“You” is an American psychological thriller series that first premiered on Lifetime. It follows a storyline of a Bookstore manager named Joe Goldberg who falls in love and becomes obsessed with a woman named Guinevere Beck, whom he met in his store. Joe was a charming and passionately obsessive young man. He learned everything about Beck through her social media and credit cards.
Joe stalks Beck using his manipulative ways to get close to her; later, the show reveals Joe’s dark side and twisted behavior, which is manipulative and dangerous.
In season two, Joe gets interested in a new woman named “Love Quinn” and starts developing feelings for her. The relationship with “Love” starts getting complicated as they both have their secrets. Throughout the season, Joe becomes more violent to get what he wants. The viewers loved the show for its complexity and the dark side of human nature.
Here are 30 Facts You should know
Also Read: 100 Best Netflix Shows To Watch That Will Blow Your Minds
1. Based on Books
Netflix’s “You” is based on best-selling author Caroline Kepneson’s books. The show follows three of Kepneson’s books – “You, Hidden Bodies, and You Love Me.” The book is known for its unique perspective, making readers empathize with the character.
The show’s title is based on Kepnes first book, “You,” published in 2014, and the storyline follows other of Kepne’s books with minor twists, which add an extra layer of suspense to the show.
2. Casts took a safety course
Elizabeth Lail and Penn Badgley took an eight-hour safety course to shoot on the New York subway tracks. Not that it is illegal, but it’s also very dangerous to shoot on the tracks.
The Production team worked with Metropolitan Transportation Authority to ensure the cast members’ safety and bought a specialized crew for the shoot.
3. Victoria Pedretti and Dylan Arnold dating
The cast met while filming the show’s third season and began dating each other.
Apart from “You,” Arnold worked on movies like After, After we collided, Halloween, and Halloween kills, while Pedretti worked in movies like Haunting, Shirley, and Once upon a time in Hollywood
4. The bookstore is a real store
Mooney’s bookstore is a real store in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, Named “Logos Bookstore.” Logos Bookstore is quite famous in the city for its wide collection of Bibles and religious texts.
During the shoot, the exterior and front interior of the store was only used for filming, and in reality, there was no basement there.
5. In the book, Candace has a different fate
The show has some twisted storylines. Joe kills Candace in the book, whereas in the show, Candace is alive and seeks revenge against Joe. The change in the storyline has added a new layer of complexity to the show.
In the last minute of Season one, Candace appears to Joe and says they must talk. However, in the book, Joe kills Candace when she tries to break up with him. Joe kills Candace by drowning her on the beach.
6. Dylan Arnold is not a teenager
Dylan Arnold played the role of Theo Engler as a teenager. The show depicts Arnold as a Nineteen-year-old teen. However, in reality, he’s much older. Arnold was born on February 11, 1994, which makes him 29 years of age. In the show, Theo is a college student who works for Joe.
7. The blood scene is made up of sugar
Using sugar for blood can be a good option as it is non-toxic, easily cleaned, and does not leave any permanent stains on clothes. For Gory scenes, Blood machines were used. The sugar blood gets squirted over blood machines in Graphics scenes. Shooting these gory scenes is “more mechanical and less emotional.”
8. Stephen King’s Review
Stephen king is an American author of horror, suspense, and crime. Stephen captures a heart of millions with its terrifying and horror stories. In a recent tweet on his official account, Stephen said, “Totally original. Never read anything quite like it… Hypnotic and Scary”. Stephen King has praised the show for its horror and frightening scenes
9. Paco and Ellie don’t exist in the book
The only thing Joe does right in the show is his intention to protect Paco and Ellie. This makes Joe’s character more of a human character. Joe sees himself in Paco and Ellie. Despite every difficult thing he did, this made the viewers more compassionate towards Joe’s character.
10. Penn won’t have much dialogue
As Penn did voiceovers on the show, most of the time, he won’t have much dialogue to learn. However, as the lead character in the show, Penn needs to deliver complex dialogue and add emotion to Joe’s character.
11. Penn’s first job
One of the coolest features of Joe’s character is his voice which adds an extra layer of charm to his character. Without Joe’s voice, the show looks like a silent thriller show. Netflix even released a video, “You without Joe’s Narration,” which shows how bizarre the show would look without Joe’s voice.
At the start of his career, when he was only ten, he did the voiceover for Radio Stations and Nintendo games, including “Mario Golf 64” and “Mario Tennis 64,”—even appearing in commercials for KFC and McDonald’s.
12. Penn’s thought
Joe is a stalker and murderer but also an intelligent man with charisma appearance. Despite his dangerous behavior, viewers have drowned in Joe’s character as a Charismatic Villain.
Penn wants viewers to feel that Joe’s behavior is unhealthy, which is not something viewers should consider bearing. Penn is thoughtful and even philosophical about human behavior. During the shoot, Penn always thinks if he’s making the character “Joe” too likable.
13. Penn Badgley’s lack of Social Media conception
While filming, Shay often teases Penn for his lack of Social Media conception. Shay once asked Penn about Tumblr because Penn had no idea what it was. Penn has been limited to social media usage. He prefers to live a more private life and be disconnected from social media as he also spoke about the harmful effects of social media
14. Season 1 Ending
Most viewers and fans were unsatisfied with how season one ended. Even Elizabeth Lail wanted a better ending. At the season-ending, Joe killed Beck and started his target on another character, “Love.” Elizabeth wanted a better ending and expressed her feelings toward the character and women’s empowerment.
15. Penn Badgley is not an actor only
Penn Badgley’s cast as Joe is not limited to the lead actor. He’s also been a director and executive producer. Badgley is closely involved with Producers, Directors, and Crewmates, and he has directed episodes seven, three, and nine of season two. Badgley has massive input in the development of the characters and the storyline.
16. Dylan Arnold as Joe and Forty
In an Interview, Dylan Arnold revealed that he auditioned for multiple roles. Arnold also auditioned for the role of Love’s brother “Forty” in season one and Protagonist “Joe” in season two but ended up for the role of Theo in season three. Arnold became a big show fan, so everything worked out perfectly. Being a show fan made him like the storyline and characters.
17. Lifetime canceled the show
Lifetime is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, an American basic cable channel. After season one premiered on Lifetime in September 2018, Lifetime canceled the show as it didn’t generate the expected revenue. The show did receive a fan following and popularity among the audience, but the earning was low. As the show was canceled after season one, Netflix bought the streaming rights and produced upcoming seasons, making the show a massive hit.
18. Penn Badgley doesn’t want the role of Joe Goldberg
The character of Joe is not something to be idolized. In the show, Joe is not looking for Love; rather, he’s a psychopath and abusing. Penn thinks Joe is an awful, extremely sensitive, and traumatized person, and he doesn’t enjoy playing Joe. He goes to extreme measures to be in the life of those he is fascinated by.
In an interview, Penn said, “it’s not. I don’t want to play the role, but if I’m the only person who has to embody this and add expression to all his rages… it’s constantly embodying suspicion and judgment and cynicism.”
19. Caroline Kepnes protective of Joe
Joe Goldberg is the lead character in the show but far from ideal. Caroline Kepnes, the author of You and Hidden Bodies, on which the show storyline is based, realized later that she had written a killer. Kepnes argued that Joe is not a killer. Joe had faced these terrible people and had these circumstances, but he’s very sensitive inside.
20. The Show’s Popularity
Season one has been viewed on over 43 million devices within the first four weeks of release. These numbers show the show’s popularity, and the number continues to grow with its upcoming season. The creepy drama show debuted on Lifetime, and later it was acquired by Netflix. When the show became available on Netflix, the views increased gradually, even more than ever.
21. Los Angeles culture
Season two embraced Los Angeles culture. Los Angeles is full of different people and different cultures. The show incorporates LA’s culture, from food scenes to music and fashion, with the city’s diverse population. This created a rich storyline. The character Love Quinn loves LA food culture. Love Queen cooks or baking for her friends and families throughout the show. LA culture became an important part of Love’s character.
22. The title of the show is a common pronoun
The word “You” is used a lot in the show. In the voiceover, Penn Badgley constantly describes the object of his affections as “You.” Using the word “You” enables the viewers to see in the second person and from Joe’s perspective.
“You” was mostly used in season one and was said 3857 times. The number is officially released by Netflix’s Australia and New Zealand Instagram and Twitter.
23. Love Quinn isn’t a killer in the book
In the show, Love Quinn killed Candace and Delilah to protect Joe. Love becomes obsessed with Joe, and she even tries to kill Joe and then fakes his death. However, she gave up on him after knowing that she was Pregnant.
In the book, Love is an intelligent, caring, and understanding character with no impulsive behavior or violent tendencies. Love shot Joe and herself in the head, but Joe survived while Love died. Changing Love’s character added a layer of thrill and suspense to the show.
24. Beck’s Death
Beck’s death is much more drawn in the book than in the show. In the book, a two whole chapter cover for Beck’s death using vivid language which describes Joe’s brutality and disturbing nature, while in the show, after Beck finds out about his momentous box, Joe imprisons her in the cage. Beck pretends she’ll forgive Joe for his actions to get out of the cage and won’t go to the police, but Joe begins to choke Beck and kills her eventually.
25. Shoot in Los Angeles
Just like the book, instead of New York City, the Season two shoot took place in Los Angeles. The show keeps being persistent in its dark and moody colors, maintaining the same level of suspense as in season one. The sense of consistent visual style across both seasons gives identity to the show
26. Joe isn’t the only stalker
Joe isn’t the only one in the show with twisted behavior. His lover, Quinn, is also a stalker and a killer too. Quinn becomes obsessed with Joe, starts stalking him, and eventually attempts multiple murders.
27. Logos Bookstore
The Logos Bookstore is featured in another biographical movie directed by Marielle Heller named “Can you forgive me?”. The movie is based on the true event of the author Lee Israel. The actual store is featured in some scenes where the character Melissa McCarthy, portrayed by Lee Israel, buys old books forgeries.
Its appearance on the show helped the store to get visibility and popularity, and people from all over the world came to see and buy books from the store
28. The show was developed for Showtime
“You” was originally optioned by Showtime in 2015, but the project gets passed on. The show was then picked up by Lifetime and premiered season one. The show got sufficient viewers and a fanbase, but ultimately it was received by Netflix, acquiring all the rights due to less revenue than expected.
29. The script changed because of Mark Blum’s Death
Mr. Mooney owns Mooney’s bookstore, played by Mark Blum. However, he died in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Mark died a few months before “You” season three started production, and his death affected the production as there’s much more story to tell with Mr. Mooney’s character.
Blum’s death was shocking to the cast and other crewmates. Despite the loss, the show continued with a change in the storyline.
30. Penn Badgley- Prosthetic arm
The show has plenty of Brutal scenes, and many prosthetics are used on the set. One of the scenes in season two in which a debt collector cut off Joe’s finger. A prosthetic arm was attached to make the scene more realistic. Behind the scene, Penn’s wearing a Prosthetic arm was shared officially on “You”‘ Instagram and Twitter
For now, there are many more facts about the show, but Hopefully, these thirty facts might interest you. From its Love and obsession to a toxic relationship and stalking, the show covers the representation of diverse characters.
Also Read: 6 Psychological Thrillers on Netflix You Stream Today – TV Shows Recommendations
