Why won't there be a You season 6?

Although much of the fifth and final season saw Joe getting by largely undetected, it was clear he wasn't as slick as in previous seasons, succumbing to a large-scale Reddit plot to take him down for the murder of season 1 love interest Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail).

Joe was swept up in a newfound romance with free spirit Bronte (Madeline Brewer), who he soon discovered wasn't quite who she said she was.

But despite her knowing exactly who Joe was, she vowed to stick by him – simply to seek justice for Beck's murder.

Having ended on quite the final note, many viewers may be wondering why there won't be a sixth season of the Netflix hit series. Is this really the end of You?

Read on to find out why there won't be a sixth season of You.

Why won't there be a You season 6?

You was renewed for its fifth season back in 2023, after the release of season 4, with the announcement confirming that it would be the show's final instalment.

It was always understood that season 5 would be the show's last, with co-showrunners and executive producers Michael Foley and Justin W Lo telling Tudum: "It’s so rare that you’re afforded the opportunity to do five seasons of a show, let alone complete the story — while also bringing your character and the production back to where it all began.

"It was truly a unicorn experience and an absolute career highlight for both of us."

Although the series has continued to be a Netflix hit since its original premiere back in 2018, it was always envisioned that You would be a total of five seasons.

"We always said that we would stop after five and [that], in a perfect world, we would bring Joe back home to New York," Foley said.

"We loved the idea of things coming full circle for him. We’re excited by the fact that Joe came home as such a different person than [who] we saw in season 1. At the core of our final story for Joe is this dichotomy of the old and the new."

Although it's been a good run for the show, series star Penn Badgley has been forthright in his opinion that it's time to be done with Joe's journey.

Speaking to USA Today, the actor said: "I'm glad we're putting him to bed. I've been with (Joe) my entire 30s, actually. I was 30 years old when I signed on to do this. I'm going to be 39 later this year.

"He's been like my little convict brother, who I've had to counsel through our 30s together. And in that way, he's kind of taught me to be a better man. He's failing miserably, but I've had to reflect on all the things I share with him, even if they're not that escalated or that magnified."

Ultimately, with Joe finally being unmasked as a murderer and with no hope of seeing a life outside of prison, the series ends on quite the final note for the protagonist.

He's left alone, having to answer for his multiple crimes, and the survivors of his crimes are left to forge a new life without the threat of him lingering in the distance – a just ending, if you ask us.

Speaking about what they hope fans will take from the final ever episode of You, Foley and Lo said in a press pack for the series: "At the end of the day, we want our fans to feel that we wrapped up the story in a satisfying and exciting way.

"We also want them to sense what we sensed, which was that there was an inevitability to how this story was meant to end."

Also speaking of ending this major chapter in his life, having inhibited the role for nearly a decade, Badgley also said in a press pack for the show: "It feels really good. I've been saying 'bittersweet', but mostly sweet because he's a bitter guy. So it's just mostly sweet.

"I'll never be able to get to do the stuff that I get to do in this show again; this much physical, silent acting. There are things I'll miss. He's definitely a physicality unto himself, and there's a very strange, dark, physical comedy to a lot of what I get to do. And I suppose there will come a time when I miss it, but that won't be for a little bit."

You season 5 will be coming to Netflix on Thursday 24th April 2025 – sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.