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Netflix Officially Orders To All The Boys Spinoff Show XO, Kitty
Netflix confirms its plans to develop a spinoff series of their To All The Boys franchise called XO, Kitty. The To All The Boys franchise includes three films adapted from Jenny Han’s New York Times best-seller book series of the same name. The first film, titled To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was released in 2018, followed by the second film in 2020, titled P.S. I Still Love You, and the third, and last, film in February 2021, titled Always and Forever. With the rising star power of Laura Condor, Noah Centineo, and Anna Cathcart, the first film was a huge success for Netflix, beating out several of their other summer rom-coms from 2018.
The films follow high school junior Laura-Jean Covey (Condor) in her misadventures in fake dating Peter Kavinsky (Centineo) when a series of letters she’s written to boys she’s loved in the past get mailed to their recipients by her younger sister Kitty (Cathcart). The two following films remain focused on Laura-Jean and Peter’s relationship as complications from other letters arise and what the couple’s future looks like as college approaches. Kitty became a fan favorite from the films, especially as her character grew in prominence as the franchise continued, even leading some fans to think Kitty deserved to be the focus of any future franchise films. The youngest Covey wears many hats, including matchmaker and confidant, while maintaining the brash, unapologetically weird but loving younger sibling archetype.
Today, THR reported that Netflix has officially ordered a spinoff series called XO, Kitty with Cathcart reprising her role. Netflix ordered ten, thirty-minute episodes of the show, though there is no indication if this will be a limited series or the first season of a longer series. The upcoming series focuses on Kitty’s continued efforts as a matchmaker and her adventures in love as she realizes how complicated relationships can be when she moves halfway around the world to be with her long-distance boyfriend. The conflict Kitty faces makes her realize how difficult it is to be involved in a relationship when it’s her own heart at stake.
Han, the author of the original novels, has a creator credit for the show and will also be serving as a co-showrunner with Sascha Rothchild. Rothchild has worked on critically acclaimed Netflix shows including GLOW and The Baby-Sitters Club. The project also includes Matt Kaplan from ACE Entertainment and the original production studio for the To All The Boys films, Awesomeness Studios. Awesomeness Studios has previously worked on the Netflix series, Trinkets, and Hulu’s critical success, Pen15.
With some fans hoping for a fourth film to be added to the franchise, the To All The Boys spinoff series is a better choice for the future of the characters, especially as the franchise moves its focus away from Laura-Jean to Kitty. Cathart's Kitty is the one who sets the plot in the first film in motion while she doesn’t quite understand the stakes or consequences for her actions. This added a fun and youthful air to the character, but larger themes of the films are about growth, maturity, and learning the difference between a fantasy and reality. The upcoming series promises character growth for Kitty, which she was on the verge of in the final film. From the production team’s previous work and the inclusion of Han in the project, XO, Kitty feels like it is in the position to make a good addition to the To All The Boys franchise.
