‘With Love’ spreads warmth and romance with a Latin flavor

“With Love” is billed as a romantic comedy, but it’s mostly about family.

“It’s not just about romantic love,” creator Gloria Calderon Kellett, who wrote the series during the pandemic, told the Daily News. “It’s about love of family, love of friends, love of chosen family and being able to wrap that all up in a big Christmas bow felt like what I needed to make and what I hope people are wanting to receive this holiday season.”

The show, which premiered on Prime Video last week, traces almost a year through its holidays, with one celebration per episode: Nochebuena or Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, the Fourth of July and Dia de los Muertos.

At its center are two siblings, Lily (Emeraude Toubia) and Jorge Diaz Jr. (Mark Indelicato), each trying to find love and keep their heads above water in their loud, nosy, loving Hispanic family.

“It’s just a romantic comedy that celebrates romance and love in all its shapes and forms and colors and tastes,” said 32-year-old Toubia, whose Lily breaks up with her perfect-on-paper boyfriend to kick off the year of dating.

By design, the show bounces around, from parents Beatriz (Constance Marie) and Jorge Diaz Sr. (Benito Martinez), who haven’t put in the work to keep their relationship alive, to Sol (Isis King), Lily and Jorge’s transgender cousin who makes flirty eyes with a doctor (Todd Grinnell) at work. Series creator Kellett appears as Tia Gladys, who is not just secure in but proud of being single.

“I love shows that are profound and have integrity and represent that Latinx community in a positive light… Gloria’s very good at presenting people you normally see marginalized or treated as the other or there’s always a trauma or a drama as well-rounded, wonderful characters,” Marie, 56, told The News.

“Isn’t it weird that it feels weird to recognize a nice show? It doesn’t have to be death and destruction and drama.”

Kellett called “With Love” the “Mexican Nancy Meyers,” referencing the queen of the overly aesthetic rom-coms like “What Women Want,” “The Holiday” and “It’s Complicated.” The holidays gave Kellett’s directors, all women of color, the freedom of color, of tables filled with food and kitchens filled with laughter.

“To see it on screen and see them normalized and navigating love and life and their own pursuit of happiness… it’s so refreshing to see love depicted in such a diverse, inclusive and multi-generational way that is curious, aspirational and inspirational,” said Vincent Rodriguez III, the 39-year-old actor who plays Jorge’s boyfriend Henry. “It’s the hug we need after a pandemic.”

“With Love” isn’t without drama. There’s a messy love triangle, a long-distance job offer, a coldness that’s taken over a home. But it’s regular drama, or at least what Lifetime and the Hallmark Channel depict as normal drama.

“We’re all regular people and we all deserve the basic things in life like a supportive family, a supportive friend group, to have an amazing career and to find love,” said 36-year-old King, whose trans oncology resident is one of, if not the first, nonbinary character in a mainstream rom-com.

“That really shouldn’t be determined by what you look like or your background.”

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