Since “You” moved from Lifetime Network to Netflix, the show’s popularity has skyrocketed. Now in his fourth season, it still remains one of Netflix’s best-selling content. Most of the credit, of course, goes to Penn Badgley’s stunningly charming portrayal of the title character, the psychopathic stalker/serial killer Joe Goldberg, whom we hope you all hate to hate.
No two shows are absolutely alike, to be perfectly honest. But since you’re here after probably watching the last season of “You” for similar content to the show, I’m going to make an honest attempt at conjuring up a list here in the hopes you’ll find something to top the big one Void in your life now that there are no new episodes of You to gorge on. The idea here is to pick certain aspects of the show and based on that, explore other content in every possible genre. I’ll try to pick from the obvious like Dexter or Hannibal.
6. Dirty John
Another Netflix show centered around a genuinely charming man who manipulates and harms women’s lives, just the kind of things that happen in your favorite series. The true crime anthology, based on the podcast of the same name, has released two seasons so far.
In season one, Eric Bana’s very charismatic John Meehan dances his way into the Newell family by seducing mother Debra, played by Connie Britton. Debra’s two daughters are played by Juno Temple and Julia Garner. The second season of Dirty John follows the story of Betty and Dan Broderick’s turbulent marriage and the toll it takes on Betty. The characters are played by Amanda Peet and the eternally charming Christian Slater.
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5. The case
In the city of Belfast, Paul Spector is a serial killer who targets young women. Hot on his heels is Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson trying to catch the serial killer and frame a case against him. The catch; Paul is also a very persuasive family man with a wife and children. As if that wasn’t enough, he is played by the very charming Jamie Dornan, and Stella Gibson is played by none other than Gillian Anderson.
Like You, The Fall has a very intriguing character at its heart. The psychological thriller offers you the kind of experience where you find yourself in a pressure cooker waiting to burst. The tension quotient is far too high, and there’s enough twists and turns to keep you glued to your screen while you bite your nail on the edge of your seat. The Fall has 17 fairly lengthy episodes spread over three seasons.
4. Invent Anna
Why should guys have all the messy fun?
Inspired by the story of Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin, this Netflix miniseries was a rage when it released in February 2022. That wasn’t surprising given that this show hailed from the stable of the ever-reliable Shondaland (Bridgerton, How to Get Away with Murder).
Still wondering why? All right, here’s the sauce for you. Anna Sorokin happens to be a con artist/con who used to pose as a wealthy German heiress, Anna Delvey, in order to gain access to New York’s premier art scene and society. The indomitable Julia Garner plays the title character with enough pride and conviction. Like you in Joe, Garner’s Anna is the driving force of the show and reason enough for you to ride along with her and sometimes even accidentally cheer her on. As if you wouldn’t do that for Joe Goldberg.
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3. Cruel Summer
Spread over three consecutive summers in 1993, 1994 and 1995; Cruel Summer tells the story of two girls; the very popular Kate, who suddenly disappears, and the socially awkward Janet, who appears to take Kate’s place.
One of the reasons “You” became a phenomenon is the show’s writing, which for the most part is absolutely top notch. Sure, there are so many eye-popping, sometimes logic-defying twists, but the pulp is mashed so beautifully that the juice you end up with is always delicious and refreshing. Cruel Summer shares this aspect with “You”. The fantastic writing is the main reason it works so brilliantly, along with of course two great leads from its two leads. Another great thing about Cruel Summer is that the show happens to be very binge-worthy, as is You.
2. The Americans
OK, that’s broad. This show is set in 1980s America, where two Russian spies pose as an American couple to spy on the American government during the Cold War. As exciting as that may sound, there are no similarities between “The Americans” and “You” in terms of content or even themes.
But the reason I’m writing this is because a lot of “you” is basically Joe Goldberg, carefully observing people and what they’re doing. And for most of the show’s second and fourth seasons, Joe poses as someone else and fits his new alias effortlessly. Although the motives are completely different, Phillip and Elizabeth from “The Americans” do exactly the same thing. Not to mention that the writing of The Americans is as good as You, even better, dare I say. It’s one of the greatest shows of modern times and deserves to be seen and appreciated.
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1. gossip girl
And last but not least, the legendary Gossip Girl. I’m sure you’ve heard about it if you’re a “You” fan. Just in case you haven’t, well, Penn Badgley co-stars, a character named Dan Humphrey, in this teen drama about the rich kids of the Upper East Siders; who seem like more adults than real adults.
Alongside Penn Badgley, Gossip Girl stars all the popular folks like Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Leighton Meester and even the wacky Sebastian Stan before his winter soldier days. Just like You, this show is filled with endless toxicity and manipulation, along with devious, hard-to-believe twists and turns. It’s also six seasons long, so if you get hooked, you won’t have to worry about “what to watch” for at least a few months. And I promise, by the end, you’ll feel the uncontrollable urge to sign your emails with the phrase “XOXO, Gossip Girl.”
