Parents' Guide to Dash & Lily

It lands like a Hallmark holiday movie for the YA set and might be insufferable if it weren't for this series' authentic appeal, mostly personified in the form of its two gorgeous, lovable leads. Midori Francis just glows as Lily, a high schooler whose traumatic past of bullying and exclusion has left her gunshy towards seeking new friend her own age, particularly of the male, romantic variety. And Euphoria's Austin Abrams is simply adorable as a boy whose family troubles and romantic disappointments have rendered him slightly prickly towards his peers. Both lonely at Christmas, both looking for something to fill their lives yet afraid to reach out and get it; of course these two are destined to come together, but getting there sure is fun. Particularly when we're spending time in Lily's life, where her sweet, supportive big brother Langston (Troy Iwata) gives his sis advice in between falling in love with his own Grindr-hookup-turned-adoring-boyfriend.

Dash & Lily's setting is also pleasingly festive. Has there ever been a Christmastime New York City captured on film quite like this? Instead of sticking to cliched locations like Rockefeller Center and Macy's Santaland (although those two iconic locations do make brief appearances), Dash & Lily mostly sets its tale of relatable Christmas magic in everyday places like The Strand bookstore, strung with holiday lights, and the Two Boots pizza parlor. Of course, the gimmick that brings Dash and Lily together (eventually) is ridiculous; leaving clues for each other in a Christmas-red notebook is so cutesy it's saccharine, and viewers will be forgiven their Grinch-like thoughts that the whole scheme basically relies on leaving an object in public for 10 million people to not steal, but it's hard for said cynical thoughts to linger under Dash & Lily's charm offensive. May this sweet series become a Christmas classic of its own, hopefully with equally enchanting seasons to come.