ONTD Original: Five reasons Dash & Lily is the new cute Netflix show you should watch

Based on the 2010 novelDash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, Dash & Lily follows the adventures of two teenage New Yorkers giving the other various challenges through a red notebook that they pass back and forth to each other without ever meeting.

Netflix created an eight half-hour episode series just in time for the holiday season. I binged the series last night and was surprised this didn’t get any kind of trailer post here, and I want to discuss (because lbr ontder’s don’t read, unless it’s in the comments).

Corona hew? Social distancing where? Dash & Lily is set in the time from before a global pandemic swept the world, and turned most of the sensible population into stay at home hermits. Who would’ve thought it would just be nice to see people walking around without masks, and just living life without a pandemic care in the world.

2. Discount Timothy Chalamet & cute newcomer Midori Francis.

Apart from being barely believable as teenagers (they are both in their 20s) the two leads are not that bad for a Netflix original. Austin Abrams, has that sad-eyed moppy haired Chalamet-esque look going for him, while Midori captures the awkwardness of being the odd one out from her peers perfectly.

3. POC Lead has POC Family and is incorporated well in the show.

Midori Francis is of Japanese descent from her father’s side, and seems like Netflix casting did something right and actually built a cast that was also Japanese-American (the actors playing her mother, brother, grandpa and great aunt). Definitely a step up from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before where Lara Jean is meant to be of Korean descent on her mother’s side but Lana Condor does not have a korean background and none of the actors playing her sisters did either. Also loved the little cultural cues they left in, like taking their shoes off before coming inside.

4. Great Aunt Lily/Miss Basil E.’s New York brownstone.

I had no idea what any of the actors were talking about during the scenes in Great Aunt Lily’s brownstone, because the set was amazing. The lady had lit fireplaces and stunning antiques! And this totally mesmerising wrought iron twin staircase two-level library/sitting room. Anyone know if this place is on Air bnb?

5. The storyline is generally unproblematic

Don’t get me started on Emily in Paris (I hate-watched the whole thing). But the story does NOT include:

I’m not saying Dash & Lily is perfect (unbelievable big-ass NYC apartments, The Strand getting free press even though the owner is an asshole, teenagers who act like adults, underage drinking etc etc), but it’s a cute quick watch. Makes you believe there will be a time again where we can go traipsing around maskless in a city without dire consequences.

Disclaimer: No I am not a shill for Netflix, but if they wanna pay me for writing this DM me Netflix pls, corona affected my coin this year.

Sources 1, screenshots from my netflix account