Deadly romance in Paris? After attempting a life in the suburbs, it didn’t take long for Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) to realize that being a father and a husband to Love (Victoria Pedretti) just wasn’t enough.

Season 3 of You documented Joe and Love’s spiral as they attempted to make happily ever after work for them and their son. While the season 3 finale set up an attempt by Love to kill Joe, she ended up dead by his hand instead.

“That’s Greg Berlanti just texting me his idle thoughts on a Thursday night, [which] turned out to be great ideas that excite the entire writers’ room and then we write toward them all season,” creator Sera Gamble explained of the decision to wrap up Love’s story to E! News in October 2021.

Gamble revealed that Joe and Love were never meant to last, even though they seemed like the perfect match on paper.

“It’s such a strange thing about people, isn’t it? We’re frequently very bad at knowing what’s going to make us happy, and we run around and pursue what turned out to be all the wrong things,” she noted to Collider that same month. “But he does doom himself, I think, by his relentless pursuit of this kind of love. I think the story is kind of tragic in that way. I mean, yes, he will have intense moments of happiness along the way, but things do tend to unravel because of what he’s going for.”

After killing Love and framing her for every murder they were both involved in during season 3, Joe ended up faking his death and left his son behind to start his life again. During an interview with Bustle, Gamble opened up about how Joe was able to come to a place of realization when it came to being a father to son Henry.

“I think that’s a bit of insight and growth for Joe, that he’s able to recognize at the end of the season that he maybe isn’t the best parent at the moment,” she shared in October 2021.

Although Joe left his old life behind, becoming someone named Nick instead, his fascination with Marianne (Tati Gabrielle) stayed with him as he traveled to the city of love. The Magicians cocreator admitted that the relationship Joe is yearning to have with Marianne is “not gonna work” because of who he is as a person.

“He does keep walking closer and closer to these truths about himself, but at the same time, he is still fundamentally working off of this principle — I personally think he’s mistaken — which is that you can find what you need outside of yourself in other people,” Gamble detailed to Bustle.

Following You‘s season 4 renewal, Joe’s journey will continue with him carrying even more inner turmoil as he attempts to create a new life for himself in France.

“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,” Gamble added in an interview with Collider. “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.”

Scroll down for everything to know about season 4 of You:


Does ‘You’ Season 4 Have a Release Date?
Netflix has not yet announced a premiere date for the new episodes, but filming started in March 2022. John Fleenor/Netflix
Where Will Joe Be in ‘You’ Season 4?
He left off in Paris, and viewers will continue to follow Joe overseas during season 4. New episodes were spotted filming in London.  JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX
Who Is Joe’s Next Romantic Focus?
As Joe settles into his life in Paris, his obsession with Marienne will continue, according to Gamble. "That's why he's there," she shared with E! News. "What's a completely different kind of environment to put him in? And then also, what haven't we done that could potentially get him into lots of trouble?"   JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX
How Will Joe’s Relationship With His Son Evolve?
Even though Joe leaves Henry with Dante (Ben Mehl) at the end of season 3, Gamble confirmed that there will continue to be ongoing conversations about the lead character being a father. "I think it will shape him from this moment forward. And even his exact plan of when and if he would return for his son is something that we will, if we get to the writers' room, come together and talk about for hours and hours and hours," she said during an interview with E! News, prior to You's early season 4 renewal in October 2021. JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX
Will Joe’s Past Catch Up With Him?
Joe's attempts to keep running from his past will definitely start to catch up with him as more people learn about his behavior. Gamble teased that the You writers and Badgley are always "thinking about the possibility that he'll be punished." "We frequently end up spinning out just these theoretical conversations about what the most fitting one would be. Should he be killed? Oh no, that would be too easy. Should he be in jail?" Gamble hinted during a discussion with E! News. "Like, people think a lot about this, everyone associated with the show thinks about how to punish Joe."   Netflix
Could There Be a Few Celeb Cameos?
After Cardi B declared her love for the chilling Netflix series, Badgley hinted that a cameo isn't totally out of the question. "Well, I don't know, I definitely can't say," he teased on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2021. "But there is actually — I believe this is true — there's an actual Change.org petition." In November 2021, the rapper received a You hat and letter from Joe Goldberg. "How Joe found my new house address ?😳😳," Cardi tweeted alongside a photo of her new goodies. "My stalking and killing may make me a certified freak, seven days a week, but it also brought me to … you," the letter read. "Cardi B, you have a way with social media. You're meaningful. Substantive. I just like you. ... You keep me on my toes, the ones that are left, at least. You can't be caged in, and it's refreshing. Can't wait to see you slaying in this hat. But I certainly hope you don't disappear." Shutterstock (2)
Who Is Adam In ‘You’ Season 4?
Netflix announced Lukas Gage will join the You cast as Adam, a “warm, funny and hard-partying son of a wealthy family who is famous for failing to meet their standards.” “Supremely excited about this,” the White Lotus alum gushed via Instagram Story in February 2022. Matt Baron/Shutterstock
When Did ‘You’ Season 4 Start Filming?
In March 2022, the show's official Twitter account revealed that production was under way, teasing, "Feeling YOU-4-ic." Courtesy of You/Twitter
Who Is Charlotte Ritchie Playing?
In March 2022, Charlotte Ritchie was cast in the role of Kate. According to Deadline, the character is "fearsomely smart, independent, suspicious, misses nothing. She is fiercely loyal to her friends, a brick wall to everyone else." Ritchie and Badgley were spotted in character walking arm-in-arm while filming a scene in July 2022, in photos obtained by Just Jared. One month later, the outlet published photos of the duo sharing a kiss on set in London, hinting that Kate is Joe's new love interest. Ritchie was also wearing what appeared to be Badgley's suit jacket while carrying a pair of heels in her hand.  David Fisher/Shutterstock
Does ‘You’ Season 4 Have a New Cast of Characters?
In addition to Ritchie and Gage, Deadline announced in April 2022 that Tilly Keeper, Amy Leigh Hickman, Ed Speleers and Brad Alexander were slated to join the Netflix show as series regulars. Shutterstock (3)
Did Netflix Drop a Big Clue?
“Joe’s back for a bloody good time. If his book choice tells us anything… our boy might not be in Paris anymore,” the show’s official Twitter account wrote in April 2022, alongside pics from the set in London. Courtesy of YOU/Twitter
What Genre Is ‘You’ Season 4?
During a June 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Badgley revealed why his character Joe wouldn’t be roaming Paris like the season 3 finale made it seem — but would instead find him in the home of Big Ben.  "To be real, it's cheaper," the Easy A star joked, adding that they just finished filming the first four episodes. The actor also noted that the fourth installment of the series would look a little different than what viewers are used to seeing. "The tone is similar but it's shifting in that there is a different format," the Gossip Girl alum explained. "It's almost like we're shifting the genre slightly. And I think it works." “Nothing is the same,” he added while comparing Kepnes' book series and season 4 of the hit show. “The writer of the book and the creators of the show, they've always known starting from the same place, from the same point — Joe of the books — if you recreated him faithfully, it would be tough to watch. It would be really tough to watch." JOHN P. FLEENOR/NETFLIX