Netflix’s ‘You’ Showrunner Reveals Season 2 Will Be ‘Darker’

Sera Gamble warns fans that Season 2 of Netflix‘s You will be “darker” than Season 1, and many are taking her seriously. The hit show was rescued from cancellation at the streaming service, but in the process it sounds like it has gotten even more grim than ever.

Gamble spoke about the upcoming second season last month in an interview with Us Weekly. She warned that the transition to Netflix will not be painless for her characters, who will face all the adversity of the first installment and then some.

“I would say that Season 2 of You, kind of, doubles down on some of the stuff that you might come to expect,” Gamble warned.

You premiered on Lifetime in the U.S. back in September, while Netflix handled the international distribution and the domestic streaming. It was an instant hit, though more so online than on cable, so in December, Lifetime announced that it was giving the show over to Netflix altogether.

Meanwhile, the story itself moved from the east coast to the west, perhaps serving as an apt metaphor for its new home. Gamble admitted that this plays a big part in the show going forward as well.

“Moving the show to Los Angeles brought out a whole different side of Joe Goldberg,” she said.

In another interview, she told TV Guide that she can think of “at least one scene” coming up “that’s gorier and scarier than anything we had in Season 1.”

“You will know it when you see it. Episode 2 of the season has my single favorite shot that I have been a part of in my entire career,” she said. “My career is full of blood and gore and monsters. It’s also beautifully shot and the director who shot the second episode lavished a lot of love. Joe is forced to do something he really doesn’t want to do.”

You is a series adaptation of the novels of Caroline Kepnes. Season 1 relayed the story of her eponymous novel, while Season 2 will reportedly adapt the sequel, Hidden Bodies.

Many entertainment and cultural critics expect You to stand out in history as a threshold for the TV and streaming industries as a whole. The show was virtually overlooked in its time on Lifetime, but as it hit Netflix it blew up. This angered some die-hard fans, who felt that this spoke to the way quality content can be overlooked depending on where it ends up.

“The people watching You on Netflix are FAKE FANS to those of us that watched it on Lifetime!!!!!!!” one person tweeted.

On the other hand, star Penn Badgley said took the experience in stride, feeling that it was a natural evolution for the industry that was ultimately mutually beneficial.

“We’re grateful to Lifetime for being the gateway to getting the show made. We wouldn’t have been able to make the show without them, as far as I can tell,” Badgley told The Washington Post. “There is no sense of bewilderment that the show had one reaction while it was on Lifetime and another when it went to Netflix. The difference in viewership is obvious, and it’s indicative of so many different things, not the least of which is the way young people consume media.”

You Season 2 wrapped filming in June. So far, there is no word on when it will be released.