Joe Goldberg is back in New York City, and frankly, it feels like everything has come full circle. It’s been a long, bloody road from that basement in Mooney’s to the high-society madness of London, but the final curtain is officially dropping. Fans have been scouring the internet to figure out how many episodes in season 5 of You they can expect before the series wraps up for good. Netflix hasn’t been shy about the fact that this is the end. This is it. No more renewals. No more escapes.
The magic number is ten.
Netflix has stuck to a very specific rhythm since the show moved over from Lifetime after its first season. Every single installment of the stalker-thriller has consisted of exactly ten episodes. Season 5 follows suit. While some shows like Stranger Things or The Crown sometimes mess with episode counts for their final bows, showrunners Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo are keeping things consistent. You get ten hours—or roughly eight and a half if you skip the credits—to see if Joe finally gets what's coming to him.
What we know about the final ten episodes
The production for this final run has been a bit of a marathon. Filming kicked off in New York City around March 2024 and wrapped later that year. If you’ve been following the pap shots or the "leak" culture on TikTok, you’ve probably seen Penn Badgley rocking a much sharper, more expensive-looking wardrobe than his previous "sensitive bookstore guy" flannel. That’s because Joe isn’t hiding in the shadows anymore. Thanks to Kate’s massive resources and a very slick PR cleanup, Joe Goldberg is now a powerful public figure.
Ten episodes might seem like a lot, but considering how many loose ends are dangling, it’s actually a tight squeeze. We have Ellie (Jenna Ortega) potentially out there. We have the fallout from the London murders. And most importantly, we have Joe’s internal monologue, which has become increasingly fractured.
Honestly, the pacing of these final chapters has to be breakneck. In previous seasons, Joe usually spends the first three episodes "falling in love" (read: obsessing) and the middle four trying to fix the mess he made. By episode eight, the bodies start piling up. But since this is the series finale, the writers can't just follow the old template. They have to account for a decade of crimes.
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Will Netflix split the season?
This is the big question. Everyone remembers the frustration of Season 4 being sliced in half. Netflix loves a "Part 1" and "Part 2" release strategy these days—just look at Bridgerton or Emily in Paris. It keeps the conversation going for two months instead of one weekend.
While a split hasn't been "officially" mandated for every single show, the rumors for how many episodes in season 5 of You will drop at once point toward a split release. Usually, this means five episodes drop in month one, and the final five drop a month later. It’s a smart move for a show built on cliffhangers. If they drop all ten at once, the internet spoils the ending within six hours. If they split it, we get a month of theorizing about who is actually going to kill Joe.
The New York homecoming
Being back in New York changes the stakes. In Season 3 (suburbs) and Season 4 (London), Joe was a fish out of water. He was trying to adapt to environments he didn't understand. New York is his home turf. It’s where the cage was built.
There’s something poetic about Joe ending up back where he started, especially now that he has accepted his darker side. In the Season 4 finale, we saw him literally look in the mirror and see Rhys Montrose—his personified "darkness"—looking back. He isn't pretending to be a "good man" anymore. This shift is going to make these ten episodes feel very different from the rest of the series. Expect a Joe who is more calculated, more dangerous, and significantly less apologetic.
New faces joining the final count
You can't have a season of You without a fresh batch of victims and foils. For the final ten episodes, the casting has been pretty top-tier.
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- Madeline Brewer: Known for The Handmaid’s Tale, she’s playing Bronte, an enigmatic playwright who works at Joe’s new bookstore. She’s the primary catalyst for Joe’s old habits resurfacing.
- Anna Camp: Playing dual roles as Kate’s twin sisters-in-law. This adds a weird, satirical layer to the high-society drama Joe is now forced to navigate.
- Griffin Matthews: Playing a key role in Joe’s new "refined" social circle.
The dynamic between Joe and Bronte is what most fans are watching closely. The show has a habit of making Joe’s "you" feel unique each time, but Bronte supposedly challenges his worldview in a way Beck or Love never did. Whether she survives the ten-episode arc is anyone's guess, but given the track record of this show, the odds aren't great.
Addressing the Jenna Ortega rumors
People keep asking if Ellie is coming back. Jenna Ortega is arguably the biggest star to ever come out of the show, and her schedule with Wednesday and Beetlejuice is packed. However, the writers have left the door wide open. Joe mentions sending her money in Season 3. She knows who he is.
If she does return, it would likely be in the final three episodes. It’s the "final boss" energy the show needs. You can’t have a series about a serial killer getting away with it without some of the ghosts of his past showing up to haunt him. Whether it’s a cameo or a major plot point, her presence—or even just the mention of her—is a massive hanging thread that these ten episodes need to pull on.
Why ten episodes is the perfect length
Some might argue that a final season needs more time. Why not thirteen? Why not a twenty-episode "super-season"?
The reality is that You works best when it's lean. The "formula" of the show can get repetitive if stretched too thin. By keeping it to ten episodes, the writers ensure that every kill, every monologue, and every narrow escape feels earned. We’ve seen Joe get out of impossible situations for four years. If the show lasted fifteen episodes this season, we’d start to get bored of his luck. Ten episodes provides enough runway to introduce the New York setting, establish the new "target," and then spend the final act dismantling Joe’s life piece by piece.
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Navigating the release schedule
When you finally see the "New Season" badge on your Netflix dashboard, don't expect to see a "Season 6" ever appear. This is the end of the road. Netflix has been very clear about the marketing for Season 5 being the "Final Season."
Historically, Netflix drops their big hitters at 12:00 AM PT / 3:00 AM ET. If they do go with the split-season route, you'll want to clear your schedule for two separate Fridays. The gap between parts is usually four to six weeks. It’s a grueling wait, but it makes the finale hit harder.
Final insights on Joe Goldberg's exit
The countdown is on. With ten episodes to go, the series is positioned to either cement Joe as one of TV’s most successful villains or finally give the audience the catharsis of his downfall.
To prepare for the binge, here is what you should actually do:
- Rewatch the Season 4 finale: Seriously. The shift in Joe's personality in those last ten minutes is vital. He isn't the same guy who cried over Beck. He’s a billionaire-adjacent sociopath now.
- Track the "ghosts": Keep a list of everyone who is still alive and knows Joe’s secret. Ellie, the Salinger family's private investigator, Sherry and Cary from Season 3, and even Marienne. Any of them could be the one to tip the scales.
- Monitor the Netflix "Part 1" announcement: Check the episode descriptions as soon as they drop. Often, the title of Episode 10 gives away whether we’re looking at a tragedy or a dark triumph.
The story of Joe Goldberg started in a dusty bookstore in the East Village. It’s only right that it ends there, surrounded by the books he loves and the bodies he’s buried. Ten episodes. One final "You."