last of his drunken mother in law, Dottie (Saffron Burrows), and, if we’re bringing back memorable characters from previous seasons, it would also be great to see John Stamos return as Beck’s therapist Dr Nicky, who is currently in jail for murders Joe committed.
Stamos, who currently stars in the Disney+ series Big Shot, did not return for season three, but in an interview with ET in April, he revealed that his wife Caitlin has told him that Dr Nicky is her favourite character of his.
“Let’s see, the second season I had one scene in the jail and I was like, screwed up and I was like, talking to Jesus and stuff, and she goes ‘That’s the best scene you’ve ever done.’”
Finally, Jenna Ortega, who played Joe’s teenage neighbour Ellie in season 2 (and who Joe continues to send gifts to in season three, though we don’t see her) has said she would be happy to return to the series, telling Cosmopolitan: “I had such an incredible time there that if they would like to have me back, I’m more than happy to take a few digs at Joe again.”
You season 4 location
The first season of You was set and filmed in New York, and then the story and production switched to LA for season two. “If you went straight from season one to season two, you’ll notice the sun-drenched colour palette,” Sera Gamble told Variety. “There’s something creamier about the light in LA than in season one.”
The third season of You was also filmed in California, with locations in the Los Angeles area doubling for the fictional town of Madre Linda and a street in the LA suburb of Van Nuys used for the exteriors of Love and Joe’s idyllic house.
By the end of season three, the plot has Joe is in Paris looking for his latest obsession, Marienne, although the scene was filmed in LA with a fake backdrop showing the Eiffel Tower. It’s likely that the next season will continue to be filmed in LA even if the story is not set there, as most of the series’ creative team are based nearby.
You season 4 trailer
While there isn’t a full trailer yet, on October 13th Netflix did release a teaser to announce season four with the caption “YOU season four is in the [body] bag.”
Here’s the teaser:
You seasons 1-3 are streaming on Netflix. If you want to watch something else check out our best movies on Netflix guide or best series on Netflix. You can also order Caroline Kepnes’ You from Amazon.
If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.