Why Love, Victor should stay on Disney Plus
Love, Victor is leaving Disney Plus for Hulu because the series isn’t “family-friendly.” Here’s why that is a mistake.
It wasn’t too long ago that the hype of Disney Plus was unavoidable. Everyone could find their favorite Disney (or Fox) movies and shows in one location without having to subscribe to a number of streaming services. Disney Plus also opened the door for new spinoff series like High School Musical: The Musical and Love, Victor, plus revivals such as Lizzie McGuire and The Proud Family.
However, we’re not even four months into Disney Plus’ existence, and it seems there are issues getting two highly-anticipated spinoffs out into the world.
Love, Victor to Hulu
News broke on Monday that the Love, Simon spinoff series, now titled Love, Victor, is moving from Disney Plus to Hulu in June. Why? Because of content that is described as not-family-friendly with examples being named as “alcohol use, parents’ marital issues and sexual exploration.”
Going forward, the idea is that adult-oriented content will now air on the Disney-owned Hulu, but that doesn’t change the fact that Love, Victor should not leave what is being called a family-friendly platform. After all, Love, Victor is about a Latinx family adjusting to their new lives in Atlanta. And at the heart of the story is Victor, who struggles with his sexual orientation.
Is progress being made?
While I’m extremely thrilled that this show will exist in the form of a half-hour, ten-episode series on Hulu, there are certainly plenty of questions for Disney Plus. The company’s apprehension to feature LGBT-focused content is disappointing to say the least.
Don’t get me wrong. Progress has been made, but there’s still plenty to go. Andi Mack made history last year by having the first openly-gay character on Disney Channel. Likewise, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series subtly featured a same-sex romance.
Disney at least put thought into having a gay main character in Victor, but his exploration of his identity would mean the series is no longer family-friendly? I’m not the only one shaking my head.
Since the news broke, social media has been full of examples to why the logic isn’t exactly sound. While Disney Plus will likely never house R-rated content, the service is home to PG-13 movies like that of the Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
So, we can have superhero flicks where people are brutally murdered, but not a teen drama on being your authentic self? We can’t forget that The Simpsons is also hosted on the family-friendly platform despite alcohol use and questionable innuendos.
Lizzie McGuire suffering the same fate?
Among the planned Disney revivals was a reboot of Lizzie McGuire, which would feature Hillary Duff portraying the adult version of her famed character. Everything was smooth-sailing until original showrunner Terri Minsky stepped down in January after two episodes were filmed.
More from Disney Plus
- What you need to know before watching the Disney+ Doctor Who specials
- 10 Thanksgiving movies on Disney+ for your holiday watch list
- The Naughty Nine and more to stream on Disney+ this week (Nov. 20)
- Wish won’t be on Disney+ in time for Christmas or New Year’s (release date predictions)
- Whitney Houston did appear on Dancing with the Stars! It was in 2009, 14 years ago
There’s speculation that Disney wasn’t allowing the show to be as adult-focused as the cast and crew had hoped. Duff suggested this may be the case when she shared a screenshot on her Instagram story of the Love, Victor headline, circled the words “family-friendly,” and wrote the caption, “Sounds familiar.” Yikes.
If production continues for the Lizzie revival, assuming the producers get their way, the series could head to Hulu as well. Is this the new trend?
Keep content in one place
Those who are dying to watch Love, Victor and/or Lizzie McGuire will go wherever the content goes. And if Hulu is where the shows are allowed to be authentic and meaningful, then so be it. What’s hard to understand is why a potentially PG-13 show about a diverse family can’t air on Disney Plus.
If it’s a matter of parents not wanting their kids to view it, then don’t allow them. There’s plenty of not-kid-friendly content on Netflix, and Hulu for that matter, yet the young ones are smart enough to find the shows that interest them while skimming past everything else.
I’m thrilled that Disney considered putting an LGBT character at the forefront of a new series, but that’s really not enough. We need real representation, and we need it on a powerhouse like Disney Plus.
Are you excited for the Love, Simon spinoff series? What stories do you hope to see from it? Sound off below!
Love, Victor will stream on Hulu in June 2020.