Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the series Alexa & Katie, which tackled one of the most challenging topics for a family sitcom by following two best friends as one battles cancer while they both navigate high school together.
Alexa & Katie premiered on Netflix on March 23, 2018, delivering 39 episodes across four seasons before concluding on June 13, 2020. Each episode runs approximately 23 minutes, making it perfect for family viewing and emotional binge-watching sessions. This Netflix original was the streaming platform’s first multi-camera sitcom, focusing on lifelong best friends Alexa Mendoza and Katie Cooper as they anticipate starting their freshman year of high school while dealing with Alexa’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The series masterfully balances serious subject matter with genuine humor and teenage authenticity. Unlike many shows that either treat cancer as purely tragic or ignore its real impact, Alexa & Katie finds the perfect middle ground by showing how life continues even during the most challenging circumstances. The show maintains an optimistic outlook while never minimizing the real struggles that cancer patients and their families face, creating a viewing experience that’s both uplifting and emotionally honest.
What makes this Netflix series special is its commitment to showing that having a serious illness doesn’t define a person’s entire existence. Alexa deals with chemotherapy, hair loss, and medical appointments, but she also worries about boys, school projects, and typical teenage drama. The series demonstrates that young people facing health challenges still want to feel normal and included, not treated as fragile or different.
Alexa Mendoza: The Fighter Who Refuses to Be Defined by Cancer
Paris Berelc brings incredible depth to Alexa Mendoza, a teenager who approaches her cancer diagnosis with remarkable strength and determination to maintain normalcy. Throughout Alexa & Katie, Alexa’s character shows viewers that having cancer doesn’t mean giving up on dreams, friendships, or fun. Her journey from initial diagnosis through treatment and remission showcases a young woman who refuses to let her illness overshadow her personality, ambitions, or relationships.
The series does an exceptional job of showing Alexa’s vulnerability without making her a victim. Her moments of fear, frustration, and sadness feel authentic, while her determination to keep living her life as a normal teenager demonstrates incredible resilience. Alexa’s character development throughout the show illustrates how facing a serious illness can actually strengthen someone’s appreciation for everyday moments and relationships.
Katie Cooper: The Loyal Friend Learning About Sacrifice
Isabel May’s portrayal of Katie Cooper showcases the often-overlooked perspective of friends and family members who support someone through a health crisis. Katie’s unwavering loyalty to Alexa drives much of the series’ emotional core, as she learns to balance being supportive without being overprotective. Her character arc in Alexa & Katie demonstrates that being a good friend sometimes means making difficult choices and learning when to step back.
The chemistry between Katie and Alexa feels genuine and unforced, particularly during moments when Katie struggles with her own needs versus her desire to be there for her best friend. The series explores how Katie’s life is also affected by Alexa’s diagnosis, showing that supporting someone through illness requires its own kind of strength and sacrifice.
The Mendoza and Cooper Families: Different Approaches to Crisis
The show excels in its portrayal of both families and how they handle Alexa’s diagnosis in distinctly different ways. The Mendoza family, led by parents Lori and Dave, approaches the situation with openness and determination to maintain family unity. Meanwhile, the Cooper family, particularly Katie’s mother Jennifer, initially struggles with how much to involve Katie in Alexa’s situation, leading to conflicts about boundaries and support.
These family dynamics add layers of complexity to Alexa & Katie that elevate it beyond typical teen comedy territory. The series shows how a crisis can bring families closer together while also creating new tensions and challenges that require ongoing communication and adjustment from everyone involved.
The Wig Reveal: Television’s Most Powerful Moment About Self-Acceptance
The series reaches its emotional peak during the episodes dealing with Alexa’s hair loss and her decision to eventually go without her wig at school. This storyline represents Alexa & Katie‘s finest achievement in balancing serious subject matter with hope and empowerment. The moment when Alexa removes her wig in front of her classmates becomes a powerful statement about self-acceptance and the importance of authentic friendship over superficial appearances.
Rather than treating this as a simple problem to be solved, the series shows how Alexa’s journey to feeling comfortable with her appearance is ongoing and personal. The support she receives from Katie, her family, and eventually her classmates demonstrates how community and acceptance can help someone find strength they didn’t know they had.
Success on Netflix
Alexa & Katie became a beloved family series during its four-season run on Netflix from 2018 to 2020, earning praise for its sensitive handling of cancer storylines while maintaining the warmth and humor expected from family entertainment. The series broke new ground as Netflix’s first multi-camera sitcom, proving that traditional formats could work within the streaming platform’s original content strategy. Each 23-minute episode successfully balanced serious health topics with genuine teenage comedy, creating a show that families could watch together while sparking important conversations about illness, friendship, and resilience. Alexa & Katie demonstrated that audiences craved authentic representation of challenging life experiences, paving the way for more inclusive and honest storytelling in family programming.
Essential Viewing for Anyone Who Values True Friendship
If you love stories about unbreakable friendship, facing challenges with courage, and finding joy even during difficult times, Alexa & Katie is the perfect series to binge on Netflix. The show succeeds because it treats its young characters with respect and intelligence, never talking down to viewers while addressing one of life’s most frightening challenges with honesty and hope.
Why This Show Matters More Than You Think
Alexa & Katie proves that family entertainment can tackle serious subjects without losing its heart or humor, creating a viewing experience that educates, inspires, and entertains simultaneously. The series reminds us that true friendship means showing up for each other during both the best and worst moments, and that facing challenges together makes everyone stronger.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 39 episodes (4 seasons, completed series)
Platform: Netflix
Release/End Year: 2018-2020
Current IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Genre: Family Comedy, Drama, Teen
Status: Completed series
Main Characters: Paris Berelc (Alexa Mendoza), Isabel May (Katie Cooper), Jolie Jenkins (Jennifer Cooper), Emery Kelly (Lucas Mendoza), Eddie Shin (Dave Mendoza), Tiffani Thiessen (Lori Mendoza)
Supporting Characters: Jack Griffo (Dylan), Finn Carr (Jack Cooper), various high school classmates and medical professionals