TV Tuesday: Dash and Lily

Are you in need of some holiday spirit? Perhaps some light fun to make your season merry and bright? I was last week, and I wanted a light TV show to watch while I sorted through thousands of old photos spread all over our family room floor! So, I chose Dash and Lily, a unique TV rom-com series on Netflix that takes place over the Christmas/New Year's season and all over New York City. It was fun and sweet and just what I needed!

One day, a young man named Dash, played by Austin Abrams, is browsing through the shelves at The Strand bookstore when he comes across a red journal tucked in among the books. On the front cover is written "Do You Dare?" Yes, he does. Inside Dash finds clues to a sort of New York-centric, Christmas-themed scavenger hunt, written by a mysterious girl who says he needs to earn the right to get to know her. The notebook was planted there by Lily, an exuberant and quirky young woman played by Midori Francis. Without knowing each other, Dash and Lily trade the notebook back and forth, leaving it in various places for the other to find, with clues and dares to each other that take them all over the city and discovering new places, people, and things. The catch? They seem seriously mismatched. Dash is a bit of a cynic who hates Christmas, while Lily embraces it with her full enthusiastic, spirited being. They are each assisted and encouraged by Dash's best friend, Boomer (played by Dante Brown), and Lily's older brother, Langston (played by Troy Iwata).

This 8-episode show is just pure seasonal fun! Filled with eccentricities, bold dares, and lots of only-in-New-York people, events, and places, it's a joyous holiday romp. It's not all fun and games, though. Dash and Lily both have some issues and problems to work through (absent families, a distant father, an overbearing grandfather, and a middle-school bully who did some serious emotional damage) that provide a balance of challenges and fun, all wrapped up in warmth and good humor. The visuals are dazzling, and the two main actors are great in their roles, with excellent supporting actors as well. And, of course, there is a happy ending. All in all, it was a very satisfying and entertaining experience.

Dash and Lily is a Netflix original show, so it is available exclusively on Netflix.