Love, Victor is the spinoff nobody expected to care about. It follows Victor Salazar, the gay teen whose parents send him from Lima to Seattle in the original Love, and it turns his story into a full season of high school drama. The show premiered in June 2020 on Hulu, and it has since become a quiet anchor for queer teens looking for stories about coming out, friendship, and the mess of growing up.
The show borrows its tone from the movie it spins off. It is warm, occasionally sentimental, and built around a central romance that feels less urgent than the stakes of its own supporting characters. But Love, Victor earns its place by doing something the original never attempted: it treats its young cast like actual people, not just symbols of identity.
Victor’s New Life in Seattle
Victor moves to Seattle after his parents send him away from Lima. He arrives at Westdale High School, a private institution where he is one of very few students of color. The move forces him to navigate a new city, a new school, and a new family dynamic. His mother, Lydia, becomes a nurse at a hospital where Victor’s father, Luis, also works.
The first episode sets up the tension immediately. Victor is trying to hide his sexuality from his parents, who have never spoken openly about their own marriage. His father’s presence in Seattle complicates things further, since Luis is now living nearby while Victor tries to keep his secret intact.
The show handles this setup with restraint. It does not lean into the tragedy of Victor’s situation. Instead, it lets the comedy land naturally, through awkward conversations and small humiliations. The result is a portrait of a teenager who is both confident and deeply insecure, and that contradiction is what makes him feel real.
The Supporting Cast That Carries It
The strength of Love, Victor comes from its ensemble, not its lead. The show’s main supporting characters rank as follows:
- Mateo, Victor’s best friend and the show’s heart, who is openly gay, confident in himself, and completely uninterested in hiding who he is.
- Becky, Mateo’s girlfriend, who is sweet, supportive, and a little naive, adding a layer of complexity to the show’s romantic triangle.
- Isaac, Victor’s love interest, whose Jewish background creates friction with his family’s expectations as he pursues Victor.
Mateo is the character who gets the jokes first, and his scenes with Victor are some of the funniest in the series. Becky is sweet, supportive, and a little naive, which makes her interactions with Victor feel genuine rather than manufactured. The show handles her feelings with care, even when it leans into the classic trope of the girl who falls for her best friend’s boyfriend.
Isaac is Victor’s love interest, and the show spends significant time exploring Isaac’s own journey. Isaac is Jewish, and his family’s expectations create friction with his desire to pursue Victor. This subplot is one of the show’s best threads, because it reframes the coming-out narrative as something more complicated than simply being gay. It is about family, tradition, and the pressure to conform.
The Romance That Drags
The central romance between Victor and Isaac is the engine of Love, Victor, but it is also the weakest link. The show introduces Isaac late in the first season, and the relationship develops slowly over several episodes. By the time the two characters kiss, the payoff feels underwhelming.
The problem is pacing. Love, Victor wants to build a slow-burn romance, but it does not trust the audience to wait. The show rushes the inevitable kiss, and the result is a moment that feels rushed rather than earned. It is not a fatal flaw, but it is the clearest sign of the show’s ambition exceeding its execution.
The show also struggles with the supporting characters around the romance. Becky, in particular, is sidelined for long stretches of the season, which makes her arc feel incomplete. The show wants her to be a foil to Victor, but it never quite commits to giving her a storyline of her own.
The Writing Flaws
Love, Victor is not a perfect show. Its dialogue can be overly on-the-nose, and some of its subplots feel like filler. The show has a habit of introducing a conflict, spending an episode on it, and then moving on before it fully resolves. This is particularly noticeable in the second half of the season, where the pacing slows and the story loses focus.
The show also leans heavily on its musical numbers, which are performed live by the cast. These sequences are meant to be a highlight, but they often feel forced. They break the flow of the narrative and sometimes interrupt emotional beats that would be better left untouched.
The show’s biggest flaw is its handling of its own themes. Love, Victor is about identity, acceptance, and the fear of being found out. But the show spends so much time on the fear that it rarely explores the joy of being who you are. The moments of celebration are few and far between, which leaves the show feeling darker than it needs to be.
The Finale Season
The show’s second season picks up where the first left off, with Victor and Isaac’s relationship still unresolved. The season introduces new characters, including a rival for Isaac’s affections, and it deepens the exploration of Victor’s family dynamics. The show also takes a darker turn, dealing with issues of mental health and the pressure of being a student in a competitive environment.
The season is stronger overall than the first, but it is not without its problems. The show’s tendency to rush its romances continues.
What Works Best
Despite its flaws, Love, Victor has several elements that make it stand out. The show’s depiction of family is one of the strongest aspects of the series. Victor’s relationship with his mother is tender and complex, and the show handles the tension between Victor’s desires and his parents’ expectations with nuance.
The show also excels at capturing the minutiae of high school life. The scenes of Victor navigating the social hierarchy, the lunchroom politics, and the microaggressions he faces as a student of color are some of the most honest moments in the series. These scenes feel lived-in, and they are the reason the show resonates with its target audience.
The show’s approach to humor is also worth noting. Love, Victor is not afraid to be silly, and it often finds laughter in the most uncomfortable situations. This lightness is a relief, especially given the weight of the show’s themes. The balance between comedy and drama is one of the show’s greatest strengths.
The Numbers
- Premiere: June 2020 on Hulu
- Seasons: Two seasons, with a third announced
- Runtime: Approximately 30 minutes per episode
- Score: 6.9/10
The Verdict
Love, Victor is a solid, if uneven, spinoff. It benefits from a strong ensemble cast and a willingness to explore difficult themes with honesty. The show’s weaknesses are real, but they are outweighed by its strengths. It is a show that understands its audience and delivers on its promises, even when those promises are modest.
The show is at its best when it is focused on its characters and their relationships. When it wanders into filler territory or rushes its romances, it loses its footing. But the core of Love, Victor is strong enough to carry it through those moments.
Love, Victor is not a masterpiece, but it is a reliable companion. It is a show that understands its audience and delivers on its promises, even when those promises are modest. For fans of the original Love, it is a worthy addition to the franchise. For anyone looking for a show about young love, family, and self-discovery, it is worth a watch.
The show has established itself as a valuable entry in the canon of queer teen dramas. It may not be the most ambitious show on television, but it is a sincere one, and that sincerity counts for something.
Love, Victor is a show that understands its audience and delivers on its promises, even when those promises are modest. It is a show that rewards attention and patience, and it is a show that deserves a place in the conversation about queer representation on television.
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