Everything you need to know about You
You follows the twisted life of Joe Goldberg, a seemingly unassuming book-nerd, the women that catch his attention, and the extreme lengths he goes to get them.
At first based on the books by Caroline Kepnes, You has since moved beyond its original source material as the universe expands.
In each season, serial killer Joe moves to a new location and situation but maintains his obsessive personality. We are informed of his inner thoughts thanks to a monologue that dictates the events on screen.
First launching in September 2018 on Lifetime in the US, it later found new life after being picked up by Netflix, turning it into an international phenomenon. The series ran for five seasons before ending in April 2025.
Season one is based in New York, with Joe managing a bookstore called Mooney’s and falling for a woman named Beck.
Season two saw him move to Los Angeles, starting a new life under a new identity, where he meets and falls for the troubled Love Quinn.
Season three is set in the suburbs of San Francisco, where he is now married and a father, but his past is fast catching up to him and circumstances start spinning out of control.
Joe then moves to London in season four, going under another new identity and working as a college literary professor as he tries to track his latest obsession down.
By season five, Joe has returned to New York where it all began and attempts to maintain his seemingly idyllic life while evading his past and pursuing an intriguing new woman in his life.
Who stars in You?
You changed its core cast between each season, with Joe Goldberg being the main consistent character as he moved around the world to evade the law and chase the object of his affections.
Joe Goldberg is portrayed by Penn Badgley, previously famed for his role as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl and later Easy A. He also hosts podcast, Podcrushed, where he interviews stars on their childhoods and teen years as well as their current projects, and appeared in Ariana Grande’s music video for ‘The Boy Is Mine’ in 2024.
Other key cast members that reappear throughout the series include:
Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The 100) as Marienne Bellamy
Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, Feel Good) as Kate Galvin
Victoria Pedretti (Haunting of Hill House, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood) as Love Quinn
Elizabeth Lail (Five Nights At Freddy’s, Once Upon A Time) as Guinevere Beck
Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange is The New Black) as Bronte
Ambyr Childs (The Master, Aquarius) as Candace Stone
James Scully (Straight Up, Titans) as Forty Quinn
Luca Padovan (No Hard Feelings, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Paco
Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream VI) as Ellie Alves
Tilly Keeper (EastEnders, Queenie) as Lady Phoebe
Ed Speleers (Star Trek: Picard, Outlander) as Rhys Montrose
What is the age rating of You?
The official rating of You in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is 18 for the overall series, however season one was rated 15.
This means the show has been deemed not suitable for children, but OK for young adults or higher.
Reasons for this rating is due to the show containing:
Key themes based around stalking and gender-based violence
Depictions of sex and sex acts, including public masturbation.
One count of full frontal male nudity in season 4.
Violent acts including serial murder (accidental and deliberate)
Graphic depictions of perilous situations (including capture, torture and stalking)
Portrayals of dead bodies and graphic, creative disposal of dead bodies
Profane language
Misuse of alcohol and drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana
Scenes of sexual violence
Depiction of a dead body post-suicide
Regular presence of blood and gore
Perilous situations involving a small child
How to watch You on Sky
You is a Netflix series – and luckily for Sky customers, access to Netflix shows come at no extra cost if you have a TV and Broadband package.
You can find out more about the packages – which start at just £26 – by clicking here.
If you’ve already got Netflix, you can connect your two accounts together to save yourself some money.
You can find out how to activate your Netflix account to your Sky Stream account here.
