You season 5: everything we know so far about the twisted Netflix show’s return

“Hello, you.” The two simple words that Joe Goldberg utters have haunted us for the past seven years, but we’re still desperately awaiting the return of You season 5, the twisted finale and one of the best Netflix shows, to hear them just one more time. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer as You season 5 will premiere on Netflix, one of the world’s best streaming services, on April 24.

Based on the novels by Caroline Kepnes, You follows Joe, a hopeless romantic with a twisted mind. Time and time again, he’ll meet a new woman and quickly become smitten to the point of obsession, that eventually and most likely leads to him killing them, or at least trying to, and anyone else that gets in the way in the process. Yikes. In true Joe fashion, every morsel of information we’ve been fed so far about You season 5 is issued in the foreboding narration from the man himself – from teasers to reveals. So, where is he luring us to next? Well, it’s a return to where it all began for You season 5, as teased in the season 4 finale, as he’s back in New York with Kate by his side.

There’s plenty more to know about Joe’s ominous and looming return though, so as we prepare for the thriller to suitably chill our spines once again, here’s everything we know so far from release date, to cast announcements, to story synopsis, news, rumors and more.

You season 5 release date

On January 16, Netflix revealed that all ten episodes of You season 5 will be released on April 24. This news was guided by Joe’s voice, speaking over clips from the past four seasons of You showcasing the different women he’s loved and different places he’s been. Hauntingly saying: “Hello, you. Do you remember me? ‘Cause I remember you.”

And yet, while he’s travelled the world, it’s all led him back to where it all began – New York and the cage in Mooney’s bookstore. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer to discover what his return to the Big Apple means for the ‘perfect’ life he has seemingly created with his partner, Kate.

You season 5: has Netflix released a trailer?

Netflix released the official trailer for You season 5 on March 10, which teased “the killer finale you never saw coming”. In the trailer, we see Joe with his You season 4 love interest Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), who’s now the head of her father’s company.

Before the trailer was dropped, we had a short teaser trailer for You season 5 that was released on January 30, mere months away from the show’s official release date. It’s only 20 seconds long, but it’s enticingly filled with eerie shots of Joe trapped inside the empty cage of Mooney’s basement.

Similarly to the release date announcement, there’s a lot of intense staring and ominous utterances, such as: “Let’s get to know each other better before we bid each other one last farewell. Goodbye, you.” With those parting words, once we have a full trailer, we’ll be sure to update it here.

You season 5: new and returning cast

Joe’s return to New York hints at new and returning characters (Image credit: Netflix)

Spoilers follow for You season 4.

For You season 5, there’s been plenty of announcements for returning and new cast members. Here’s who we can expect to see in the show’s final season:

Penn Badgley as Joe GoldbergCharlotte Ritchie as Kate LockwoodMadeline Brewer as BronteGriffin Matthews as Teddy LockwoodAnna Camp as Reagan/Maddie LockwoodNatasha Behnam as Dominiqueb as PhoenixPeter Ploszek as HarrisonTom Francis as ClaytonNava Mau as Detective Marquez

As mentioned, there’s been abundance of new cast reveals to mark Joe’s return to New York and the conclusion of his story in season 5. We’ll delve into this more in the story synopsis below, but Joe meets someone new to be intrigued by (no surprise) in season 5 – Bronte (Madeline Brewer), described in Tudum as: “an enigmatic and free-spirited playwright who gets a job at Joe’s new bookstore.”

Then, there’s Kate’s siblings; Teddy (Griffin Matthews), Reagan and Maddie (twins played by Anna Camp) and by marriage, Reagan’s husband Harrison (Peter Ploszek) who will all pose new hurdles to Joe and his unpredictable actions.

And there’s certainly more names to add to the cast that are yet to be revealed. One of which is a familiar face from Joe’s past, as Badgley teased during the Tudum: A Global Fan Event. Shown in the video above, he says: “Though I can’t say who just yet, we all know there are many loose ends from Joe’s past. The question is, who are you?”

Then followed a montage of clips, teasing victims of his past that could make a return including Ellie (Jenna Ortega), Dr. Nicky (John Stamos), Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) and Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant) amongst others. It’s not clear yet who will return, but whoever it is will certainly not be happy to see Joe again.

You season 5: what can we speculate so far about the story?

You season 5 sees the unwelcome return of the Mooney’s bookstore cage (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for You seasons 1-4.

You season 5 marks the end of the show, but there’s still a lot to unpack as killer Casanova Joe returns to New York – the place where it all began.

In conversation with Tudum, executive producer Michael Foley spoke on their plans for Joe: “We always said that we would stop after five and [that], in a perfect world, we would bring Joe back home to New York. We loved the idea of things coming full circle for him. We’re excited by the fact that Joe came home as such a different person than [who] we saw in Season 1. At the core of our final story for Joe is this dichotomy of the old and the new.”

And returning to a place where he’s committed unforgivable acts, it’s no surprise that Joe will reportedly become, as the official logline for You season 5 so perfectly puts it: “threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.” It wouldn’t be Joe if he wasn’t tempted to implode his own happy ending, would it?

We know he has Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) now, but when it comes to You season 5, it’s about as plain sailing as the rest of the seasons have been (wink, wink) as he’ll reportedly cross paths with a new young woman on the scene, Bronte (Madeline Brewer). In Tudum, the role her character will play is expanded on: “As the two connect over literature and loss, Bronte stokes in Joe a nostalgia for his former self, causing him to question everything his life has become.”

He’s also got Kate’s siblings to contend with, as announced in the cast list above, there’s Teddy, Reagan and Maddie who all have the same power and influence now afforded by Kate and, in turn, Joe.

Will Kate’s love be enough to right Joe’s wrongs? (Image credit: Netflix)

We also know from You season 4’s tumultuous finale that Joe has finally accepted that he is categorically not a good person. A realization he came to during his time in London when he came up against the Eat the Rich Killer – and spoiler alert, in a Fight Club-esque twist, it got him looking really closely at himself. And seemingly, a Joe fueled by self-actualization is even more dangerous than the Joe that came before it.

Though stepping down as showrunner for season 5, co-creator Sera Gamble spoke of plans for Joe’s ending with The Hollywood Reporter following season 4: “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.”

Adding: “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?”

So, whether Joe’s ghosts return to haunt him, or the real physical victims he didn’t manage to actually kill do it, there’s seemingly plans for Joe to meet some comeuppance for his crimes – though whether that’s actually attainable is another story.

There’s always Nadia, who discovered Joe’s crimes in season 4, though he successfully framed her for murder, there’s always an opportunity to return. Or, Marienne, who cunningly cheated death, but may still want to serve revenge. But, for now, their return to the show is unknown. What we do know is there’s a lot of loose ends.

Will You return after season 5?

Closing the book on You (Image credit: Netflix)

No, You season 5 is the show’s final outing after seven spectacular years. Speaking to Tudum, Netflix’s vice president of scripted series, Peter Friedlander, said: “We’re proud to see how You has captivated audiences around the world, becoming an instant sensation on Netflix with a resounding cultural impact that has grown season over season. We’re excited – and a bit terrified – to see how it all ends for Joe Goldberg, but one thing is for sure: You are in for an unforgettable ending.”

For more Netflix-focused coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, 3 Body Problem season 2, Arcane season 2, and The Witcher season 4.