Heads up, those of you keen on more feel-good content from Netflix: The streaming giant is extending the universe of one of its biggest original movie franchises — the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movies, based on the YA book series from Jenny Han — with the launch of a 10-episode spinoff series, focused on Kitty Song Covey and titled XO, Kitty.
Kitty, the younger sister of the franchise’s main character Laura Jean, is really who helped push Laura Jean and her crush Peter Kavinsky together in the first place, and now it’s time for the spunky 16-year-old to get a story all her own. And before we get into the story and all the details below, let me just add that I found these movies to be the kind of breath of fresh air and dose of positivity that I’m constantly longing for from Netflix content — notwithstanding that I’m probably nowhere close age-wise to the target demographic of these stories.
I’m also a total softie, just to put all my cards on the table.
XO, Kitty release date, trailer & more
In this spinoff series from Awesomeness Studios and ACE Entertainment, which hits Netflix on May 18, Anna Cathcart reprises her role as Kitty, and she’s now ready to make her own mark on the world. “She’s stepping into the fore — picking up the baton from Lara Jean,” co-showrunner Sascha Rothchild says, in a Netflix promotional interview.
As far as the story goes: Kitty leaves her Portland, Oregon, home behind to attend the same school her mom went to, the Korean Independent School of Seoul (aka KISS). Coincidentally, Kitty’s long-term, long-distance boyfriend, Dae (Minyeong Choi), also goes to KISS. And what Kitty ends up learning is that relationships are a lot easier to manage — like prodding her sister to get with a guy — when your own heart isn’t on the line.
“XO, Kitty really is Kitty’s story and that’s part of the reason why I really wanted to set this story in a different place,” Han, who’s also a co-showrunner for this series, tells Netflix. “If you see the Covey house that we all know and love and their high school in Portland, you’d probably just be thinking, ‘Oh, what’s Lara Jean up to?’”
The episodes are each 30 minutes long, which makes for a tighter show that’s much easier to binge without feeling like you’re having to slog through a new release. That’s at least how I feel with a lot of new TV Netflix releases these days. Who has the time?
A preview of the show
In addition to the trailer offering a first glimpse at footage from XO, Kitty above, meanwhile, check out images from the show below, courtesy of Netflix.
