In a surprising move, Disney+ in the US has announced that it will be streaming the third and final season of queer teen romantic drama Love, Victor.
The show is a spin-off from the hit movie, Love, Simon.
Although made by 20th Television, part of Disney Television Studios., when Love, Victor first appeared in June 2020, the entertainment giant said it was going to air the show on the Hulu streaming service.
Insiders speculated the series, which explores issues around sexuality, was a little too adult for the family-oriented Disney+ in the US (it does appear on Disney+ in other territories).
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Love, Victor proved a hit on Hulu, spawning two further seasons. The final season will premiere on both Disney+ and Hulu on June 15, in the middle of Pride Month. Disney+ subscribers will also be able to watch the first two seasons of Love, Victor.
“We are proud of ‘Love, Victor’ and are excited to bring it to the widest possible audience on June 15 by making the full series available on both Disney+ and Hulu to celebrate the final season and LGBTQIA+ Pride Month,” Hulu president Joe Earley said in a statement yesterday.
Related: Disney LGBTQ employees slam company for cutting same-sex affection on screen
Love, Victor stars Michael Cimino in the title role. Love, Simon, directed by Greg Berlanti, starred Nick Robinson, who also narrates the spin-off series and has appeared in two episodes.
“When we think about creating stories that reflect the world we live in, which means being inclusive, empowering and authentic, ‘Love, Victor’ represents one of our greatest achievements,” Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich said.
“Distributing the show on both platforms will allow us the opportunity to bring Victor’s stories as well as his family and friends’ journeys that have been so beautifully told by our executive producers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger and our showrunner Brian Tanen to as wide of an audience as possible.”
The news comes amid Disney’s ongoing battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the state’s recently-passed “Don’t Say Gay” bill (House Bill 1557). The legislation aims to stop the discussion of LGBTQ issues with younger kids.
Related: Ron DeSantis signs Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
At first, Disney stayed silent on the issue, but as the legislation was passed, and under pressure from employers and campaign groups, Disney said it unequivocally did not support the bill.
Disney is one of the biggest employers in Florida thanks to its theme park in Orlando, and it also regularly makes large contributions to lawmakers across the political divide.
DeSantis has since blasted Disney for its stance, and last week acted to strip Walt Disney World of its self-governing status. The park has a long-standing agreement with the state, whereby it sits within its own Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID). DeSantis is now seeking to dissolve the district, in an act many see as retaliation against Disney’s criticism of “Don’t Say Gay”.
However, this week, it’s been speculated that DeSantis’ action may be blocked in the courts. Reedy Creek issued a statement highlighting the fact it holds $2billion in bond debts, and if it is forced to dissolve, that debt would then be passed on to the counties of Orange and Osceola Counties, prompting a significant increase in the tax bill of residents. Legal observers also believe Disney could take the matter to court on First Amendment grounds.
Bengali
Disney didn’t care about the content (which is 100% fine). They probably didn’t see it as a profit center. Now that’s it’s proven itself they want in again. Good news though – HULU will continue to air all three seasons. It’s a wonderful show. I expected it to be a flash in the pan capitalizing on Love, Simon’s success but it’s held its own w/o question. My only complaint is the big mole on side of Victor’s face. I know. Color me shallow. Such a handsome kid but that “thing” as my mom used to call them detracts from his adorableness. Why don’t people, especially celebs who appear on camera to make their living stop to think how unattractive those things are. Literally 5 – 10 minutes at dermy’s office, nearly painless except for a quick teeny tiny stick for numbing. Then either frozen off or cut off, all without scarring. Maybe their reticence to related to people who, once they see it’s gone, will comment saying, “Didn’t you used to have a massive, distracting mole on your face?” LOL
man5996853
Color you shallow, indeed. Extremely and to your own detriment.
maxlovesrio
I never noticed the mole which a lot of people refer to as a beauty mark. Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Taylor and Madonna certainly had no problem due to their facial beauty mark.
CatholicXXX
It’s an okay series, but didn’t the creator/writer say they were going to be exploring more “adult” themes?
firebolt87
This is strange. I thought the first season was criticized by some for being too timid and that was the reason it moved to Hulu. Now it’s going back? So either the same-sex content (both gay and, if that little tease about Lake’s bisexuality pans out, lesbian) will be awfully chaste in the final season, or D+ is willing to get a little more mature. The latter would make some sense, considering that D+ is now home to the very kid-unfriendly Marvel Netflix shows.
Joshua333
Can’t wait for all the gay scenes to be made 6 seconds long so Disney can cut them out so Chinese and Russian audiences can still enjoy the show. /s
Joshooeerr
Much as I applaud the effort to provide content that represents younger LGBT viewers, the whole Love, Victor series has felt timid and ersatz. Or Disneyfied, if you like. The UK series Heartstopper feels much more real and infinitely more joyful. Worth watching, even if you’re not the target audience.
maxlovesrio
Thanks for the referral to Heartstopper. I had missed seeing that one. Gonna check it out. I loved the first two seasons of Love Victor and can’t wait for the third season.