You season four: Everything you need to know about Netflix's chilling show
Refresh your memory on Joe's antics in London
Part One of Netflix smash hit You landed on the streaming platform on Thursday 9th February 2023, with most fans of the show binging the entire five episodes in one day. Followed by Part Two in March, it's safe to say the season did not disappoint!
As we wait for the fifth and final season of You to drop on Netflix, we wouldn't blame you for wanting to refresh your memory on all things season four. Well, from cast members, Joe's new identity, release dates and a recap of everything that went down, we've gathered together everything you need to know about the fourth series of Netflix's You.
When was the fourth season of You released?
Series Four of You was released on Netflix in two instalments. Part One arrived on Thursday 9th February 2023, with Part Two arriving on Thursday 9th March 2023.
The news was shared during Netflix's TUDUM event in September 2022, as well as later dropping on the show's official Instagram page. Despite originally being set for release on the 10th of February and March, Netflix later revealed that they had brought both Part One and Two forward by a day.
Does Joe Goldberg keep his identity in season four?
As the release date was dropped, as was Joe's brand new identity for series four! As fans of the show will know, Joe is no stranger to a name-change, with season two introducing us to his new alias Will Bettelheim.
Due to the events that unfolded at the end of season three, it comes as no surprise that Joe is set to assume a new identity for season four - Professor Jonathan Moore.
In the teaser released by show bosses, Joe can be heard saying: "Hello you. I'm not the loveable book store manager in New York, or the shop clerk in LA, or the doting husband in the suburbs. No, not anymore.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I've gone through a bit of refinement upon crossing the pond. And living in London has allowed me to bury the past, if you will.
"Gone are the days of unrequited love and longing. No, this time around I'm focusing on academia and instruction, while keeping my typical extracurricular activities strictly professional."
What happened in You season four?
The fourth season of You offered a fresh take on the show's usual perspective - this time with Joe on the defensive, and facing his own mortality.
Starting the season off, we see Joe adopting his new identity as Professor Jonathan Moore, in London, following him dramatically faking his death and fleeing the suburb he inhabited with Love. Switching things up from the usual You format, instead of us seeing him stalk a new love interest, season four finds Joe the target of a mysterious killer - who knows all too much about his dark past.
Rather quickly, we see Joe (or should we say, Jonathan), infiltrate a rather wealthy social circle. Despite befriending some of them, Joe has a clear distain for their vapid lifestyle. Within the group of young Londoners, we are introduced to characters such as Kate, Adam, Lady Phoebe and Malcolm. Clearly an outsider when it comes to his new social circle, Joe develops a grudging respect for another outsider - art dealer, Rhys Montrose.
Despite his best efforts, Joe is drawn to Kate and the pair strike up a romantic connection. His focus shifts, however, when he becomes entangled in her life and unhinged wealthy social circle.
A series of murders begin, including Joe finding a dead body in his apartment - however due to a heavy night out with his new pals, he had no memory of how the killing took place, or if it was even him. Joe becomes convinced someone is framing him - a suspicion which is confirmed when he starts receiving creepy messages hinting at his past killings. In true You style, however, we see Joe fall back into his violent ways as he attempts to investigate the cryptic messages.
Throughout the season, we see Joe pining after his former flame Marienne, who he previously went to Paris in search for. In a shocking twist, which leads us to questioning the reliability of Joe's narrative, it is revealed that Joe has unknowingly imprisoned her, believing he's protecting her from another stalker. Sadly, in a tragic turn, Marienne dies while still captive, in what could have possibly been suicide.
In a very dramatic finale to the show, which sees Joe locked in a somewhat dungeon as the gang begin to turn on him, the 'Eat The Rich Killer' is revealed to be none other than Rhys Montrose, who had turned out to have been stalking Joe since he arrived in London.
The season ends with Joe desperately confessing his true identity and past killings to Kate. Shockingly, another twisted connection is formed, as Kate confesses she has inherited a large fortune from her father, and proposes to Joe believing he can help her use her wealth to make a positive impact on the world - but only if he keeps his dark urges in check.
The season ends with the pair together, using their newfound money to spin a PR story, clearing Joe's name publicly.
Is there a trailer for Season Four?
Yes, there is a full trailer for season four of You, it was released by Netflix on 9th January, a month before the first instalment of the fourth season will be released.
Bosses then dropped the trailer for part two on Wednesday 15th February.
When did production for You season four begin?
Production began for series four back in early 2022, with Netflix bosses confirming the news on 22nd March 2022 on social media. Uploading an image of a clapper board from production, the board read: 'YOU NEWS: Season 4 is officially in production!'. (sic)
Season four first-look:
First-look images dropped on 6th December 2022, showcasing Joe's brand new alias, as well as a whole host of brand new characters.
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg
Ed Speleers as Rhys
Charlotte Ritchie as Kate, Penn Badgley as Joe
Lukas Gage as Adam
Aidan Cheng as Simon Soo
Ben Wiggins as Roald
Charlotte Ritchie as Kate
Ozioma Whenu as Blessing
Stephen Hagan as Malcolm
Amy-Leigh Hickman as Nadia Farran
Eve Austin as Gemma
Dario Coates as Connie
Niccy Lin as Sophie Soo
Tilly Keeper as Lady Phoebe
Tilly Keeper as Lady Phoebe, Charlotte Ritchie as Kate
Who is in the cast of You season four?
As fans of the show will know, each season of You has seen the introduction of new characters/cast members - from season two's Love Quinn (played by Victoria Pedretti) and the Alves sisters (played by Jenna Ortega and Carmela Zumbado), to season three's Marienne Bellamy (played by Tati Gabrielle) and Sherry (played by Shalita Grant).
And season four is no different, with a whole host of new characters introduced into Joe's world, as he assumes his new identity. Find out who the new cast members are here.
Lukas Gage
The first new cast member announced by Netflix, as a series regular for the fourth season of You, was Lukas Gage - who fans may recognise from the hit HBO drama Euphoria.
The actor stars as new character Adam, the ex-pat son of a wealthy businessman. Deadline report that Adam is the East-Coast magnate's youngest son, and is an entrepreneur and a gambler, who fails to meet the standards of his respected and successful family.
Despite being a warm and funny party host, and 'fast friend', underneath, Adam is described as 'hiding a trove of secrets' and masking problems with heavy self-medication.
Adam will reportedly be determined to 'prove himself' by taking big risks - living by the ethos a 'good businessman does absolutely anything he can get away with'.
Charlotte Ritchie
Next up, Netflix announced that Charlotte Ritchie will be appearing in the fourth season of You. Charlotte made her name back in 2011 when she starred in Channel 4's hit show Fresh Meat, playing the role of Oregon.
Charlotte will be playing the role of Kate in the upcoming season - and given that the series is tipped to be set in London, we're thinking Kate will be British.
You can see the full cast from You right here.
Where is season four set?
Given that season three ended with Joe exploring the city of romance itself - Paris - fans were convinced that series four would pick up where he left off. However, Netflix teased that this may not be the case, and later confirmed that season four will see Joe across the pond, in London!
After THAT ending to season three, fans were all under the impression that Joe would be heading to Paris in order to pursue his love interest. However, teasing a behind the scenes snap, Netflix wrote: 'Joe’s back for a bloody good time. If his book choice tells us anything… our boy might not be in Paris anymore.'
In the photograph, Penn, who plays Joe Goldberg, can be seen sitting next to a pile of books - including Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.
It was later confirmed in a teaser clip that Joe will be in London in season four, assuming the new identity of Professor Jonathan Moore. Bosses captioned the clip: 'Joe is back — but this time, please call him Professor Jonathan Moore. Careful Marienne... you never know who is lurking in London.'
What hints were dropped about season four?
Speaking to Collider prior to the season's release, show developer and producer Sera dished the dirt on where we could expect to see things go from the ominous season three finale.
Speaking about creepy Joe, Sera told the publication: "I feel like season three is a season of a huge amount of just loss and tragedy for him", continuing: "We leave him having lost or felt like he had to let go of everything he cared about really.
"So the story from here, if we get to tell it, is about how he gets any of that back or how he finds something else, because if the Joe you met in the first scene of the pilot, where the bell rings in the book shop, and then the girl in the jeans walks in, if he had one hole he wanted to fill in his heart, now he has like 17."
She then added: "So we've been with him longer, so we know more about his baggage, right? So I think there's a lot of that to explore."
As fans of the show will know, our beloved Joe has fallen in love with a fair few women now, often ending in less than ideal circumstances. As we saw the events of season three unfold, new girls Natalie and Marienne appeared to be at the forefront of his mind.
Explaining how the writers try and create different reasons why Joe becomes obsessed with these women, Sera said: "We don't want to feel like we're doing the same thing twice."
She then elaborated: "Every character who walks into Joe's circle goes through a pretty rigorous process of just trying to really talk about who would be very different, and what haven't we explored that we can."
Will there be a fifth series of You?
There certainly will be - although, sadly it will be the last. The fifth season of You is now in production, and will see Joe return to where it all began, in New York City. Find out everything we know about the upcoming season.
All four seasons of You are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Now check out these interesting facts about Netflix's You:
Penn Badgley very nearly turned down playing Joe
He was "conflicted" that the show would be problematic as the character was such an "awful person".
He told Entertainment Weekly: "I didn't want to do it — it was too much. I was conflicted with the nature of the role. If this is a love story, what is it saying?
"And then what was key in me wanting to jump on board were my conversations with Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble, the creators, and understanding Joe's humanity.
"I knew that I would be conflicted about the role from day one till the last day, and that is why they thought I would be good for it, is that I'm not psyched to play somebody of this nature."
Netflix wasn’t originally meant to be the place for You
Yep, creators Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble originally premiered the show on Lifetime in September 2018, however was dropped after the first season. Bet they're kicking themselves now - as the show was later picked up by Netflix, continuing as a Netflix Original title... And the rest is history!
A clue that the show wasn't always a Netflix original is the first episode's title - 'Pilot'.
You is based on books
The show is based on books by Caroline Kepnes - You, Hidden Bodies and the most recent You Love Me. Similar to the series, there's even a fourth book on the way!
Stephen King even praised the books, saying: "Totally original. Never read anything quite like it…Hypnotic and scary."
Penn wasn't the only one who nearly turned down a part in the show!
Tati Gabrielle, who plays libarian Marienne Bellamy in series three initially turned the role down as her agent told her it was a 'mystery show'.
She told Marie Claire: "In September or October of last year I was in Spain shooting another project. I had fully intended, once I finished that project, to take a month off. But my agent said, 'They want you for this Greg Berlanti project.' I asked, 'What is it?' They couldn't tell me, so I said no."
She added: "Then I knew what it was. I said yes because I was a super big fan of the show."
They use a 'blood machine' for the gory scenes
All the gory blood is made of sugar that gets squirted out of a 'blood machine' in the particularly graphic scenes. A lot of effort goes into the gory scenes in the show, with a whole lot of help from some prosthetics!
Penn didn’t have many lines to learn in the show, especially compared to the rest of the cast
That's because most of his dialogue was the voiceover! Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, Penn admitted that "80% of my lines, if not more are actually voiceovers". The actor then revealed that most days he would go to the set and hardly have any lines, and that he was just "looking".
It's fair to say that Penn was well practiced, as his first ever acting roles were for a radio station and Nintendo 64 video games when he was 10 years old.
Safety first! Show stars took safety courses
Elizabeth Lail, who played Beck in the first series, and Penn had to to attend an eight-hour safety course before they were allowed to film on the NYC subway tracks.
Too likeable?
When filming every series, Penn was worried that he was making the character of Joe too likeable, especially as fans seemed to warm to him way too much considering he's a serial killer.
However, show creator Sara Gamble admitted that she thinks this is because audiences are wired to root for the love story.
She said: "If you just present a 'cute meet' in a bookstore, you're gonna want them to be together. If you see them together in the first scene, you're gonna want them to be together, even if you see what Joe is doing."
Two of the show's stars are reportedly dating in real life
Despite all the gore and creepy obsessions, love actually has come from You, as Victoria Pedretti is rumoured to be dating her co-star Dylan Arnold, who appears in season three as the flirty next door neighbour and college student Theo Engler.
Mooney's book store is a real shop
The facade of Mooney's bookstore, where Joe works in season one, is in fact a real life book shop! The signage above the door was kept fairly similar for the show, with the only real difference being the name.
The real shop is called Logos Bookstore, and sells Christian and religious books. Will we see Joe visit his old stomping ground in season five as he returns to NYC?
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