Netflix renews YOU for season 3, which will be released in 2021. Based on a novel by Caroline Kepnes of the same name, YOU flew relatively under the radar until it debuted on Netflix. The series, which focuses on the twisted mind of Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), exploded in popularity from there. It was estimated that more than 40 million people had seen the thriller during its first month of streaming. Critically, YOU has been praised for serving as a piercing look at toxicity in several forms while still being propulsive and entertaining. Between seasons, fans have delighted in trading theories on the show, including the fact that Joe might be a natural progression of Badgley’s Gossip Girl role as Dan Humphrey.
At the start of YOU season 2, Joe finds himself in Los Angeles. Eager to start fresh after the dramatic events of season 1, Joe assumes the identity of “Will Bettelheim.” He makes a concerted effort to work on the issues that have plagued him for most of his life. Similarly, the series attempts to earn sympathy for Joe by delving deeper into his past and showing the character as someone who can occasionally make the right decision. YOU also took big creative swings in its sophomore outing, putting several characters in the line of danger and framing an episode almost entirely from the perspective of a hallucinating, drugged up Joe. YOU will be free to take on even bigger plotting surprises going forward.
Today, TV Line reports that the thriller has been renewed for season 3, which will be released in 2021, and consist of 10 episodes. Netflix followed, quickly confirming the renewal in a tweet. Badgley will, of course, return in the lead role. Victoria Pedretti will be reprising her portrayal of Love Quinn as well. Introduced in season 2, Love is Joe’s new romantic interest. Outwardly confident and carefree, Love carries heartbreak and complexities of her own. Behind the camera, co-creators Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti will be back as executive producers. Gamble also serves as showrunner.
Given that YOU season 2 dropped in December 2019, it’s going to be a bit of a long wait for the third outing. Gamble has left fans with plenty of possibilities to debate. The disagreements and discussions about the series, which sometimes involve Badgley himself, will hopefully be enough to tide audiences over until there’s a clearer picture of what season 3 will look like.
The biggest challenge for the thriller is baked into the premise, however. Joe is a problematic protagonist, to say the least. Showing him as a mentor to a young neighbor, as well as highlighting that he can intermittently be a normal guy, doesn’t change the fact that he tends to cause irreparable damage to those in his orbit. It remains to be seen whether YOU can pull off being an enjoyable cautionary tale for season 3, but the show has had impressive success so far.