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In the entertainment industry, the romance genre has frequently used a wide range of perspectives - from star-crossed lovers to fiery affairs, the genre of romance has explored every facet of this captivating emotion. Whether it's the sweeping grandeur of epic romance, the playful flirtation of romantic comedy, or the dark allure of forbidden love, the genre of romance has something for every heart to behold. But what happens when you sprinkle the goodness of comedy into the romance genre? We get a perfect blend of two of the most universally relatable themes - love and laughter. It's a winning combination that ensures that we not only root for the characters to end up together but also enjoy the journey to get there. The witty banter, the hilarious misunderstandings, and the quirky characters keep us hooked and entertained throughout and Jenny Han's bestselling novel To All the Boys I've Loved Before movie adaptation served exactly that and went on to become a fan favorite for these very reasons.
A sweet, balanced mix of romance and wholesome family-friend bonding, the trilogy of film adaptations for the books sadly came to an end in 2021. Following the success of the franchise and much to the delight of many, 2023 brings a new spin-off series - XO, Kitty, focusing on one of the much-loved characters, the youngest Covey sister - Kitty. The conclusion of the trilogy focused on Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) deciding to stay together despite the difficulties of long-distance relationships and in a much similar rom-com fashion, this theme will be the driving plot line for Kitty’s story in the series.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on May 18 with the latest trailer and footage.
When and Where Is XO, Kitty Releasing?
As the last part of the trilogy had its successful run when it was released in 2021, a month later in March, it was announced that a series spin-off to To All the Boys is in development, with each episode being a half-hour romantic comedy. In October Netflix officially gave the spin-off series a green light, making it the first-ever live-action series based on a Netflix original film.
The series got its confirmed release date two years later in the same month when it was announced that all 10 episodes of XO, Kitty will be released together on May 18, 2023. Much like its predecessor, you can catch what Kitty is up to as a teenager on Netflix and while you wait, why not have a movie marathon of all three parts of All the Boys exclusively available on Netflix?
Is There a Trailer for XO, Kitty?
To coincide with the announcement of the premiere date, Netflix released an exclusive first clip from the series on March 22, 2023. In the clip, we can see a now grown-up Kitty, arguing her case to her father and stepmother for letting her attend the very same boarding school her mother once attended in Korea. Coincidentally enough, or as Kitty corrects, fatefully, it also happens to be the same school where her current long-time boyfriend, Dae studies. "I know when two people are meant for each other’’ and in a true Kitty fashion and aware of her prowess as a matchmaker, she has come prepared with a presentation that opens with a picture of Lara Jean and Peter as we re-witness the buzzing chemistry in the 3-second flashback, while also reminding her father of her part in his relationship with Trina.
On April 25, 2023, we finally got the official trailer for XO, Kitty, which you can watch below. This was also followed by a featurette with Jenny Han on May 1, in which the author breaks down what to expect from the series. And that's not all! To coincide with the series premiere on May 18, Netflix has released the first seven minutes of footage from the show. Unfortunately, we can't embed it here but you can watch the video on this page on Netflix Tudum.
Who Is in the Cast of XO, Kitty?
Anna Cathcart is all set to charm her way again into the audience’s heart as she reprises her role as Kitty Covey. After making her debut in the movie, Kitty straight away became a fan favorite. Although she was the primary driver behind the delivery of Lara Jean's letters to her crushes, she was also a huge supporter of both Lara Jean and Peter, and in XO, Kitty is all set to follow her sister's romantic fantasies by making them come true for herself in the coming future. Joining her is Choi Min-Yeong who will replace Ho-Young Jeon in the role of Kitty's long-distance boyfriend, who isn't too big of a Harry Potter fan as opposed to Kitty-the Potterhead. Choi has been a part of many popular K-Dramas like Itaewon Class, Chicago Typewriter, and the recent Twenty-Five Twenty-One, but this will be his first American Netflix series.
Alongside the duo and starring in the role of Kitty’s classmates, we have Gia Kim as Yuri, Sang Heon Lee as Min Ho, Peter Thurnwald as Alex, Regan Aliyah as Juliana, and Anthony Keyvan as Q. Anthony is well-known for his work in the Love, Victor spinoff series, which is based on the 2018 film Love, Simon. Other cast members include Yunjin Kim as Jina, Michael K Lee as Professor Lee, and Jocelyn Shelfo as Madison. The first-look clip also revealed that John Corbett and Sarayu Rao will be reprising their roles as Kitty's father and step-mother, Dan Covey and Trina Rothschild, though it is currently unknown how much they'll be in the series as it will mainly take place overseas.
What Is XO, Kitty About?
If we are being honest, we have seen Kitty grow up from a 9-year-old witty matchmaker to an even wittier teenager and now to have a show solely dedicated to her and her quest for love, it's no surprise that it’s one of my most anticipated releases people are very much looking forward to this year. XO, Kitty takes place a few years after the third installment of the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series, Always and Forever, in which we were introduced to Kitty’s uber-cute love interest Dae. During their spring break family trip to Seoul, Kitty requests a cute stranger to take their family's picture. Overwhelmed and flustered, she fumbles through the introductions as Kitty and Dae have the ultimate meet-cute. While not much of their relationship was shown in the movie, much to many people’s disappointment, XO, Kitty is all set to fix that.
We last saw the youngest Song Covey sister four years ago and since then, a few things have changed; of which primarily, Kitty's main character energy is the biggest glow-up. Kitty, who is eager to create her mark, is all set to move away from her home in Portland, Oregon to enroll at KISS, the Korean Independent School of Seoul, where her mother previously attended. And as fate would have it, Dae, Kitty's now long-term, long-distance boyfriend, also happens to be a student of KISS. But things aren’t as simple as they once were for our favorite love expert especially when matters of your own heart are involved.
Here is the official synopsis:
‘’Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love. But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she'll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it's your own heart on the line.’’
Who Is Making XO, Kitty?
The half-hour episodic series will be developed as a Netflix exclusive and is being created by Awesomeness and ACE Entertainment. Jenny Han, the author of the original books, also co-wrote the pilot script with Siobhan Vivian and serve as the show's creator, writer, and executive producer. Together with Han, Sascha Rothchild and Matt Kaplan are the show's executive producers; with the former also serving as the showrunner alongside Han. Series directors include Jennifer Arnold (Emily in Paris), Jeff Chan (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Pamela Romanowksy (Riverdale), and Katina Medina Mora (Emily in Paris).