Dante Brown in Dash and Lily.Image via Netflix
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Giovana Gelhoren
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Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, where she covers all the most-talked about stars, movies and TV shows. She’s a proud Latina, hailing all the way from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She’s known among her friends as an encyclopedia of celebrities and will watch just about every type of media (especially if said friends are around to watch it with her). She's also interviewed many celebrities during her career, some favorites including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, Jordin Sparks, and many more.
Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapEvery year, a few new Christmas rom-coms pop up and become mandatory watching for the holiday season. Just this year, Netflix released A Merry Little Ex-Mas with Alicia Silverstone, Champagne Problems with Minka Kelly, and Jingle Bell Heist with Olivia Holt, just to name a few. And, of course, no matter what year you check, Netflix rom-coms will always be a part of their December calendar. But, in 2020, the streaming service flipped the script a bit and released a rom-com series instead. The show Dash & Lily, which has a total of eight episodes, has all the holiday cheer and coziness viewers were looking for, but it gave them a full season of will-they-won't-they, slow-burn romance.
'Dash & Lily' Grips Viewers From the Very Beginning
Based on the young adult book series Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, Dash & Lily follows two teenagers on opposite sides of the Christmas spirit spectrum. While Dash (Austin Abrams) is cynical, brooding and recovering from a recent breakup, Midori Francis' Lily is cheerful, naive and flirts with the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” archetype without fully going there. But while the show quickly established just how different they are, they connect in Episode 1 on a level they never expected.
While browsing his favorite bookstore, New York City's famous The Strand, Dash encounters a red notebook filled with tasks for him to do around the store. He follows each step, browsing the shelves up and down, and it all culminates with him taking the stage to recite Joni Mitchell's "River." At that moment, both characters defy their own stereotype. While Dash is all dark and cranky, he's not afraid to laugh and make a fool of himself, while Lily, who's all sunshine and joy, is sneaky and a tease herself. By the end of the first ten minutes (episodes are around 25 minutes), Dash has completed all his tasks, and is, much like the classic You've Got Mail, offered to continue chatting with Lily through the notebook, without ever meeting. "If I like your answer, you might just hear from me," Lily writes. "If you're not scared."
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Posts By Hannah Saab Aug 21, 2025'Dash & Lily' Is More Effective Than Countless Other Rom-Coms
Dash and Lily sharing a moment, looking into each others eyes in Dash and Lily (Netflix 2020).Image via Netflix
From the first 10 minutes alone, it's safe to say Dash & Lily grips viewers and proves there's more to the main characters than viewers might've thought. Throughout the series, the trend only continues, with viewers learning more about Dash and Lily's backstories, while they continue to confide and get to know each other through the notebook. Dash's wounds from his past relationship resurface after reuniting with his ex, while Lily, who's each time more candid about dreading being alone for Christmas, reveals that her parents actually left her and her brother and charted off to Fiji.
In each episode, as viewers develop sympathy for Dash and Lily, and everything they've been through, it almost confirms how perfect they'd be for one another, even before they actually meet. Lily’s dares force Dash to shake off his grumpiness and embrace a more joyful demeanor, while Dash’s dares force Lily to break out of her own world and more fully interact with those around her.
In addition to Abrams and Francis' strong and sincere performances as leads, the series also shines with its supporting characters, like Lily's heartbroken brother, Langston (Troy Iwata), her childhood crush Edgar (Glenn McCuen), and Dash's emotionally adjusted best friend Boomer (Dante Brown). Other members of Dash and Lily's family and friend groups are sprinkled throughout, including theater actors Nick Blaemire and Patrick Vaill, and some exciting guest stars including Michael Cyril Creighton, Larry Owens, and Nick Jonas himself.
With that said, while Christmas rom-com movies might always be mandatory viewing this season, Dash & Lily defied the genre, and should be a must-watch too. With an adorable and cozy storyline that draws viewers in and keeps them guessing, the series picks and chooses from classic rom-com tropes, while still making the best of a fast-paced episodic narrative. Dash & Lily might've been canceled before Season 2, but it hopefully won't stay as one of Netflix's most underrated titles for long.
Dash and Lily
Like Follow Followed Romantic Comedy Release Date 2020 - 2020-00-00 Network Netflix Directors Fred Savage, Brad Silberling, Pamela Romanowsky Writers Rachel Cohn, David LevithanCast
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Austin Abrams
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Midori Francis
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Dante Brown
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Troy Iwata
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Dash & Lily
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Netflix
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