XO, Kitty vs To All The Boys: Similarities and Differences, explored

Netflix's To All the Boys trilogy and its spin-off series, XO, Kitty, have been a fan favorite worldwide. With relatable characters exploring teenage issues and modern storytelling, this series has often topped the charts.

Even though both series come from the same universe, they offer different perspectives for the fans of the teenage drama. To All The Boys explores the love life of Lara Jean Covey, while XO, Kitty focuses on the life of her younger sister Kitty in Seoul.

To All The Boys franchise includes three feature films and a spin-off series, XO, Kitty, based on the novels by Jenny Han. The first film of the franchise was released in 2018 and was highly appreciated. This success led to the next two installments of the series in 2020 and 2021. Netflix then began developing a spin-off series, XO, Kitty, released in 2023. The fresh season of XO, Kitty premiered on January 16, 2025.

Speaking to TUDUM, co-showrunners Sasha Rothschild and Jenny Han agree that XO, Kitty is meant to stand on its own. They said,

"XO, Kitty takes place in the same universe as To All The Boys, but it's very much in its own world."

Continue reading to know how these series differ and how they connect.

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Similarities between XO, Kitty and To All The Boys

Both the film trilogy and series are based on the same universe. Let's discover more such similarities.

Shared World: Netflix's XO, Kitty takes place in the same universe as the To All The Boys film franchise. XO, Kitty is based on the life of Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart), the younger sister of Lara Jean (Lana Condor) from To All The Boys.

Exploring love: Both the film franchise and spin-off are based on the themes of teen romance and relationships. In To All The Boys, we see the love bloom between Noah Centineo (Peter) and Lana. In XO, Kitty we witness Kitty's friendships and relationships.

Letters: How can we forget the role of letters in To All the Boys films? It was Lana's private love letters that started the entire fiasco. In XO, Kitty, Kitty also has the habit of writing letters. In Season 2 we find Kitty writing a letter for Yuri (Gia Kim).

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Differences between XO, Kitty and To All The Boys

Different leads: The main difference between the film franchise and the spin-off is that both have different main leads. To All The Boys features shy Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, while XO, Kitty features confident Kitty navigating her life in a foreign land.

Different Location: While To All The Boys is set in Portland and features an American school, XO, Kitty is based in Seoul at the Korean Independent School of Seoul.

A different approach: Netflix has made sure to take a different approach to the series. While To All The Boys is a classic teen rom-com, XO, Kitty is a perfect combination of romance, friendship, and culture.

Exploring Family Ties: To All The Boys does not go much deeper into the aspect of familial ties. It briefly captures the demise of the Covey sisters' mother, while in XO, Kitty the plot of her death is explored.

Different challenges: The Covey sisters face different challenges in their relationship. While Lara Jean faces misunderstandings and competition in love, Kitty faces the problems of long-distance and cultural disconnect.

Exploring Sexuality: To All The Boys, the focus remained on exploring heterosexual relations, XO, Kitty went a step further. The spin-off series explored the spectrum of sexuality, featuring LGBTQ+ characters like Yuri. Kitty also questions her sexuality.

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