Spoilers below.
If you love teen rom-coms or romantic K-dramas—or better yet, both—it’s more than likely XO, Kitty is your latest Netflix binge. The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spin-off focuses on Kitty, the third Covey sister who infamously sent Lara Jean’s love letters, setting off the events for the entire trilogy. But this time, she isn’t a mischievous younger sibling or backseat driver; she’s the main character of her own love story (or stories?) as she attends the elite Korean Independent School of Seoul, her late mother’s alma mater. There, she plans to reunite IRL with her boyfriend Dae after years of long-distance dating, and learn more about her mom, Eve Song.
But things don’t all go according to plan. Kitty discovers Dae is in another relationship, which turns out to be fake; she falls behind in classes; she’s navigating her sexuality; and she even learns her mother had another child years before she was born (of course she goes looking for said child). And we thought Lara Jean had a lot on her plate.
Helmed by showrunners Jenny Han (who wrote the To All the Boys books) and Sascha Rothchild, XO, Kitty is an adorable teen romance with K-drama influences, from swoon-worthy slo-mo moments to familial conflict. Minyeong Choi, who plays Dae, is a K-drama star himself. The show even boasts a K-pop-heavy soundtrack with songs from Twice, Stray Kids, BTS, Seventeen, and Blackpink.
If you’re looking for more XO, Kitty, here’s what to know.
Has XO, Kitty been renewed for season 2?
Yes! Netflix announced the renewal on June 14, almost a month after the show’s season 1 premiere on May 18. The cast celebrated the news with a video on social media. Further details (such as plot points, cast, and release date) will be shared in the future.
Keep in mind, the Writers’ Guild of America strike is ongoing, so it may take a while for the show to return to our screens until the writers reach fair negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (which includes Netflix).
Who’s in the cast?
The season 1 cast consists of Anna Cathcart as Kitty, along with:
- Minyeong Choi (Twenty Five Twenty One) as Dae Heon Kim, Kitty’s long-distance boyfriend
- Gia Kim as Yuri Han, Dae’s fake girlfriend and Kitty’s nemesis—or so we think
- Sang Heon Lee (Gran Turismo) as Min Ho, Dae’s friend and roommate
- Anthony Keyvan (Love, Victor) as Quincy “Q” Shabazian, Dae’s friend who befriends Kitty
- Théo Augier (Endless Night) as Florian, Q’s love interest
- Yunjin Kim (Lost, Money Heist: Korea) as Jina Lim, Yuri’s stern mother and the principal of KISS who shares a past with Kitty’s late mom
- Peter Thurnwald (Young Rock) as Alex Finnerty, a teacher at KISS originally from Melbourne
- Michael K. Lee (The Shield) as Professor Lee, a super strict teacher at KISS
- Jocelyn Shelfo (The Summer I Turned Pretty) as Madison Miller, a classmate at KISS
- Regan Aliyah as Juliana, Yuri’s love interest
There were also a few cameos from John Corbett as Kitty’s dad, Dr. Dan Covey. And K-pop star Taecyeon of 2PM plays onscreen idol Ocean Park in episode 8. Could next season bring any more cameos from the original To All the Boys stars?
Well, in June 2023, Lana Condor did hint that she’s open to the idea. In an interview with TheWrap, she said, “I would definitely never say never [to returning]. I mean, I think it’s pretty clear that I love the To All the Boys world and have dedicated a lot of my young adulthood to it. To me, that world feels like home.”
However, Condor added she hasn’t spoken with Jenny Han.
“I also know that a writers’ strike is happening so it makes sense, but I’m so excited for her,” she said.
And will there be any new additions to the cast? We’ll have to wait and see.
Cathcart as Kitty and Gia Kim as Yuri.
What would season 2 be about?
There are a lot of places the show could go after the season 1 finale. First, let’s start with our girl Kitty. Would season 2 find her in Seoul or back in Portland? And will her future romantic entanglements include both Yuri and Min Ho? Or maybe someone new from the States? Let’s back track.
After coming all this way to finally become a real couple with Dae, their relationship gets thrown off balance as she develops feelings for their classmate and Dae’s former fake girlfriend, Yuri. When Kitty tells Dae she has feelings for her, he takes off. While Kitty does pass her finals, her secret living situation in the boys’ dorm comes to light, leading to her expulsion from KISS.
She packs her things, says her goodbyes, and heads to the airport, where Dae catches her last minute before she enters her gate. There, they make their breakup official, though in the most heartwarming way possible, with mutual respect and care for each other. “You’ll always be the first boy I loved,” she tells him. When they part ways, Kitty bumps into Yuri, and decides to confess her feelings for her but is interrupted by Juliana, who finally reunites with Yuri after being sent away. (Yuri’s mother finally accepted her for who she is and arranged for Juliana’s return.) Kitty leaves the couple to themselves, but when Yuri notices she’s gone, she calls her mother, the principal of KISS, telling her to reconsider expelling Kitty from the school. Maybe Kitty would be able to return to Seoul in season 2 after all.
When she boards her plane, Kitty ends up sitting next to none other than Min Ho, who is heading to Los Angeles to meet his actress mother. After she reveals that she and Dae are broken up for good, Min Ho, who had steamy dreams about Kitty earlier in the semester, takes this moment to confess his love for her. “I think I fell in love with you a little bit or…a lot,” he says before their plane takes off. It’s going to be a long flight!
Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee) drops a bombshell on Kitty in the XO, Kitty season 1 finale.
Whether Kitty ends up completing an enemies-to-lovers arc with Min Ho, or entering a love triangle with Yuri and Juliana, or both, there are more plot points to explore in season 2 as well. We could see more of Yuri’s blended family with Alex, her teacher and newly discovered half brother, whom her mother secretly welcomed with Professor Lee decades ago and put up for adoption. The finale sees the four of them coming together as a family unit, but time will tell how Jina’s husband, the powerful and image-concerned businessman Mr. Han, will feel about that.
I’m personally also hoping for more Florian and Q, although the finale showed their relationship is on the rocks after Q discovers Florian cheated on his exams and took the top spot in the class. Florian had his reasons; he was distracted from his studies by his relationship and his parents’ messy divorce. However, his pushing Dae to second place in the school ranking means Dae loses his scholarship to KISS. So where will he end up next season?
It’s also possible that future episodes reveal more about Kitty’s mom, Eve Song. She’s the real reason why Kitty attended KISS in the first place.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.