Alexa & Katie is the very popular pre-teen Netflix series that focuses on two best friends – Alexa & Katie. The girls are on their way to high school when Alexa (Paris Berelc) is diagnosed with cancer. But with her best friend to rely on, the road ahead is made a little less difficult. Especially as she also happens to live next door and their bedrooms are connected by a treehouse!
But don't expect all doom and gloom, Alexa & Katie is a fun, sit-com with plenty of gags and light-hearted banter. In fact, very little of the show is focused on the diagnosis and more on the friendship and family bonds. Because as much as Alexa and Katie (Isabel May) are the central characters, there are plenty of other cast members with their own stories. Tiffani Thiessen plays Alexa's mother, with Eddie Shin in the role of her father. There is also Lucas (Emery Kelly), Alexa's slightly half-wit brother and the four of them make up the Mendoza family.
To add a little more humour to the show, Katie's mother, Jennifer (Jolie Jenkins), is the disorganised and often scatty next-door-neighbor. And to round off the main players, Finn Carr plays Jack, Katie's brother. So between these seven characters, there are plenty of storylines to balance out this fun family show. And family is key here. It can be quite tricky to find shows that parents can enjoy with their kids and Alexa & Katie is definitely one of them. From the challenges faced by the girls as they navigate their teenage years, to the parents who worry about their kids, there is something for everyone.
Sure, it isn't realistic and the more awful aspects of childhood cancer are very glossed over but it is a sitcom and designed to be on the lighter side of things. So what Alexa & Katie does, it does well. It is well written, well-acted and each episode, particularly in season 3 covers a new challenge as the girls move through the school year. Overall it is nice, fun family tv and similar to The Big Show Show, it focuses on family and friendship which is great for kids and really can't be a bad thing.
