Netflix's YOU season 2 brings a host of new and familiar characters with it. Based on the novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes, YOU season 1 was originally conceived as a show for Lifetime. Though it only attracted a limited audience upon its initial premiere, it was rapidly renewed for a second season - to be based on Kepnes' follow-up novel, Hidden Bodies. The show, however, proved to be a much bigger hit when it later debuted on Netflix. Sweeping social media, YOU was embraced more fully into the zeitgeist and garnered over 40 million views within its first month of release. It also received positive reviews for its blend of thrilling drama and trashy fun, as well as creating a central on-screen monster for the digital age.
YOU stars Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, a seemingly mild-mannered bookstore manager. It's quickly revealed, however, that Joe harbors dark secrets and even darker tendencies. After a chance meeting with fledgling writer, Guinevere Beck, Joe quickly became obsessed. With a darkly comedic voice-over from Badgley allowing audiences a glimpse at his inner thoughts, Joe ingratiated himself into Beck's life by any means necessary. With every new obstacle and every knowing subversion of the rom-com formula, Joe went to further and further extremes. All of which ultimately culminated in a string of murders.
YOU season 2 sees Joe attempt to leave such events behind and make a fresh start. Moving from New York to Los Angeles, Joe quickly establishes his new life. Unfortunately, figures from Joe's dark past return to torment him and old habits die hard as he develops a new obsession. Before Joe navigates his new surroundings and unleashes chaos on a new group of unsuspecting victims, we break the characters fans can expect and the actors who play them.
YOU Season 2's Main Cast
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg/Will Bettelheim - A charming, intelligent stalker and serial killer. In YOU season 1, he worked as a manager of Mooney's bookstore in New York. After murdering his girlfriend/obsession, Beck, Joe moves to Los Angeles in season 2. Assuming the false identity of Will Bettelheim, he finds a brand-new obsession. Badgley is best known for playing Dan Humphrey in the TV show Gossip Girl.
Victoria Pedretti as Love Quinn - Artistic and free-spirited, Love Quinn is an accomplished chef with a dark past. Already living in L.A. when Joe arrives, a still-grieving Love quickly becomes the latest object of his deranged affections. Pedretti was recently part of the main cast of Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House. She is signed on for a brand-new role in the upcoming follow-up, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
James Scully as Forty Quinn - Confident and opinionated, Forty Quinn is Love's beloved brother. Forty is also troubled and heavily reliant in his own right. Working through the 12-step program, he never seems too far from relapsing into his own destructive ways. Scully recently starred in Paramount's ill-fated TV adaptation of Heathers.
Jenna Ortega as Ellie Alves - Joe's neighbor who likes to act older than her actual years. Having grown up mostly unsupervised in a big city, Ellie has developed a fierce sense of independence and intelligence that she channels into filmmaking. Ortega previously starred in Jane the Virgin.
Ambyr Childers as Candace Stone - Once an aspiring musician, Candace is an old flame of Joe's. Thought to be dead, she often appeared in flashbacks or to torment Joe in the form of a hallucination. YOU season 1 concluded, however, with Candace emerging very much alive. Though Joe retreats to L.A., Candace proves not too far behind and ready to make Joe's life infinitely more difficult. Childers previously starred in numerous episodes of Ray Donovan.
Carmela Zumbado as Delilah Alves - An investigative journalist with keen instincts and a traumatic connection to one of Joe's victims. Driven and determined, there is nothing Delilah won't do to uncover the truth and get the scoop. Even if it means often neglecting her younger sister. Zumbado recently appeared in the Golden Globe-recognized Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
YOU Season 2's Supporting Cast
Robin Lord Taylor as Will - An intelligent hacker who deals with disreputable people as part of his work. Will will find himself drawn into Joe's ever-more deranged web in YOU season 2. Given the similarity of their names, it could be that this Will is from whom Joe stole his new identity. Taylor's break out role was portraying Oswald Cobblepot (aka Penguin) on Gotham.
Adwin Brown as Calvin - The trusting manager of the trendy establishment, Anavrin, Calvin will be Joe's boss at his new job as a bookstore assistant. Brown also had a prominent role in the aforementioned Heathers series.
Marielle Scott as Lucy - Edgy and chic, Lucy is a successful literary agent, a good friend of Love's, and the partner of Sunrise. Given Joe's passion for books - and having surreptitiously gotten Beck's novel published after murdering her - such a profession could prove a threat to Joe. Scott recently starred in HBO's anthology series, Room 104.
Chris D'Elia as Henderson - A resident of Los Angeles, Henderson is a successful and famous comedian with dark secrets. D'Elia is likewise a stand-up comedian with a number of on-screen credits to his name - including Snyder's next directorial effort, Army of the Dead.
Charlie Barnett as Gabe - A successful acupuncturist and general health guru, Gabe is also Love Quinn's and closest confidante. Barnett came to prominence in the fellow Netflix original and critically-beloved series, Russian Doll. More recently, Barnett has starred in Arrow's flashforwards, portraying the grown-up and now villainous son of John Diggle.
Melanie Field as Sunrise - The brightly-named Sunrise is a stay-at-home lifestyle blogger and no doubt the kind of L.A. personality that Joe was seen scorning in the official YOU season 2 teaser. Sunrise is also Lucy's partner. Field is another alum of the Heathers TV show adaptation.
Magda Apanowicz as Sandy - Sandy is Joe's troubled and victimized mother and features prominently in flashbacks to Joe's childhood. Apanowicz previously guest-starred in YOU showrunner Sera Gamble's other show, The Magicians.
Danny Vasquez as David Fincher - No doubt ironically named, Fincher is an officer with the LAPD. Though experiencing an occupational burnout, the arrival of Joe could be just what he needs to rediscover his groove. Vasquez is best known for his work on Marvel's Ant-Man.
John Stamos as Dr. Nicky - A former therapist, Dr. Nicky counseled both Beck and an undercover Joe throughout season 1. After it was revealed that Beck and Dr. Nicky had slept together, Joe ultimately took revenge by framing the doctor for Beck's murder. YOU season 2 reveals he may have had something of a religious awakening while in prison. Despite a long and varied career, Stamos is widely known for his role as Jesse Katsopolis on Full House and its subsequent Netflix revival, Fuller House, on which he also serves as a producer.
Elizabeth Lail is also set to reprise her role of Guinevere Beck from YOU season 1 in a guest-starring capacity. Though the plot has been kept understandably under wraps, fans will be able to see what happens and how all these disparate characters and agendas collide now that YOU season 2 is officially available on Netflix.