Love, Victor

Deeply loved by lots of cinemagoers, Love, Simon has nonetheless been criticized for its privileged, white point of view, which this sweet spin-off series seems determined to subvert from the very first scenes. As the camera pans over boxes filled with trophies, a drawing of the state of Texas, and a Puerto Rican flag, we understand that Victor comes from a different background than Simon's polished upper-middle-class origins; the subsequent scene of Victor's mom trying to find the right place for the family's crucifix points out a few more wrinkles in Victor's story. Victor is different from Simon, whom he (improbably) knows all about, to the extent that he begins the show by shooting a DM to his predecessor: "Dear Simon: Screw you."

Of course, viewers will note that Victor, like Simon, is also a handsome guy who can easily pass for straight, who has a loving (if more fraught) relationship with his parents, and who quickly develops a cadre of supportive friends. Gritty TV this is not. But Love, Victor does amp up the interesting complications a bit by having Victor develop a halting relationship with a girl that seems to be less about Victor hiding his sexuality and more about exploring fluidity and introducing LGBTQ characters who vary a bit on the heteronormative scale yet are still whole, realistic people with nuance and agency. As a teen series in an era when LGBTQ representation is blooming, Love, Victor isn't as groundbreaking as it might have been at another time. But it's charming and easy to love, just like Victor himself.