You thrills viewers in Season 2 by upending its Season 1 dynamic

The Atlantic

"A self-aware work of melodrama, You combines the best elements of murder-mystery series, Millennial sitcoms, and revenge fantasies," says Hannah Giorgis. "In its newly released second season, the show builds on its condemnation of Joe by moving beyond its clever examination of the 'nice guy' trope. Rather than simply diving deeper into his psyche, You surrounds Joe with a dynamic ensemble that pushes the story into richer territory. These new characters, especially the women, challenge Joe’s sense of power and control in different ways, at times bringing a welcome lighter tone to the show in the process. Season 2’s fresh approach to You’s grim material owes partly to the change in setting. Los Angeles boasts more sunshine and cheerier personalities than New York’s literary scene, and the new city’s ambient warmth clashes with Joe’s escalating violence. You also treats its characters’ personalities with a newfound irreverence."

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• You author Caroline Kepnes is writing Books 3 and 4: “I’m so freaking excited, working on the book now, revising a few parts,” Kepnes tells Rolling Stone. “Joe decides to live in a small community in the Pacific Northwest with a low crime rate. He volunteers in a local library. Joe thinks he can breathe in a small town because small town people are good people.”
• You boss Sera Gamble on whether she has a grand plan for the series: "I never like to jinx things by being too specific one way or the other. I will say that we have a lot of stories still to tell. I am not scared at all of saying that we definitely could follow Joe for several more seasons. That being said, it's a tough TV landscape right now. There's about 10 billion TV shows and orders are shorter and there's more competition, so we never really save anything for later seasons. Our rule of thumb is always just if we have a great idea we're going to give it to you right now. Because we believe in the world that Caroline (Kepnes) gave us and we believe in these characters, we just know they'll keep finding really f*cked up sh*t to get into."
• Penn Badgley on relocating from New York to L.A. for Season 2: "I mean, being in the environment of L.A. you realize there isn't really the opportunity to watch people in the same way"
• Here are You Season 2's most effective burns about Los Angeles
• You inspires a stalker confessions TikTok meme