TV & Movies
9 TV Shows & Movies Penn Badgley Fans Need To Watch After 'YOU'
Hello, you. And by “you,” we mean Woodchuck Todd.
Once Penn Badgley’s thriller series You made the big move from Lifetime to Netflix, viewers couldn’t get enough of the psychological thriller. The psychological thriller introduced us to the Gossip Girl alum’s chilling portrayal of bookstore manager Joe and his obsession with a customer named Guinevere — and things only get creepier from there. If you've already finished marathoning the first three seasons, there's a good chance you need more TV shows and movies starring Badgley in your life. Thankfully, the actor's career includes plenty of titles that will keep you entertained while you wait for Season 4 of You to premiere.
Badgley announced back in 2015 that he'd be taking a break from TV and focusing on roles in indie projects like Adam Green’s Aladdin, as well as working on music with his band MOTHXR. But despite his post-Gossip Girl break, he has plenty of roles you’d want to add to your watchlist. Before playing Dan Humphrey, Badgley was Brittany Snow's nerdy crush in John Tucker Must Die. While still on Gossip Girl, he played Todd, Emma Stone’s love interest in Easy A. And before all of that, he acted in multiple WB shows, like the college-set drama The Bedford Diaries.
Here's a list of some of Badgley's best movie and TV show roles you definitely need to watch — or rewatch.
1Gossip Girl
Badgley has been on TV since he was a kid, but he won over fans with his role as Brooklyn-based broody heartthrob Dan. Dan was the moral compass of the show, but the Brooklynite, like his Upper East Side classmates, also found himself involved in some questionable affairs. He’s also considered a legend in the 2021 reboot of the series, so he must have done something right. You can marathon the whole show again on HBO Max.
2Adam Green's Aladdin
Have you ever wished Badgley was a Disney prince? Well, even though The Moldy Peaches' Adam Green didn't make a Disney flick, he did create a re-imagined indie version of Aladdin, with Badgley playing a new character: the Prince of Monaco. Along with Badgley, the movie stars a number of impressive names, including Macaulay Culkin, Natasha Lyonne, Alia Shawkat, Zoë Kravitz, and Green as Aladdin. Luckily, Green uploaded the film on YouTube for free.
3The Bedford Diaries
Shortly before starring in The CW’s Gossip Girl, Badgley appeared in The WB’s similar, short-lived The Bedford Diaries series about college life in New York City and a handful of students taking a human sexuality class. Badgley plays one of those students, Owen Gregory, a freshman pre-med major who likes to record his thoughts on video. The format is reminiscent of Felicity, another show about collegiate life, but the narration may bring up memories of Joe in YOU. You can watch The Bedford Diaries on YouTube.
4Easy A
Before Stone became an A-lister, she starred in tons of teen comedies, including Easy A. And who better to play her love interest in it than Badgley? You can rent Badgley’s turn as the shirtless blue devil mascot before he’s demoted to a “much less intimidating” Woodchuck Todd on Amazon, Apple TV, and YouTube.
5John Tucker Must Die
In 2006’s John Tucker Must Die, Badgley was “unrecognizable” (read: had longer hair) as John Tucker's nerdy brother, Scott, who ends up becoming Kate's love interest. For the majority of the movie, Kate (Snow) has her sights set on John (Jesse Metcalfe) for devious reasons. Though she’s secretly sabotaging the star athlete the entire time, Scott still has a soft spot for Kate, and you can’t help but to root for Scott to win her attention. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.
6The Brothers Garcia
If you grew up watching Nickelodeon shows, chances are you watched The Brothers Garcia. But did you know Badgley appeared in a couple of episodes? Now would be the time to check out Badgley’s performance as Eddie Bauer on the show, as a reboot of the series is coming to HBO Max. His episodes, “School Daze” and “A Hunting We Will Go,” are available to watch on YouTube.
7Do Over
Badgley's first starring role in a TV show came via the short-lived Do Over, where he plays a depressed man who gets a chance to relive his early teen years. The series only lasted one season on The WB in 2002, but it offers a snapshot of life in the '80s. Music from popular bands of the era, like The Go-Gos and Dead or Alive, and nods to The Blues Brothers and Dead Poets Society are prominent in the Tom Everett Scott-narrated show. You can watch each episode on YouTube.
8The Mountain
Shortly after Do Over, Badgley starred in The WB’s The Mountain, a show about a family in charge of a ski resort. Badgley’s character, Sam Tunney, isn’t a part of the brood but does get himself entangled in a love triangle with his friend and one of the family members. Like most WB dramas and love triangles, things get complicated. Anyone interested in checking out the first and only season of The Mountain can do so on YouTube.
9The Slap
In 2015, Badgley claimed to have been “done with TV” after starring on The Slap, an NBC show based on the Australian TV show of the same name. In it, Badgley plays Jamie, an actor who is the brother of the protagonist's childhood friend. Of course, fans know Badgley’s TV hiatus was just temporary as he’s about to walk into his fourth season as the murderous and hypocritical Joe on YOU. You can watch The Slap on Tubi.
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