Bridgewater Va. – At last, Netflix’s most-watched show ever “Squid Game” has been dethroned by the newly arrived season three of American thriller series “YOU.” 

Just hours after its premiere on Friday, Oct. 15, “YOU” immediately hits number one on Netflix U.S., kicking “Squid Game” to number two — followed by American drama series “Maid” and comedy-drama “Shameless” amongst other top ten contenders. 

Netflix has already announced on their social media platforms that “YOU” has been renewed for a fourth season.  

Season one centers around bookstore manager and serial killer Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) who falls in love with aspiring writer Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) and develops an extreme obsession.  

Desperate to find true love, Goldberg starts stalking Beck in person as well as on social media as he believes she is the one for him. Beginning with Beck’s on-and-off boyfriend Benji Ashby (Lou Taylor Pucci), Goldberg murders anyone who dares come between him and Beck’s developing romance.  

Unfortunately, as season one comes to an end, it turns out Beck was not the one for Goldberg as the finale concludes with her death. 

Season two returns with Goldberg moving from New York to Los Angeles, California and emerging with a new identity as Will Bettelheim – another one of Goldberg’s victims who he actually let loose. 

Not too long into the season, Goldberg again falls in love with a baker named Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). Although he tries to refrain from going back to his old ways, Goldberg finds himself yet again overly obsessed with Quinn. 

As Goldberg’s true identity begins to find its way to the surface, more murders are being committed and surprisingly not by Goldberg. In a plot twist, Quinn turned out to be harboring a much darker past than she deemed to let on at first. 

Season two wraps up with news of an expected child and a snippet into what is in store for Goldberg and Quinn in the upcoming season as they are seen moving into a suburban neighborhood. 

Season three is set in the fictional town of Madre Linda, California. Goldberg and Quinn try to raise their newborn son, Henry, while attempting to put their homicidal urges behind them. As it comes to show, Goldberg once again finds an obsession with their next-door neighbor, Natalie Engler (Michaela McManus) who reciprocates his feelings. 

This obsession, of course, results in more death counts and ultimately leads to the climactic part of the season. As for Quinn, she will stop at nothing to ensure she has the happy family she has always wanted. 

Predictably, season three ends with more cliffhangers and unanswered questions even from seasons past. Once again, Goldberg emerges, this time in Paris, with a new identity on the quest to find yet another woman he believes might be his truest love. Anything can happen in the city of love, but in the case of Goldberg, I hope that nothing will. 

The three-season long series consists of ten episodes — each with 40-60 minutes of running time. If you have never seen “YOU” and would like to catch up, fret not, for you only have about 30 hours of commitment. Thankfully, Netflix now has a playback speed up to 1.5X. 

For people who enjoy the thriller genre, I hope I have not spoiled too much of it. However, if you are not a fan of murder and would prefer drama and romance, “Titanic” is now streaming on Netflix as well. As for my take, I can only say I hope the next big hit is something within the romantic-comedy genre.   

“YOU” is loosely based on Caroline Kepnes’s three-book series containing You (2014), Hidden Bodies (2016) and You Love Me (2021). The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a fourth book is in the making, and features pandemic-related themes, even though season three is supposedly set in post-pandemic times. 

Initially, “YOU” premiered on Lifetime in 2018. After being renewed for a second season, the show got turned over to Netflix and streamed exclusively starting in 2019.