Disney finally sees sense and pulls U-turn on Love, Victor
Beloved LGBT+ coming-of-age drama Love, Victor will debut on Disney Plus. (YouTube/Hulu)
Queer coming of age drama Love, Victor is finally coming to Disney Plus in the US after it was previously moved to Hulu.
Love, Victor was originally intended to debut on Disney Plus, but it was moved off the platform after executives were concerned certain issues explored on the show – including its LGBT+ content – were considered “adult themes”. The Love, Simon spin-off eventually landed on Hulu, where it aired for two seasons.
But now, fans of the beloved show will be able to watch its third and final season – as well as binge watch the first two seasons – on Disney Plus from 15 June.
Love, Victor has been available to watch on Disney Plus in the UK since February 2021.
Hulu president Joe Early said in a statement to Variety that the streaming service is “excited” to give Love, Victor the “widest possible audience” by making the series available on both Hulu and Disney Plus. Early added the final season will drop just in time for Pride Month.
Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, added that distributing the show on both streaming platforms will allow them to “bring Victor’s stories as well as his family and friends’ journeys” to more potential fans.
“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,” Erwich said.
Love, Victor follows the life of Victor (Michael Cimino) as he struggles with fitting in a Creekwood High School, faces challenges at home and finds out more about his sexual orientation. He eventually begins a relationship with a classmate named Benji (George Sear), and he deals with the aftermath of coming out publicly.
Hulu announced in February that season three would be the last season of the LGBT+ comedy-drama. According to Variety, the final episodes will follow Victor and his friends as they face down a new set of problems while they try to work out what they will be doing after high school.
Love, Victor’s move to Disney Plus comes as the entertainment giant is embroiled in an ongoing feud with Florida governor Ron DeSantis over LGBT+ rights in the state.
Disney denounced that passage of the state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, which restricts discussions of sexual orientations and gender identities at schools. The Walt Disney Company, one of the biggest employers in Florida, said that the organisation’s goal was to have the law “repealed” or “stuck down in the courts”.
“We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” it added.
Seemingly in retaliation, DeSantis signed into law a bill on Friday (22 April) a bill that would terminate Disney’s special tax district status in the state. The status allowed the Walt Disney Company to self-govern over land it bought in central Florida on which its theme parks, resorts and hotels sit in the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
However, Disney has told its investors that it will be continuing with business as usual, Miami Herald reported. The company explained that Florida lawmakers failed to notice a provision in the state’s law that said Florida can’t dissolve the Reedy Creek district unless its bond debt was paid off.
Disney’s statement read: “In light of the State of Florida’s pledge to the District’s bondholders, Reedy Creek expects to explore its options while continuing its present operations, including levying and collecting its ad valorem taxes and collecting its utility revenues, paying debt service on its ad valorem tax bonds and utility revenue bonds, complying with its bond covenants and operating and maintaining its properties.’’
