During the mid-2000s, I was in middle school. When I was in 7th grade, the TV show Gossip Girl was really popular. Everyone at my school watched this show. One of my favorite characters on the show was Dan Humphrey because he was a writer and seemed less stuck-up than the other characters. Dan is played by Penn Badgley. Even if you don’t know Gossip Girl, Penn can be seen in other iconic films such as Easy A, John Tucker Must Die, and The Stepfather. Now Penn is playing a stalker / serial murderer in You, and it’s entertaining to watch Penn act in a completely different type of role.

Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) is the manager of Mooney’s, a bookstore in NYC. As Joe is working in the store, he sees a young blonde woman walk in and immediately she captures Joe’s eye. Guinevere Beck (played by Elizabeth Lail) attracts Joe’s attention enough that Joe becomes obsessed. He takes Beck’s phone and interferes with her life in subtle ways.

I can’t say much more than that without spoiling both seasons. Each season has a different tone. It keeps the story interesting between each season since they’re so different. During the first season, each episode tells the story of Joe and everyone in his life. As the episodes unfold, we can see Joe slowly fall into the pressure of not getting caught. Each episode leaves on a cliffhanger, which makes it difficult not to spend 10+ hours watching the season in one sitting.

You is a satisfying thriller on Netflix. The first two seasons are out, and the third season won’t be released until sometime in 2021. Anyone who enjoys serial killer documentaries would love this series.