No one can deny that Netflix breathed life into stalker dramedy You after the highly addictive series didn’t get its due on Lifetime. The unexpected burst of holiday-binging success certainly came as a mixed blessing to star Penn Badgley. On one hand, his obsessive Joe Goldberg character has put him back on the pop culture map, yet on the other, he’s still troubled by fans who are lusting after a murderer. The struggle is all too real for the Gossip Girl actor.
However, the streaming giant knows that it must strike with the serial-killing hammer while it’s not (as they’re doing with Zac Efron’s Ted Bundy movie), so they’re moving forward with more Joe. Production has already begin on season 2, and Netflix posted some photos to prove it. Here’s Badgley’s cheekbones posing at a table read with Victoria Pedretti (who plays one of his new targets, Love Quinn) and Ambyr Childers (who plays an old flame, Candace, revealed to be alive in the season one finale).
ok the You season 2 table read is happening and I don't think any of us are ready pic.twitter.com/0tnTmo22X8
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) February 15, 2019
These photos technically reveal nothing about You season 2 (where is John Stamos’ stoner therapist, hmm?), but here’s what we know about what Joe will be up to when he returns. In addition, Badgley has also spoken to GQ about his relief that the series’ tone avoided coming off as problematic:
“On one hand,” he recalls, “no one in any position of authority could ever try to act as though we don’t know that sex and murder sells, but how can it work in a different way we’ve not seen? That’s where I think this show does something that none of us could have said for certain that we would nail. It could have been really irresponsible. It could have fallen flat and been like, whoa.”
The spots of dark humor and the voiceovers, which largely adhered to Caroline Kepne’s source material, are what rescued You, even if some viewers got a little carried away with loving Joe. Those might be the same folks who lusted after Ted Bundy, but Netflix is prepared to take that risk to keep on top of the streaming wars. And honestly, You is a blast, even if one feels slightly awful while laughing at how such an inept killer keeps getting away with murder.
You‘s second season will arrive sometime in 2019.
(Via GQ)
