Stalker Joe’s third round of terrorizing the world on Netflix’s You (formerly of Lifetime) apparently went smoothly (with Joe now officially on the hook with fellow homicidal maniac Love), at least from a production standpoint. That’s actually remarkable, considering all that the world’s going through and how countless movies and TV shows have repeatedly shut down due to positive COVID-19 tests. And it’s also good news for the show that’s based upon Caroline Kepnes’ novels, since fans are obsessed with the show that keeps ratcheting up its own batsh*t-crazy quotient. They’re also obsessed with Penn Badgley’s character to a point where it almost disturbs him. At least we know that we won’t be seeing a ghostlike Chris D’Elia on the show in the future, and there’s even more good news from showrunner Sera Gamble.
In a lengthy thread on Twitter, Gamble confirmed that shooting wrapped last Friday in Los Angeles, and somehow, “We had zero on-set positive COVID tests through a significant and scary surge here in LA. And haven’t had one since.” She’s doing a justified “brag” here, although she’s partially attributing the statistic to “sheer luck” in addition to everyone staying diligent on set. In other words, it appears that no one on the You production had to pull a Tom Cruise in order for people to comply with virus protocols.
Gamble wasn’t done yet. She added that “the episodes are f*cking bonkers and the performances are insanely good.” Don’t ask her for more details yet, though: “That’s all I’ll say about that till we are ready to talk about the new season.” There’s no Netflix release date as of yet, but fingers crossed to see more stalker comeuppance by the end of 2021. You can read Gamble’s full Twitter thread below.
Today is our last day of shooting season 3 of #YouNetflix.
Can I brag to you for a hot second?
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 23, 2021
We had zero on-set positive COVID tests through a significant and scary surge here in LA. And haven’t had one since.
Because every single member of cast & crew worked very hard to take care of each other during a time that’s stressful, in a situation that’s tough to control.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 23, 2021
Obviously there is also an element of sheer good luck in this statistic. It’s impossible to totally negate risk in a pandemic.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 23, 2021
But this span we managed to have represents SO much effort and care on the part of the production, our COVID team, and our studio.
Effort expended while each human is individually going through something unprecedented and uncertain that makes their lives more challenging.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 23, 2021
I feel privileged to have gotten to witness everyone’s creativity, resilience and kindness. I mean, I knew our team was tough and good at their jobs, but holy shit did everyone show up for each other. All the way up the Warner’s/Netflix ladder and in every production department.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 23, 2021
(Also, the episodes are fucking bonkers and the performances are insanely good. That’s all I’ll say about that till we are ready to talk about the new season.)
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 23, 2021
Adding a couple of specifics shared by our COVID compliance officer. Like I said, I am highly inclined to brag about our crew’s incredible diligence….
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 24, 2021
We have administered over 32,000 COVID tests.
The production milestone of no cases is 77 days long!
We’ve had the lowest overall positivity rate across all comparable productions to date.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 24, 2021
We started work on this season in February of 2020. Week two or three of the writers’ room, I asked our writers assistant to track how often we sidetracked to talk about the new virus that seemed to be spreading fast. One morning it was every 4 minutes.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 24, 2021
The week we all locked down, I spent so many hours on the phone with our line producer and with @silvertree77, our producing director, trying to wrap our minds around how the fuck we were going to even approach prepping this season.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 24, 2021
So, this is why I’m shouting these numbers from the rooftops. A year ago, we had no idea how shooting this season would be possible. I mean… YOU doesn’t really work if there’s no romance or, y’know, murder-type contact.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 24, 2021
So when you hear about a show like ours making it to the finish line, now you know a bit about what getting there means this year.
And thanks for all the lovely responses! I am forwarding all good vibes to the cast and crew.
Hope you love the season when it gets here.
— Sera Gamble (@serathegamble) April 24, 2021
