Viewers around the world love You, the Netflix show about a romantic serial killer who won’t let anything get in his way. Many have accused the show of romanticizing its lead character, but star Penn Badgley recently defended the show’s fans — and pointed the finger at some other Netflix shows.
‘You’ follows serial killer and hopeless romantic Joe Goldberg
You follows Joe Goldberg (played by Badgley), a book-loving serial killer who rationalizes his crimes as being all in the name of love. Joe falls in and out of love with various women, stalking them online and in person and getting rid of anyone who stands in the way of his relationships.
The show’s everchanging cast boasts some big names, including John Stamos, Shay Mitchell, Victoria Pedretti, Jenna Ortega, and Tati Gabrielle.
Even though Joe is a cold-blooded killer and psychopath, many viewers of You have confessed that, against their better instincts, they like the character and find him attractive. Some people have called out the show for romanticizing abusive and violent men, but Badgley defended You and its fans.
Star Penn Badgley defends ‘You’ viewers for liking Joe, but slams Netflix for making real-life killers more sympathetic
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Badgley was asked about his thoughts on people who might find themselves attracted to serial killers — fictional or otherwise.
“You need to look at that, inside,” the actor said, then added, “Now, to be fair, with our show, you’re meant to fall in love with [Joe]. That’s on us. Ted Bundy? That’s on you. Jeffrey Dahmer, that is on Netflix. That is squarely on the shoulders of Netflix.”
Badgley continued, “I don’t have answers at this point,” then changed his mind: “I do, but they’re long and…yeah, it’s weird, man.”
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The criticism Netflix has faced for ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
Badgley isn’t the only one who has criticized Netflix for making serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer seem like a sympathetic character. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was released last year and contained graphic scenes of the murders Dahmer committed.
The streaming service has been criticized for the show, especially by the families of some of Dahmer’s victims. They claim they were not contacted by anyone at Netflix before the show began filming and were angered by the fact that their trauma was a major focus of the series. Others slammed Evan Peters, who played Dahmer in Monster and won a Golden Globe for his role in the series, for making the serial killer appear more sympathetic and charming.
Season 4 of ‘You’ takes Joe to England
The first half of the latest season of You dropped on Netflix in February 2023, with the rest of the episodes coming in March. Joe heads to Europe this season after blowing up the suburban life he was leading with his wife, Love, and son Henry.
Joe is now in England, working as a university professor and encountering new friends, foes, and love interests. Season 4 Part 1 holds a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics have praised Badgley’s performance.
