Joe Goldberg could face old enemy in You’s last season, Penn Badgley hints

Penn Badgley has teased fans about the final season of You, saying he cannot say who his character Joe Goldberg will “come up against” as he contends with “loose ends” from his past.

The Gossip Girl star, 36, has been starring in the show as the sociopathic obsessive stalker and serial killer for four seasons since 2018.

On Saturday, Badgley told Tudum 2023: A Netflix Global Fan Event in Sao Paulo, Brazil: “I’ve heard you’re on the edge of your seats waiting and theorising about the epic conclusion to You.

“More importantly, you’re considering what or should I say who Joe will come up against as he finally returns to New York.

“So I can’t say who just yet, we all know there are many loose ends from Joe’s past. The question is, who are you?”

The clip showed the characters including therapist Dr Nicky (John Stamos), suburban couple Sherry (Shalita Grant) and Cary Conrad (Travis Van Winkle), Paco (Luca Padovan), Ellie (Jenna Ortega), Nadia (Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Lady Phoebe (Tilly Keeper) seen in flashes on screen.

In the fifth season of You, Joe is set to return to New York where viewers will see him using his original name after faking his own death in previous episodes of the show.

He has not been in the US city since season one where he met and dated Guinevere Beck, played by Once Upon A Time actress Elizabeth Lail, while working as a bookseller.

Throughout the psychological thriller, he has pursued relationships while contending with his dark impulses in other locations such as London and California.

His latest love interest is gallery manager Kate Galvin, played by Fresh Meat and Call The Midwife actress Charlotte Ritchie, who used her money and connections to get rid of his controversial past at the end of series four.

Based on the best-selling novel by Caroline Kepnes, the show aired on Lifetime in its first season before being taken on by Netflix.

The final season of You will air in 2024.