We are not done being simultaneously intrigued and skeeved out by Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley). YOU was officially renewed for Season 3 in January, and the easily bingeable series is already shaping up to have an insane next chapter. Following the shocking events of YOU Season 2’s finale, which saw Joe Goldberg setting his sights on his new neighbor just after it seemed he’d found his true match, Joe’s very existence is about to change. But will the slightly reformed cyberstalker fall back into his deadly old habits? Let’s take a look at everything we know about YOU Season 3 so far.
It’s reported coming next year. Netflix has confirmed that YOU Season 3 will premiere sometime in 2021. YOU showrunner Sera Gamble announced in February that work had begun on the new season.
We’ve started work on season 3. Just thought you’d want to know. #YouNetflix pic.twitter.com/Ih9MQl9BqU
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) February 7, 2020
It is unclear at this time whether the coronavirus pandemic and resulting shutdowns will affect that timeline, but the writers for YOU have been using virtual workplaces to create their scripts for Season 3.
Just checking in during these interesting times. We have been adapting to #WFH by running the writers’ room virtually. And with that, we’ve gained some new producers. In the coming days, we’ll be introducing you to all of them. First up, meet our new Executive Producer, Harold pic.twitter.com/ADQg1GeRFd
— youwriters (@youwriters) March 18, 2020
It will be 10 episodes long. The new season, like each of the first two, will consist of 10 episodes.
Scott Speedman is joining the fun: Per Deadline, Felicity alum Scott Speedman is joining the twisted story in Season 3. He’ll play Matthew, “a successful CEO, husband, and uncommunicative father. He’s reserved, at times mysterious, and has a tendency to be withdrawn, all of which masks a deep well of emotion underneath.” Perhaps he’ll be related to Joe’s new mystery neighbor? Speedman joins Travis Van Winkle and Shalita Grant as new Season 3 series regulars.
The pandemic will make it into the storyline. Whether or not the show’s premiere date is affected by the coronavirus shutdowns, co-executive producer Greg Berlanti has revealed that the new season will address COVID-19 somehow. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “You’re in a pact with your audience where you have to deal with real-life sh–.” While Berlanti admitted that there is an “escapist element” to the series, the challenge for the creatives of the show is to “find our own narrative way to deal with what the world is dealing with and for the audience to find some sense of connection in that.”
At least two stars are coming back. Once again, Badgley will be back as Joe Goldberg, and the streaming service has also confirmed that Victoria Pedretti will reprise her role as Love Quinn. This news probably won’t surprise fans who’ve made it through Season 2. In the finale, Joe learned that Love was more like him than he thought — a dynamic that’s sure to be explored more in Season 3 — and the two settled into a new home for a more tranquil (and, hopefully, murder-free) life together with a baby girl on the way.
The behind-the-scenes team will return, too. Both Gamble and Berlanti will be back to oversee the new season, and Gamble will continue to serve as showrunner.
We could see some other familiar faces as well. YOU‘s second season featured the surprising return of Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) periodically return to Joe in visions, and even Dr. Nicky (John Stamos) made a comeback for a key scene. In keeping with that new tradition, Gamble has hinted that fans might see some other favorites return to the screen in Season 3 as well.
“Ellie (Jenna Ortega) is still in Joe’s life. He’s sending her money. She hates him, but he is sending her money. So that door remains open for us,” Gamble told The Hollywood Reporter. “And as you saw in Season 2, I mean Beck was dead and she came back. One of my favorite things to do is bring back a dead person to haunt you. So the door is wide open for everybody’s favorite characters.”
The new neighbor is going to play a role. Although details about the plot of YOU Season 3 have not been revealed, Netflix has hinted that the season will address the most burning question after Season 2: the identity of the new woman Joe was eyeing across the fence in the final sequence. In a tweet accompanying the announcement of Season 3, the show’s official social media channel teased, “See you soon, neighbor.” There’s one thing we know for sure about the mystery woman though: she’s not Joe’s long-lost mom. Penn Badgley, who debunked the fan favorite theory in an interview with Bustle, said, “She’s definitely not his mom, I can say that.”
In July, Gamble and Badgley confirmed to TV Guide that while Joe’s new neighbor appeared briefly in the Season 2 finale, the role has not yet been officially cast.
A third book may or may not factor in. YOU‘s first season, which originally debuted on Lifetime, was based on Caroline Kepnes’ 2014 book of the same name, while YOU Season 2 was based on her 2016 sequel, Hidden Bodies. Kepnes is currently working on the third novel in the series, and the author has confirmed that she’s “almost done” writing the story. It remains to be seen whether or not Kepnes’ new book will serve as the backbone for Season 3, but at least in the literary version of events, Kepnes has said we’ll see Joe hit the library more in the next leg of the story.
There may be even more YOU ahead. Kepnes is writing a fourth book in the series and Gamble has indicated that there may be plenty of story left in this series. As Gamble told The Hollywood Reporter, “we have a lot of stories still to tell. I am not scared at all of saying that we definitely could follow Joe for several more seasons.”
YOU Seasons 1 and 2 are now available to stream on Netflix.
Victoria Pedretti and Penn Badgley, YOU Source