Hulu has released an official trailer for its Love, Simon TV show spinoff, Love, Victor. An adaptation of the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, the movie Love, Simon was released by Fox in 2018. It was noteworthy for being the rare mainstream rom-com to feature a queer teenaged protagonist and was both a critical and commercial hit. This prompted Disney to order a spinoff series following their acquisition of Fox's movie and TV assets last year (including, the now-defunct Fox 2000 Pictures label, which produced Love, Simon).
Titled Love, Victor, the TV show spinoff follows Victor (Michael Cimino), a closeted high schooler, as he adjusts to his new life at Simon Spier's alma mater, Creekwood High School. The show made headlines earlier this year after it was dubbed "too mature" for Disney+ and moved to Hulu, but is now entering the final stages of marketing ahead of its premiere on the latter service.
With less than a month to go before it launches, the official Love, Victor trailer has dropped online. Check it out, below.
Judging by the trailer, it looks like Love, Victor tackles some uncomfortable issues that Love, Simon simply didn't address. For starters, Victor's parents (Ana Ortiz and James Martinez) aren't necessarily as accepting of their son being queer as Simon's parents were, and the move to a new city puts a strain on their marriage. Victor's exploration of his sexual orientation on the show appears to be similarly complicated, as he even mentions to Simon while sending an email to him. Speaking of which, Nick Robinson was already confirmed to reprise his role as Simon for Love, Victor and will serve as the series' narrator (in addition to showing up in the flesh at some point, one presumes). He's not the only Love, Simon movie actor who's coming back for the spinoff either, as the trailer confirms Keiynan Lonsdale is also returning as Bram (Simon's classmate-turned boyfriend).
Really, it's a shame Love, Victor isn't streaming on Disney+. There's nothing explicit or graphic about the footage released so far, and topics like martial strife and sexual attraction (plus, as seen in the trailer, teen drinking) are rarely explored in Disney-exclusive series. A good-natured and generally cute-looking show like this could've given parents who watch Disney+ with their kids a way to talk about these issues without stigmatizing them. That being said, showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger appear to have done a good job of telling another worthwhile story set in the Love, Simon universe without rehashing their work on the film (which they wrote). So, all in all, this spinoff is absolutely still worth checking out.
Love, Victor begins streaming Friday, June 19 on Hulu.
Source: Hulu