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Netflix Positively Shocks Fans By Renewing Sapphic Rom-Com 'XO, Kitty'
Did Netflix just break the sapphic cancelation curse?
The sapphic rom-com series XO, Kitty just got renewed by Netflix for a second season!
This is especially surprising given the streaming giant’s penchant for canceling popular shows — especially queer ones. In the past year alone Netflix has given the ax to LGBTQ+ faves like Fate: The Winx Saga, Warrior Nun, First Kill, Q-Force, and Uncoupled.
The series was renewed less than a month after all 10 episodes of the first season dropped on May 18, likely in part because the show managed to rack up 72 million hours of viewing worldwide in its first week.
pssst... XO, Kitty has been renewed for Season 2!!!
— Netflix (@netflix) June 14, 2023
Pass it on pic.twitter.com/YLOVaZ1QpU
XO, Kitty is a spin-off tv series of the wildly popular To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movies and follows Laura Jean’s younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart), who was introduced to fans in the movies. The first season follows Kitty as she moves to South Korea to attend boarding school in an attempt to get closer to her long-distance boyfriend Dae (Minyeong Choi).
But don’t worry, this isn’t a heteronormative rom-com like the original movies because once Kitty gets to South Korea she finds that Dae has a new girlfriend named Yuri (Gia Kim). What starts as a rivalry between the two young women quickly transforms into a love triangle that has Kitty questioning her feelings. Luckily Kitty finds a friend and confidante in her gay roommate Quincey ‘Q’ Shabazian (Anthony Keyvan).
Fans of the series have taken to social media to express their shock that Netflix would renew a show with queer characters.
“THANK YOU FOR THIS! I adored this quirky, fun show and its loveable characters. I didn't expect a renew on a Sapphic show, but I'm glad you came to your senses and chose to tell more of Kitty's lovely story,” someone tweeted.
Another person commented, “xo kitty broke the sapphic main character cancellation curse!”
Some people even think the show was only renewed because it's based on a franchise with a straight love story, "a netflix show with a canonically sapphic main character and major sapphic storylines actually got renewed and honestly it's probably because it's a spinoff of a famous straight franchise but a win is a win."
THANK YOU FOR THIS! I adored this quirky, fun show and its loveable characters. I didn't expect a renew on a Sapphic show, but I'm glad you came to your senses and chose to tell more of Kitty's lovely story.
— healy 💫 ben gross ily (@matthewsvoyage) June 14, 2023
xo kitty broke the sapphic main character cancellation curse ! https://t.co/NrAUkYJM4D pic.twitter.com/eib0dLfiQd
— mj (@yeetedhoe) June 14, 2023
a netflix show with a canonically sapphic main character and major sapphic storylines actually got renewed and honestly it's probably because it's a spinoff of a famous straight franchise but a win is a win pic.twitter.com/n2i4GxRmkZ
— jules (@rinazenik) June 14, 2023
While Kitty and Yuri have yet to get together on the show, in an interview with Digital Spy Cathcart talked about Kitty’s journey of self-discovery.
"I think it's very comforting to see somebody who doesn't have the answer,” she said. “It's not like she's finding herself, and she finds it; she's still finding it, and it's a process.”
Because many parents react negatively to finding out their kid is queer, Cathcart recognized how much a scene where Kitty’s father embraces her could impact the LGBTQ+ fans of the show.
"She doesn't have to attach herself to a label right away. When she talks to her father, he's very accepting,” Cathcart said. “I hope parents can see that, and I hope kids can see that. I hope it opens conversations, and opens positive mindsets, because it was very special. So it was really cool to have that portrayed in her journey."
Fingers crossed season two brings us all the sapphic scenes we’re craving!
You can stream season one of XO, Kitty on Netflix.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
