Will there be a season 5 of 'You' coming to Netflix?

Thriller fans are jumping the gun: "Will there be a season 5 of You, or will we have to part ways with the murderous  Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) for good?"

You season 4 part 2 has officially hit Netflix as of March 9, and things take quite the unexpected turn for for the literary killer (who's now going by Professor Jonathan Moore), his love interests and the Eat the Rich Killer, Rhys Montrose (Ed Speleers). 

Now that the rug has been pulled out from under us and we've been led in a new direction, what does this mean going forward? 

Will there be a season 5 of 'You'?

Alas, the streamer has not announced an official season 5 pick-up for You just yet—but it certainly seems it's possible. 

*WARNING: SEASON 4 PART 2 SPOILERS AHEAD*

Now that we've caught up with Joe/Jonathan once again in season 4 part 2, we learn that a lot of what has transpired at the start of the season is just a figment of Joe's imagination. For one, he's kept Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) captive in a glass cage. And yes, Rhys exists, but Joe's never spoken to him—Rhys is an alter ego in the former bookseller's mind. So, what does that mean? Who killed Malcom and the rest of the mayoral hopeful's victims? You guessed it: Joe. 

Joe had tried to avoid slipping back into his old ways, but he never actually really left his murderous tendencies behind. And the killing continued in the second half of the thriller when he decided to take the life of Kate's father (played by Greg Kinnear). This action led him to jumping off a bridge, but ultimately landed him in the hospital and didn't kill him. Kate, Joe's new love interest, vows to help him heal and surprisingly does not run upon hearing about his past. (Not a smart move, Kate!) 

At the end of the season, Joe and Kate find themselves back in New York where it all started. Will things be safe now that Joe's back home? Considering he catches Rhys out of the corner of his eye, we're going to go ahead and say that's a "no."

What the 'You' cast says about season 5

Of the future of You, co-creator and showrunner Sera Gamble told The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab) back in 2019 that, though "there’s about 10 billion TV shows and orders are shorter and there’s more competition," "I will say that 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." 

As for star Penn Badgley, the actor revealed how many more seasons he thinks viewers could expect during an episode of the Happy Sad Confused (opens in new tab) podcast: "I signed a six-year contract right out the gate. So they could do two more if they wanted."

"I think if there’s another season, I think it’s only going to be one. I think–this is my understanding, but I don’t know, I really don’t know," he continued. "But I know that everybody concerned, from the top on down, nobody wants this show to become tired."

Given the sheer popularity of the series (season 3 generated 467.8 million viewing hours, per CNET)—and the fact that we're still getting new You books from Caroline Kepnes, on which the TV show is based, with the fourth Joe Goldberg novel, For You and Only You, arriving in April 2023—we'd be mighty surprised if You goes the way of Netflix canceled shows, but we'll still keep a close eye out on that renewal news. 

You season 4 parts 1 and 2 are available for streaming on Netflix as of Thursday, March 9.