‘You’ Season 5 reviews: Critics slam Netflix finale as “offensive” and “hollow”

Dubai: After five seasons of seductive stalking, literary voiceovers, and increasingly ludicrous plot twists, Netflix’s You has come to a controversial close—and critics aren’t exactly applauding the final act.

Once hailed as a darkly entertaining satire of romantic obsession in the age of social media, You began as a cult hit, with Penn Badgley’s charismatic performance as serial killer Joe Goldberg drawing both fascination and horror.

But as the show dragged Joe through city after city, identity after identity, its sharp commentary dulled—and reviewers say the final season crosses the line from campy fun to outright frustration. Before we write our caustic opinions on it, here's a look at what the reviews are saying:

The Guardian called the finale “so bad that it’s offensive,” criticising the series for abandoning its satirical edge and instead offering a tone-deaf send-off that confuses sympathy with redemption.

“You doesn’t condemn Joe. It celebrates him,” writes critic Rebecca Nicholson, arguing that the show’s inability to take a stance on its morally bankrupt lead is its ultimate undoing.

Rolling Stone lamented that the final season “throws everything at the wall—wealth satire, internet mobs, old flames, and murder cages—and still manages to feel hollow.” The show’s signature second-person narration and twisty storytelling, once part of its charm, now feel like worn-out gimmicks. “Even Joe’s internal monologues sound like he’s over it,” the review noted.

The AV Club offered a similarly lukewarm take, saying You “forgot how to be trashy fun,” with much of the season bogged down in a self-serious tone and clunky commentary on class and fame. “It’s trying to be prestige TV now,” the review joked, “but we miss the crazy exes and glass boxes.”

That said, not all the feedback has been brutal. Some critics praised the show’s attempt to bring the story full circle—returning Joe to New York, reintroducing familiar characters, and shining a light (however fleetingly) on his past sins. The fan-service moments, from blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos to callbacks to earlier seasons, were noted as satisfying for long-time viewers.

Still, the consensus seems clear: You ends not with a bang, but with a shrug. What was once a twisted, addictive thriller has fizzled into an identity crisis of a finale—leaving many fans and critics asking the same question: why did we ever root for Joe in the first place?