The Impact of ‘YOU’: Celebrating the Killer Final Season

YOU first arrived on Netflix in 2018 and quickly took the world by storm, turning into a massive global hit and capturing the cultural zeitgeist. Season 5 debuted on April 24 and in the first four days on Netflix, the season already had 10.1M views and claimed the top spot on the English TV list. Its return also inspired fans to dive back into Season 1, which re-entered the Top 10 for the first time since February 2023.  Read on to see just how powerful the YOU fandom is as we bid farewell and share YOU by the numbers – everything from total views and most-watched scenes to the most viral moments and surprising fun facts that prove the beloved show is guaranteed to leave a lasting legacy. 

✦ See the Killer Send-Off Here ✦ Series Fun Facts Here  ✦ 

YOU BY THE NUMBERS

YOU Seasons 1-4 have garnered 500M+ global views on Netflix, appearing in the global Top 10 list over 30 times. Each season has attracted an even larger audience than the season prior based on hours viewed. 

The most rewatched scene in Seasons 1-4  is Joe disposing of a body to Cardi B's "I Like It" featured in the Season 4 premiere.

In four days, the fifth and final season had 10.1M views and reached the Top 10 in 88 countries, #1 in 37 countries and #1 on the global English TV list.  The show has captivated audiences and critics alike; every season is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

IGNITING A  FANDOM

The fans have generated viral moments that permeated social media and created unexpected relationships. Seasons 2-5 have amassed over 1B social impressions each. Season after season fans turn out in droves to celebrate their favorite show IRL – from a city wide scavenger hunt in Los Angeles to across the pond for a bloody tea cup ride in central London and back to New York where they celebrated the Season 5 premiere in a replica of Mooney’s bookstore (cage and all). Read more about the series send-off for fans here.

CULTURAL IMPACT

Prior to the debut of Season 1, Penn Badgley had 543K followers on Instagram. He now has 5.3 million followers — an 896% increase. There was a 584% increase in sales of the first book following  Season 1’s Netflix premiere in 2018 and a 32% increase since the Season 4 premiere in 2023. Many of the stars of YOU have also made their mark on other Netflix projects — including Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House), Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Charlotte Ritchie (Feel Good), Ed Speleers (Irish Wish), Lukas Gage (Dead Boy Detectives), Travis Van Winkle (FUBAR) and Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll).

SHOW TALLIES AND FUN FACTS 

Across 5 seasons, 50 episodes, nearly 2,500 minutes of runtime…  Despite being the most referenced phrase from the series, Joe only says those two magic words “Hello, you” six total times. 

Joe used six different aliases, wore nine different baseball hats, had 11 love interests, had 34 childhood flashbacks and dug for dirt on social media 37 times. In the series, over 115 books are either mentioned by name or are panned over and 61 authors have been referenced by name. 

Read more series fun facts here.

Goodbye, YOU.

All five seasons of YOU are now streaming.