--- title: "You: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/you/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/you" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # You (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. The reviews lean towards finding You compelling, with praise clustering around its psychological tension, black comedy and treatment of social media as a stalker’s tool. Several critics admire how it unsettles romantic-comedy conventions by placing viewers inside its protagonist’s delusional perspective. The voice-over and knowing humour help make a familiar premise feel distinctive, while Collider singles out Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell’s performances as strengths. The disagreement concerns how much thought lies beneath the entertainment, and the spread runs from enthusiasm to rejection. More reserved reviews find the social commentary heavy-handed, the plotting too dependent on fresh developments, or the premise difficult to sustain. Den of Geek is especially enthusiastic about the pilot’s self-aware handling of misogyny and everyday behaviour. The Ringer, by contrast, finds the combination of camp and thriller uneasy and regards the toxic masculinity as troubling rather than a persuasive reason to watch. ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2018. The critic describes the series as bonkers and magnetic, with intentional absurdity and tonal shifts between serious exploration of toxic masculinity and satire of rich people. It singles out the voice-over trapping viewers in the protagonist's warped worldview and strong social media integration for praise, while noting some elements like a subplot feel underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/you-lifetime-penn-badgley-review.html) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 January 2019. The series mixes psychological thrills and black comedy to mostly entertaining ends, skewering millennial hipsters and romcom tropes while delivering tense set-pieces and knowing laughs. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/you2018-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2018. An extremely watchable stalker drama that effectively stokes digital paranoia and offers interesting fun, though it falls short of deeper thoughtfulness and settles for narrative churn over genuine challenge. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/you-review-1140229/) ## Variety — Daniel D'Addario Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2018. A flawed but compelling drama with sharp ideas about social media and an interesting premise set in a hip-young-literary Manhattan, yet it lacks the courage of its convictions and questions how long the intensity can be sustained. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/tv/reviews/tv-review-you-lifetime-1202913850/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 56/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2018. The critic describes the Netflix series as a glossy stalker drama starring Penn Badgley as bookshop manager Joe, who obsessively pursues a customer by mining her social media and breaking into her home. It notes some genuinely tense moments but criticizes the heavy-handed messaging and preachy tone about social media and pretension. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/dec/22/netflix-you-single-white-female) ## Den of Geek — Kayti Burt Rating 3.5 out of 5. 10 September 2018. The critic praises the pilot for brilliantly executing a familiar stalker premise through self-awareness that subverts romantic comedy tropes and places viewers inside the protagonist's delusional, misogynistic perspective. It singles out the recognizable tension in everyday behavior and the horror-meet-cute structure for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/you-episode-1-review-pilot/) ## Collider — Andrea Reiher Rating ★★★. 6 September 2018. The series presents an intriguing premise about a stalker but takes time to reveal its twists, which may turn off viewers early. It benefits from strong performances, particularly by Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell, and commentary on social media and dating. [Read the review](https://collider.com/you-review-lifetime/) ## The Ringer — Claire McNear Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2018. The critic outlines the premise of the Lifetime series about a bookstore manager who stalks an MFA student and questions whether audiences should watch given its uneasy mix of camp and thriller elements. She singles out the toxic masculinity on display as particularly troubling in the current cultural moment. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/09/10/tv/should-you-watch-you-lifetime-penn-badgley) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/you.md