1. Home
  2. Blogs
  3. Entertainment

October 26, 2023

Reasons for the popularity of You TV series

Reasons for the popularity of You TV series

People can't stop talking about the Netflix TV show "You" ever since it started streaming. Shay Mitchell, John Stamos, and Penn Badgley are among the well-known actors in the suspenseful film.

The programme follows Joe Goldberg (Badgley), a bookstore manager, as he relentlessly pursues Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), a graduate student. After just one encounter, his obsession grows. But because theirs isn't a conventional love story, tension develops. As murders and other mysteries start to appear, the series quickly becomes gloomy.

You might not understand the memes or why people are so captivated by the series if you haven't watched the show yet. If so, continue reading to learn everything there is to know about "You TV series."

The movie "You" is based on the same-titled novel

The book by Caroline Kepnes was released in 2015, thus it wasn't out for very long before it was adapted into a TV show. There is a follow-up to "You" called "Hidden Bodies," which follows up with Joe where the first book left off if you've already read it or watched the show and are itching for more.

It was first broadcast on ‘Lifetime’

Netflix has helped many viewers find the show, although it wasn't always an original series on the streaming platform. In December 2018, "You" had its Netflix debut after making its Lifetime premiere. The Lifetime Network premiered each episode of the series in the autumn of 2018.

It's receiving favorable reviews

On Rotten Tomatoes, "You TV series" currently has an audience score of 73% and a critic score of 86%. Additionally, IMDb gave it a 7.7 out of 10.

Kristen Baldwin, a TV journalist for Entertainment Weekly, gave the programme a B+ grade and referred to it as a "snappy new thriller" in September 2018. It was "a lot like social media itself," she said, "maybe not the most insightful use of your precious time, but extremely hard to quit."

The programme explores some really unpleasant topics

In the end, the programme offers viewers a glimpse into the perverse side of obsession. "You" provides viewers with insight into Joe's thoughts during the first season as he stalks the lady he loves. Throughout the entire series, his thoughts and deeds can be unnerving, but he also has some startlingly endearing traits because of his wit and sardonic humor. The audience can now clearly see how simple it is for Joe to come across as trustworthy.

Beyond that, "You"'s portrayal of how readily one's privacy can be stolen is among its most unnerving elements. The show demonstrates how uncomplicated it could be for someone to infiltrate your life using contemporary resources.

"You" takes viewers into awkward situations that anyone could encounter while online dating, leaving their windows open, or simply just revealing excessive amounts of information on social media. It demonstrates how risky typical actions can be in specific situations.

Despite knowing it's a dark show: Reason for Popularity 

You belong firmly in the low-brow, escapist TV genre because it isn't actually an intelligent show. Its sole purpose is to pique our interest in what happens following each episode's conclusion. Most of us find dealing with the never-ending demands of daily life and being constantly involved in the news cycle to be tiresome and draining, so we seek the solace of being able to retreat inside a show from which we have low expectations. 

No matter how sexist, avaricious, self-centered, or unlikeable the characters are, or how their motivations expose major plot holes and can only be explained within the context of this imaginary world, it doesn't matter. Really, all you need to do is offer some simple, mindless entertainment. It's easy to infer that the show does this quite effectively based on the abundance of memes making fun of it.

The violence is against whom?

However, the violence committed in You, frequently against women, mirrors the violence committed against women in real life, which makes it occasionally challenging to completely enjoy and indulge in the programme. 

One of many violent moments has Joe stalking a woman who is running by herself in a park, chasing her, and then hitting her in the back of the head with a rock. Then he justifies, "She left me with no choice. 

What I do for you is daring. It's difficult; at times, it makes me feel ill. How many men will go to any lengths for their loved ones? Hearing Joe's inner monologue is particularly difficult viewing given the prevalence of such misogynistic views and violent behavior nowadays.

However, perhaps the show's predictability affords its largely female audience a regulated and protected atmosphere in which to explore and face some of our concerns in a made-up world where there are no stakes. 

Exploring fear and coping through serial killer series  

It helps us process fear and create coping skills to practise facing our concerns in a safe environment, such as while viewing a scary movie. According to research, confronting one's worst fears helps one understand their origin, how it makes them feel, and how to better control their emotions. 

For instance, the first season of the show provoked a lot of online discussion among women about the various ways that oversharing on social media increases the danger of stalking for women. 

More conversations about internet safety followed, with women sharing their own horror stories and tips on how to better safeguard themselves. The same factors that make true crime programmes, movies, and podcasts so appealing to viewers also make serial killer dramas, both good and bad, appealing to viewers. 

These enable us to contemplate how we might be able to better defend ourselves while securely gratifying our curiosity about the evil that humans are capable of. Even better if You do it while frequently pointing up its star's constant silliness.