On Monday, Netflix revealed that production has officially begun on the fifth instalment of the popular series You. It will be the last time viewers are able to view the gripping life of part-time serial killer, part-time bookshop manager, played by Penn Badgely, as it will be the final series of the show.
In a post shared to social media, the streaming service wrote “Back to where it all began”, accompanied with a photograph of Joe Goldberg – played by Penn Badgley – strolling across the road in front of Bleecker St Station in New York City. The Big Apple provided the setting for the early days of the show, before the protagonist relocated to Los Angeles in series two.
Based off of the books by Caroline Kepnes, the series was first aired on the American cable channel Lifetime, before jumping ship to Netflix ahead of the second season, released in 2019. Since then, the psychological thriller has become a flagship series for the streaming giants, one of their most-watched programmes outright.
The announcement of a fifth and final series comes shortly after some recent casting news, as both Anna Camp and Griffin Matthews have been slated as regular cast members for the series. In fact, Camp is due to play two characters in the series, the twin-sisters Raegan and Maddie Lockwood, sisters-in-law of Goldberg. Matthews is set to play their brother, Teddy Lockwood.
It is clear that Goldberg has never heard the Meatloaf classic ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That’, as the plot of series one follows his character as he becomes all-encompassingly obsessed with an aspiring novelist, Guinevere Beck. As time progresses, this obsession becomes increasingly dangerous, as he stalks the character played by Elizabeth Lail, disposing of anyone in his path.
Goldberg’s obsessions have changed throughout the series’ history, with Love Quinn – Victoria Pedretti – and Marienne Bellamy – Tati Gabrielle – becoming the subject of his murderously romantic obsessions throughout the show’s run. During series four, the stalker found a new victim-slash-love-interest, in Kate Galvin, played by Charlotte Ritchie.
At the time of writing, Netflix has not announced a firm release date for the series, though it is likely to be a while away given that filming has only recently begun. Previously, the streaming platform had said that the show would premiere in 2024, but the recent WGA writer’s strikes have likely pushed that back somewhat.