The First Trailer For 'XO KItty' Is Giving Cute 'TATB' Vibes

When the original adaptation of author Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before arrived on Netflix in the summer of 2018, an instant rom-com hit launched a trilogy of movies for the streaming service. But now that the To All The Boys saga is over, Netflix had to get a little creative to continue its corner of the Han-iverse. That’s why the next project isn’t an adaptation of a Han book, but rather a new story spun off of the To All The Boys franchise: a series called XO, Kitty, which will give the youngest Covey sister and franchise fan-favorite a story of her own.

Part of what made Lara Jean Covey’s story so realistic for fans in the To All The Boys films was her relationship with her family, especially her sisters. While the driver of the plot might have been Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s relationship ups and downs, it was her older sister Margot and her little sister Kitty who kept her grounded. With Lara Jean now off to college and Kitty coming of age, it’s natural that the story would focus on Kitty Song Covey and her budding matchmaking service. (Poor Margot! Maybe she can have a series next.)

Let’s run down everything we know about the new series so far.

XO, Kitty Filming Updates

On Oct. 18, 2021, Netflix tweeted to announce a new spinoff of the To All The Boys franchise was on the way. The new title will star Lara Jean Covey’s little sister, Kitty. Like the To All The Boys films, the new installment will be executive produced by author Jenny Han.

But there are also a few changes. For one thing, XO Kitty won’t be a film, but rather a 10-episode half-hour series. Secondly, Han will be the co-showrunner of this project instead of watching from the sidelines as a revolving cast of directors and writers adapted her story. Han will team up with showrunner Sascha Rothchild (GLOW) to take on the new series and has co-written the pilot with longtime collaborator Siobhan Vivian.

On April 5, Netflix announced production had started on the new series. Filming was underway in Seoul, South Korea, and directors confirmed, including Emily in Paris’ Jennifer Arnold, Adam Ruins Everything’s Jeff Chan, Riverdale’s Pamela Romanowsky, and Selena: The Series’ Katina Medina Mora.

XO, Kitty Cast

A story about Kitty Song Covey isn’t going to fly without the actor who won hearts in the role in the original series. TATB fans will be excited to learn actor Anna Cathcart, who originated the role in the films, will be back to continue playing Lara jean’s irrepressible little sister.

With filming underway on April 5, 2022, Netflix revealed the rest of the main cast. First up, the two boys who Kitty will find herself torn between: Choi Min-yeong (Dream Palace) will play Dae; Anthony Keyvan (Genera+ion) will play Q. Peter Thurnwald (Players) plays Alex, and Regan Aliyah (Club Mickey Mouse) plays Juliana. Plus, the show will introduce a pair of newcomers: Gia Kim as Yuri, and Sang Heon Lee as Min Ho.

Other recurring roles include Yunjin Kim (Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area) as Jina, Jocelyn Shelfo (who is also in the other Jenny Han series The Summer I Turned Pretty) as Madison, and stage actor Michael K Lee as Professor Lee.

So far, there is no indication whether Lana Condor or Janel Parrish will be back to reprise their roles as Kitty’s sisters Lara or Margot. (One assumes Noah Centineo is too busy running around the DC Universe right now to do more than write a letter or two.) Fans are also hoping John Corbett will reprise his role as the girls’ father, Daniel, and Sarayu Rao as his new wife, Trina, but those castings have not been confirmed yet either.

XO, Kitty Plot

Much like To All the Boys, the new series is a romantic comedy and an emotional drama rolled into one. Here’s the 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.

XO, Kitty Trailer & Release Date Predictions

In late March 2023, Netflix released a first look at the series and it all makes sense now. In the clip, Kitty, in true form, is presenting her parents a full deck about how she found pictures of her mother at boarding school, found out that it’s the same school that Dae goes to, and applied to the school in the name of finding herself and connecting to her mother. And of course, see Dae. She got the same scholarship and is basically just asking them to sign the permission slips already. They obviously say yes, since the series is slated to drop on May 18.