Best Shows to Watch If You Like ‘You’ on Netflix

For fans of “You” who are intrigued by Penn Badgley’s strangely likable performance as the murderer and stalker Joe Goldberg, “Dexter” is a must-watch series.

The Showtime series stars Michael C. Hall as the titular character, following Dexter’s journey as a professional blood-spatter analyst by day and serial killer by night.

Somewhat like Joe, Dexter murders people he feels justified killing — mostly those who are guilty of terrible crimes or who might lead to him getting caught.

This psychological thriller has eight seasons, plus a few spinoff series out and in the works.

Like “You,” AMC’s “Breaking Bad” is a series that pushes boundaries with its lead character.

Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, is a mild-mannered chemistry teacher who finds himself making meth in the Albuquerque drug scene to make money to support his family following his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Fans of “You” will see shades of Joe in Walter, who commits horrible acts (even toward those he cares about) to satisfy his internal need for validation.

Like Joe, Walter lives a double life — except Walt is keeping his identity as a drug kingpin hidden from his family, and Joe is hiding his life as a killer from most people.

The hit series has five seasons and a follow-up film.

The BBC series follows Jodie Comer as an unhinged assassin named Villanelle and Sandra Oh as Eve, an MI5 security officer who wishes to be a spy, in a wild game of cat and mouse.

Villanelle and Eve’s obsessive love-hate relationship is reminiscent of Joe’s relationships throughout “You,” and fans will find themselves reeling after bingeing the thrilling series.

“Killing Eve” has four seasons.  

Hulu’s “Castle Rock,” an anthology series based in the Stephen King multiverse, highlighted the story of the “Misery” character Annie Wilkes in its second season.

Played by Lizzy Caplan, Annie is a single mother with a mental illness who is on the run with her teenage daughter to escape the frightening acts of her past.

Although she desires to be a good person for her daughter, she finds herself committing more acts of violence to keep her secret identity safe.

The show contains dark themes, suspenseful moments, and shocking twists that will have “You” fans craving more.

If suspense, creepiness, and Victoria Pedretti are what you most enjoyed about Netflix’s “You,” add “The Haunting of Hill House” to your watch list.

A television adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name, “The Haunting of Hill House” is a gripping horror series that follows the Crain family as they face the (literal) ghosts of their past.

Like season two of “You,” “The Haunting of Hill House” explores the complexities of family dynamics while keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Pedretti, who plays Love Quinn on “You,” also stars as one of the Crain siblings.

Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” is one season.

Fans of “You” who are intrigued by Joe’s ability to fool everyone around him may enjoy NBC’s “Hannibal,” which reimagines the iconic cannibalistic serial killer from 1991’s “The Silence of the Lambs.”

In this series, a criminal profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) forms an unlikely partnership with the brilliant psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen).

Together, they track complex serial killers by thinking like them — but Hannibal has more in common with the killers than Will knows.

There are three seasons of “Hannibal.”

Starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana, Bravo’s “Dirty John” is a drama series based on the true story of Debra Newell, an interior designer who gets swept up in a whirlwind romance with a man who turns out to be lying about his identity.

John Meehan, played by Bana, gives off serious Joe vibes. He is charming, attentive, and handsome, but turns out to be hiding some very dark secrets that ultimately become dangerous for Debra and her entire family.

The limited series has 16 episodes.

For those interested in how “You” delves into a serial killer’s brain, Netflix’s “Mindhunter” is a must-see.

The series starring Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany is set in the 1970s and 1980s. It follows two FBI agents who interview famous serial killers to get a deeper insight into their psyches.

Based on the true story of how serial-killer criminal profiling began in the FBI, the series features fictionalized depictions of notorious figures like Charles Manson and the Son of Sam.

“Mindhunter” ran for two seasons.

In the small town of Rosewood, a teenage mean girl named Alison DiLaurentis, played by Sasha Pieterse, has disappeared, and her friends soon find themselves tormented by a mysterious person who goes by “A.”

Throughout the series, viewers will experience the suspense, twists, and hidden identities that fans love about “You.”

“Pretty Little Liars” also stars Shay Mitchell, who was on season one of “You.”

The series ran for seven seasons (and there are many spinoffs).

If Joe’s oddly intriguing obsession with his victims drew you to “You,” then the second season of “American Crime Story” will certainly be worth watching.

Starring Édgar Ramírez, Darren Criss, Ricky Martin, and Penélope Cruz, the Ryan Murphy series portrays the events leading up to and following the murder of the fashion icon Gianni Versace.

The season has nine episodes.

On the BBC Two show “The Fall,” Dornan stars as a husband and father who moonlights as a serial killer.

Gillian Anderson plays Stella Gibson, a detective hired to hunt this mysterious killer who has stalked and murdered women throughout Belfast.

“You” fans will see many similar dark themes in “The Fall” and find that Dornan’s Paul Spector is just as charming as Badgley’s Joe Goldberg.

“The Fall” ran for three seasons.

Based on the iconic horror film “Psycho,” A&E’s “Bates Motel” is a dark look at how the formative years of a person’s life can alter their path forever.

A meek boy named Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) recently moved with his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga), to a small coastal town. The two have an oddly close relationship, which grows even stronger after the death of Norman’s father.

Their life in their new home is not as peaceful as they’d hoped, and the mother-son pair are forced to do what it takes to survive.

Fans of “You” will see shades of Joe’s relationship with his mother in Norman and Norma’s connection — and may find that “Bates Motel” has similar psychological themes.

The series ran for five seasons.

If you appreciate the dark humor found throughout parts of “You,” you may enjoy this Hulu original starring Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin.

The show follows an unlikely trio as they investigate a murder and begin a true-crime podcast inspired by a mysterious death in their building. 

The comedy-drama series has four seasons (and has been renewed for a fifth).

This story was originally published on January 1, 2020, and most recently updated on April 25, 2025.