Is Madre Linda in 'You' Season 3 a Real Place?

Two things are guaranteed in each new season of You: Joe (Penn Badgley) will find a new romantic obsession, and he'll be in a new town he either hates or lightly disdains. In season 3 of the Netflix hit, Joe and his new wife Love (Victoria Pedretti) trade sprawling Los Angeles for a "soulless wealthy suburb outside of San Francisco," as described by Joe. They move to the town partly for its excellent schools (all the best for their new son, Henry) and partly because it's the perfect place for the serial killer couple to lay low.

Of course, all of their plans go awry when Joe finds a new love interest/stalking victim and Love gets jealous (and stab-y). While Joe and Love's new family life doesn't go as planned, Madre Linda seems like a great home for a wealthy young family looking for a tight-knit community of tech founders and mommy bloggers. Unfortunately, the fictional neighborhood isn't real—but it's based on the Silicon Valley-adjacent suburbs in Northern California.

Where was You Season 3 filmed?

Despite Joe and Love's move to Northern California, the actual filming locations are found further south. The season was actually filmed around the LA area in Southern California, close to the same area seen in Season 2.

As for Joe and Love's gorgeous house, the real-life home is in Van Nuys, a suburb just north of LA, according to Narcity. The specific neighborhood, Cameron Woods, is a popular filming location, and the house itself was also seen on Dynasty, 9-1-1, and the Dixie Chicks music video "Ready to Run."

Where is Madre Linda meant to be?

Madre Linda seems to be based off several wealthy Bay Area suburbs, filled with Silicon Valley tech workers and their families. The town name itself, Madre Linda, translates to "beautiful mother," a nod to Love's transition to motherhood. It also may be a hint that the town is run by a clique-y group of parents, led by mommy blogger extraordinaire Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant).

The new setting draws out many judgmental (and hilarious) observations from Joe, as he chafes against the image-obsessed biohackers and anti-vaxxers among his new neighbors. His safe place in town is the library, where he volunteers with single mom Marienne (Tati Gabrielle).

Once things get complicated for the Quinn-Goldbergs, the tech-enhanced suburb also brings up some new struggles. It turns out the claustrophobia isn't just a feeling; there are surveillance cameras peering into every corner of town, and most of the residents wear health-monitoring bracelets. Not great when you have to make someone disappear.