How we wish Disney never kiboshed dishing out our zany, colourful teen shows that happily painted the stories of an exuberant iconoclastic generation- the Gen Z-  somewhat tugging and twisting in the midst of all the pain and penalties. Well, seems like the streaming giant Netflix has rolled out some special plans for all, with shows especially tailored for young adults, it has designed nothing less than an alcove for weekend hideout. Teen shows are beautifully and typically disparate from others since they exact a lot of accurate understanding of the hodgepodge, that is, their needs, tastes and of fleeting times(ugh, isn’t a lack of understanding what teens mostly bicker about). Sombre realities are strategically placed in the heart of an overwhelming, butterflies-flitting storyline.

Alexa and Katie, Netflix’s newly teen-centric comedy is rich with the good ol’ Disney vibes and to a degree carries the straight-out-of-Disney-house feels to it but with a heavy dose of contemporary writing.

The show speaks in volumes of hardships and the life-saving boat that is friendship. At the heart of the story are two best friends who are all perked up to kickstart their freshman year, however there’s a small hiccup in the God-devised plan- Alexa is battling against cancer and veritably has a little worse than her peer group.

To her aid comes Katie, her childhood friend and neighbour who lends her shoulder to Alexa through thick and thin.

No exorbitant sobbing or whinging, the show displays vividly the portrait of two headstrong girls, who cruise against the waves of life and thus exploring much more than just the intricacies of a solid friendship.

Alexa is impervious to how she might be different than others and decides to keep it under wraps since she believes soon it’s her ‘cancer’ that will become her identity, when she expresses, “Instead of seeing me, everybody is going to see cancer. [..] And I am so much more than that." Alexa identifies hefty hair loss owing to her treatment and is severely petrified of it. The moment in tandem witnesses a shocking act of confidence, both Alexa and Katie strip off a thick strand of their tresses.  Post the momentum adding scene of the show, there’s a good stock of humour, hugs, hopes and oh, wigs. You go, girls!

Katie is the perfect sidekick to Alexa who creates a level playing field for her partner, or to put it appropriately, Creator Heather Wordham knows how to embed strength, grit and hope in the young lives through her show. Steeped in encouragement, the show whips out pure, unadulterated emotions making it the perfect family watch any day.