As the latest season of YOU continues to dominate Netflix’s Top 10, viewers are savoring their final moments with the enigmatic—and undeniably dark—Joe Goldberg, played masterfully by Penn Badgley. But what many might not know is that the ending we saw on screen was nearly a completely different story.
Spoiler Alert: Joe’s Fate Could Have Been Much Grimmer
By the close of season 5, Joe finds himself defeated, arrested, and behind bars. Breaking the fourth wall, he stares directly at the audience and challenges those who idolize dangerous figures like him with a biting line: “Maybe the problem isn’t me. It’s you.”
Yet, according to Michael Foley, co-showrunner of the series, killing Joe was seriously considered. In a candid interview with TVLine, Foley shared how the writing room grappled with the character’s conclusion.
The Debate Behind Joe’s Ending
Foley explained that the team agreed Joe needed to face consequences and allow a voice for victims and their families. However, the specifics—whether Joe should die, be arrested, or stand trial—sparked intense debate.
“We all wanted Joe to pay for what he’d done,” Foley said. “But the idea of death? Some thought it was too definitive, too clean a way out.”
Why Death Was the Easy Way Out
In the end, the creators decided that simply killing Joe felt like a cop-out.
“Death felt like an escape hatch,” Foley remarked. “We preferred the notion that Joe would be trapped in his own prison—no human contact, no power, no control. A man obsessed with dominance stripped of all influence. That, to us, was a far more fitting punishment.”
He added with a touch of dark humor, “And honestly, visually? That’s a lot more compelling than just showing a tombstone.”
