NetflixNow that You Season 5 has landed on Netflix, talks have turned to whether Penn Badgley will return as Joe Goldberg one last time. But if you were hoping to see You Season 6 in the future, don’t hold your breath.
For five chapters, we’ve seen Joe obsess, stalk, and murder for the women he dubs “You”, from Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) and Candace Stone (Ambyr Childers) to Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) and Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie).
Kate made it out of You Season 4 alive (the same can’t be said for all of the victims of the “Eat the Rich” killer). Using the Lockwood name (and cash), Joe can live freely as himself and move back to where it all began: New York.
But in the latest run of the Netflix thriller, cracks begin to show, especially when a new “You” appears – aspiring writer Bronte (Madeline Brewer). After the explosive Season 5 ending, here’s why the streaming service won’t be giving it another greenlight. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Why You Season 6 isn’t going ahead
NetflixYou Season 5 is billed as the final chapter of the Netflix show. Exec producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter previously said they “always conceived it as a five-season journey,” and they’ve stuck to this plan.
What’s more, You Season 6 would be pointless, as there’s no more story left to tell when it comes to Joe, unless you’d want to watch ten episodes of him in prison.
In the final episodes of Season 5, he’s finally caught by the police thanks to Bronte, as well as the efforts of Kate, Nadia Farran (Amy-Leigh Hickman), and Marienne Bellamy (Tati Gabrielle).
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All of those involved are able to move on and have a happy life, with Bronte honoring Beck by having her posthumous novel ‘The Dark Face of Love’ republished without Joe’s contributions.
Meanwhile, Joe gets sent to prison for the rest of his life after being convicted for his many, many crimes. It’s a fitting conclusion for Badgley’s antihero.
And if that weren’t enough, filming for You Season 5 took place in 2024 – the year Badgley’s six-year contract for the Netflix show came to an end.
Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo, who took over as showrunners for You Season 5, said, “It’s so rare that you’re afforded the opportunity to do five seasons of a show, let alone complete the story – while also bringing your character and the production back to where it all began.”
Will there be You spinoffs?
NetflixAs of April 2025, there are no plans in place to create any You spinoff series. Of course, given the popularity of the flagship TV show, the door is never permanently shut.
There are a few compelling directions a spinoff could take. One option would be to follow Marienne, Nadia, Kate, or Bronte, with a thriller based on their lives post-Joe as a new threat enters their lives.
Another possibility could center on Joe and Love’s son, Henry. Fast-forwarding 15 years into the future to show how he confronts (or inherits) his father’s legacy would be a strong way to continue the You universe without relying on Badgley’s return.
There’s more to explore in the Youniverse
Atria/Emily Bestler BooksIf you’re sad that You has come to an end, you could always dive into Caroline Kepnes’ books on which the Netflix show is based. There are four books in the best-selling You series, including:
- You (2014)
- Hidden Bodies (2016)
- You Love Me (2021)
- For You and Only You (2023)
Although Season 1 followed the first book closely, the rest of the chapters were only inspired by the subsequent novels. Most notably, Love Quinn was never a killer in the books, and the entire arc of Joe’s time in London was created exclusively for the thriller series.
Kepnes’ latest entry, For You and Only You, follows Joe to Harvard as he joins an elite writing fellowship and, of course, grows obsessed with a new woman.
Last year, the writer hinted that she’d be down to create a fifth You novel, so we’ll just have to wait and see if that gets the greenlight.
Until then, You Season 5 is streaming on Netflix now. For more, read about Joe’s kill list, find more TV shows to stream this month, and check out the best series of 2025 so far.
