Joe Goldberg has faced plenty of crises since You began, but moving to suburbia almost does him in for good in You Season 3. At the start of the season, Joe and Love are lost in a sea of disgustingly rich antivaxxers who can't stop talking about paleo diets and micro-dosing. It's pure nightmare fuel for anyone who lives outside of the suburban California bubble, but there's zero doubt there are plenty of real places like Madre Linda out there. Warning: Light spoilers for You Season 3.
However, there isn't an actual city in California called Madre Linda. Instead, it seems the You writers combined the names of two wealthy suburbs: Yorba Linda, one of the most expensive places to live in all of the United States, and Sierra Madre, which is one of the safest communities in California. Both towns are enclaves for upper middle class families who want to live in idyllic settings that are close to Los Angeles without actually being in the midst of the city life.
Additionally, there are also shades of Atherton, California in the insular, tech-fueled Madre Linda neighborhood. Atherton was declared the richest zip code in all of America in a December 2020 Guardian article, and it's known for being highly exclusive. In fact, residents have to travel to the nearby Menlo Park to do their shopping, because the town itself is almost entirely residential.
It also happens to be the home of CEOs and innovators, who would likely fit right in with the likes of Gil, Cary, Sherry, and Brandon. Overall, Madre Linda is more inspired by the culture of the wealthiest areas in California than it is by a singular town. Instead of focusing on one place, the writers made Joe and Love's new home a place where people lack any sort of awareness of their privilege, and instead, spend their days rocking athleisure and preaching against the dangers of sugar, all while refusing to vaccinate their kids.
If you would still like to visit Madre Linda in real life though, you're in luck. Because while it's not a real city, it seems most of Season 3 was filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot, which has been used as the setting for numerous TV shows and films. Some of the popular filming locale's most famous projects include Gilmore Girls, Pretty Little Liars, Hart of Dixie, and the recent Disney+ hit WandaVision.
In fact, Gilmore Girls and Pretty Little Liars fans are in for an extra special treat, because Love's bakery appears to be filmed in the same building that previously housed Luke's Diner and the Apple Rose Grille. Although, I suspect Luke Danes would be appalled to know what Love and Joe get up to in his basement in Season 3.
Eagle-eyed viewers will also note the town's library was once Stars Hollow High, and although it's hard to tell exactly where Joe and Love's gorgeous house is located on the backlot, it looks like they may share a neighborhood with Vision and Wanda. If you ever decide to take the Warner Bros. Studio backlot tour in Burbank, California, then prepare to be immersed in the world of Madre Linda — as well as the worlds of the countless iconic TV shows and movies that were filmed there before Joe and Love moved in and started causing havoc in the sleepy neighborhood.
Images: John P. Fleenor/Netflix; Netflix; Warner Bros. Television