Love, Victor

Did You Know?

• Nick Robinson, who played Simon in Love, Simon, produces and narrates the series, appearing in person in the eighth episode of season 1 and the tenth episode of season 2.
• The third and final season premiered on June 15, 2022, and was released simultaneously on Disney+.

Premise

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.

Cast and characters

Michael Cimino stars as Victor Salazar, a new student at Creekwood High School struggling with his identity surrounding his sexual orientation and adjusting to a new city. Rachel Hilson plays Mia Brooks, Victor's smart friend and ex-girlfriend who has a quick wit and an easy laugh. Anthony Turpel plays Felix Westen, Victor's awkward neighbor and best friend. Bebe Wood plays Lake Meriwether, Mia's social media-obsessed best friend who dated Felix before coming out as queer in the third season and starts dating Lucy.

Casting

Mason Gooding plays Andrew, Creekwood's cocky and popular basketball-loving jock. George Sear plays Benji Campbell, Victor's openly gay, confident and charming crush at Creekwood High School, and his first boyfriend. Isabella Ferreira plays Pilar Salazar, Victor's goth younger sister troubled with her new life. Mateo Fernandez plays Adrian Salazar, Victor's little brother.

James Martinez plays Armando Salazar, Victor's father, a blue-collar man who works hard for his family. Ana Ortiz plays Isabel Salazar, Victor's mother who is under a lot of pressure after a move to a new city. Anthony Keyvan appears as Rahim (season 3; recurring season 2), Pilar's friend who comes from a religious Iranian Muslim family who develops a crush on Victor. Ava Capri appears as Lucy (season 3; recurring season 2), Benji's friend and Andrew's ex-girlfriend who later becomes romantically involved with Lake.

Main

Nick Robinson, reprising his role as Simon Spier from Love, Simon, mostly appears via voice-over, narrating Simon's messages to Victor; he appears in person in the eighth episode of the first season and the tenth episode of the second season, and did not reprise his role in the third season. Recurring cast includes Mekhi Phifer as Harold Brooks, Abigail Killmeier as Wendy, Charlie Hall as Kieran, AJ Carr as Teddy, Sophia Bush as Veronica, Lukas Gage as Derek, Betsy Brandt as Dawn Westen, Julie Benz as Shelby, Nico Greetham as Nick, and Tyler Lofton as Connor.

Production

In April 2019, Disney+ gave the 20th Century Fox Television–produced show – based on the film Love, Simon – a straight-to-series order, with the writers of the original movie, Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, attached as showrunners. In February 2020, the series was retitled Love, Victor and moved to Hulu, with a scheduled premiere date in June 2020. 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. Casting began in June 2019 with Ana Ortiz as Isabel.

In mid-August, the full cast was announced, with Michael Cimino as the lead, Victor, along with James Martinez, Isabella Ferreira, Mateo Fernandez, Johnny Sequoyah as Mia, Bebe Wood, George Sear, Anthony Turpel, and Mason Gooding. Later that month, Rachel Hilson replaced Johnny Sequoyah as Mia to take the character in a new creative direction.

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.

Reception

Whip Media reported Love, Victor was the most anticipated new television series in June 2020 and the top show on the rise. Hulu announced it was the most-watched drama on the platform during its premiere week. Parrot Analytics reported a 180.1% month-on-month demand increase from May to June 2021. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a 90% approval rating based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.13/10.

The second season has a 100% approval rating based on 23 reviews, with an average score of 8.1/10. The third season holds an 87% approval rating based on 15 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10. Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews.