Love, Victor is an American teen comedy drama television series created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, inspired by and set in the same world as the 2018 film Love, Simon. The series premiered on June 17, 2020, on Hulu and ended on June 15, 2022, with 28 episodes over three seasons. It is produced by 20th Television, with Aptaker and Berger serving as showrunners.
Michael Cimino stars as Victor, a teen from a half Puerto Rican, half Colombian-American family living in Atlanta, alongside George Sear, Rachel Hilson, Bebe Wood, Anthony Turpel, Isabella Ferreira, Ana Ortiz, James Martinez, Mason Gooding, and Mateo Fernandez. Nick Robinson, who starred as the titular Simon in the original film, produces and narrates the series. The second season premiered on June 11, 2021. In July 2021, the series was renewed for a third and final season which premiered on June 15, 2022, and was released simultaneously on Disney+. During the course of the series, 28 episodes of Love, Victor were released over three seasons, between June 17, 2020, and June 15, 2022.
The first season focuses on a new student at Creekwood High School, Victor. The series follows his journey of self-discovery: facing challenges at home and struggling with his sexual orientation. He reaches out to Simon when it seems too difficult for him to navigate through high school.
The second season deals with the aftermath of his coming out and follows Victor as he navigates through the challenging times with his family, while also dealing with his relationship with Benji, which is tested multiple times, due in part to Victor's family.
In the third season, although they are still in their junior year, Victor, and his friends and family alike find themselves in certain situations and make some tough, yet life-changing decisions for their future outside of Creekwood.
Nick Robinson, reprising his role as Simon Spier from Love, Simon, mostly appears via voice-over, narrating Simon's messages to Victor. Robinson appears as Simon in person in the eighth episode of the first season and the tenth episode of the second season. Robinson did not reprise his role in the third season.
In April 2019, Disney+ gave the 20th Century Fox TelevisionâÂÂproduced showbased on the film Love, Simona straight-to-series order, with the writers of the original movie, Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, attached as showrunners. The show would focus on brand new characters and would be set in the same world as the movie.
In February 2020, the series was retitled Love, Victor and moved to Hulu, with a scheduled premiere date in June 2020, making it the second seriesafter High Fidelityto move from Disney+ to Hulu. In April 2020, it was announced that the series was scheduled to premiere on June 19, 2020. On June 10, 2020, the premiere date was moved up to June 17, 2020, to give Juneteenth its own day in the spotlight. On August 7, 2020, Hulu renewed the series for a second season which premiered on June 11, 2021, and consists of 10 episodes. On July 30, 2021, Hulu renewed the series for a third season. On February 8, 2022, Hulu announced that the third season will be its last.
In June 2019, Ana Ortiz was cast as Isabel. In mid-August, the series' full cast was announced, with Michael Cimino as the lead, Victor. Also announced were James Martinez as Armando, Isabella Ferreira as Pilar, Mateo Fernandez as Adrian, Johnny Sequoyah as Mia, Bebe Wood as Lake, George Sear as Benji, Anthony Turpel as Felix, and Mason Gooding as Andrew. It was also announced that Nick Robinson, who starred in the film, would produce and narrate the series. Later that month, it was reported that Rachel Hilson had been cast as Mia, replacing Sequoyah. The recast was made in order to take the character in a new creative direction. On October 23, 2019, it was also announced that Sophia Bush had been cast as Veronica, Mia's father's new girlfriend.
In November 2020, Betsy Brandt was announced as having been cast in the second as Dawn, Felix's mother, who struggles with mental health issues. Ava Capri and Anthony Keyvan were also announced as joining the second-season cast. In March 2022, Nico Greetham was booked in a recurring role for the final season.
Filming began in August 2019, in Los Angeles, with Amy York Rubin directing the first episode. Filming for the second season began on November 9, 2020. Filming for the third season began on November 8, 2021.
The soundtrack EP for the first season, featuring three new songs by LGBT artists and all co-written by Leland, was released on June 19, 2020, by Hollywood Records. The soundtrack album for the second season, featuring eight new songs by LGBT artists and all co-written by Leland, was released on June 11, 2021, by Hollywood Records. Season 2 also featured Blonde Maze's version of "Fade Into You" in episode 4. The soundtrack EP for the third and final season, featuring three new songs by LGBT artists and all co-written and produced by Leland, was released on June 15, 2022, by Hollywood Records. The EP also includes a cover of the 1982 hit "Only You" by Yazoo.
The series premiered on June 17, 2020, pushed up from a June 19 release date, on Hulu in the United States. Internationally, the series premiered on Disney+ under the dedicated streaming hub Star on February 23, 2021. The second season was released on June 11, 2021, on Hulu and premiered internationally on June 18, 2021, on Disney+'s Star. On Disney+, the first two seasons episodes premiered on a weekly basis.
The 8-episode third and final season was released on June 15, 2022. On that date, Love, Victor was also made available in the United States on Disney+. Internationally, the complete season was released simultaneously on Disney+'s Star. In the United Kingdom, the series was acquired by BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
Whip Media, which monitors consumers' viewing habits worldwide, reported that Love, Victor was the most anticipated new television series in June 2020. It also became the top show on the rise, based on week-over-week growth in episodes watched, during the week ending June 21, 2020. Hulu announced that the series was the most-watched drama on the platform during its premiere week in June 2020. The series was also the most-binged original drama on Hulu during its first week and the second-most binged original overall, after Solar Opposites. According to market research company Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, Love, Victor saw a 180.1% month-on-month increase in demand from May to June 2021. Following its June 2021 premiere, demand for the series surged by 485.6% week-over-week. In June 2022, Whip Media's TV Time app,which tracks viewership data for the more than 21 million worldwide users, reported that the show was the fifth most-watched original series during the week of June 19, 2022.
For the first season, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 90% based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.13/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Michael Cimino charms in Love, Victor, a sincere and sweetâÂÂif safeâÂÂspin-off with a lot of heart." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The second season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 8.1/10 based on 23 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Grounded by its talented cast, Love, Victor grows into itself with a mature second season that confronts difficult situations with care."
The third season holds an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 7.8/10 based on 15 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Love, Victor signs off with a valentine to its viewers, delivering a gentle denouement full of grace notes."