How You Compares to and Differs From Gossip Girl
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You is already proving to be the latest binge-watching craze. Ever since the series first premiered on Lifetime in September, it has been getting a lot of buzz for its incredible cast and insanely addicting storylines, but it has also gotten a lot of attention for its striking similarities to another fan-favorite series: Gossip Girl. It doesn't come as a surprise, really. Not only do the shows have similar premises (a guy who falls in love with a pretty girl and tries to win her affection), but they even share the same leading man. While Penn Badgley is certainly aware of the similarities between his characters Dan Humphrey and Joe Goldberg, be warned that the latter is much more sinister. As you get even more obsessed with You, see how it compares to and differs from Gossip Girl, ahead.
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Both Are About a Guy Trying to Win Over a Girl
On the surface, Dan and Joe are actually pretty similar. They're both outsiders trying to get a beautiful blond girl to fall in love with them. However, while Dan uses a gossip website to gain the attention of Serena, Joe's methods are a bit more sinister as he stalks her on social media and in real life, steals her phone, and eventually abducts her ex-boyfriend in an effort to become her "dream" guy.
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Both Are Set in NYC
Both Gossip Girl and You take place in the Big Apple. While Gossip Girl follows the "scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite" on the Upper East Side, You takes places in all different boroughs, including Manhattan and Brooklyn.
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Both Are Based on a Book
You is based on Caroline Kepnes's 2014 novel of the same name, while Gossip Girl is based on Cecily von Ziegesar's series of young adult novels.
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Both Have a Disapproving Best Friend
While few can compare to Blair Waldorf, Beck's overbearing best friend Peach (played by Shay Mitchell) certainly comes close. Just like Blair, Peach is the ultimate queen bee and lets it be known straight away that she doesn't approve of Beck's new man.
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Both Are Centered Around Social Media and the Invasion of Privacy
Perhaps one of the most striking similarities between the shows is the use of social media and the invasion of privacy. In Gossip Girl, the characters' every movement is followed and documented for everyone to see by means of an app tracking the GPS on their phones to text blasts that reveal their biggest secrets to the world. While it's certainly creepy when you think about it, it's also easier to dismiss since the show takes place in a heightened reality.
On the flip side, the way Joe stalks Beck is much scarier because it's far more realistic. After meeting Beck, Joe goes straight to Google to find her social media profiles, which are conveniently set to public. In a matter of minutes, he is able to discover where she went to school, who her siblings are, and her home address, where he eventually stalks her in real life.