While the fact that one of the main characters has cancer might seem too heavy for easy viewing, Alexa & Katie has plenty of lighthearted moments. But it remains sensitive to the serious subject matter — something that was important to show creator Heather Wordham, whose mother and sister both battled cancer. At its core, Alexa & Katie is about going through high school with your best friend. "Yes, she's dealing with cancer and yes, it's talked about a ton because she's living it daily," Tiffani Thiessen, who plays Alexa's mom, Lori, told the Los Angeles Times. "But they're also talking about what are they going to wear to high school for the first day and boys and how she's going to piss [her mom] off."
May added that the show doesn't make light of cancer, but rather normalizes the experience of a teenage girl living with cancer. "Your sense of humor doesn't suddenly dry up overnight," she said.
Experts agreed that the show can help people connect to such a serious issue in a way that isn't so scary. "When you're working with children there's not a lot out there they can relate to while this is happening to them," said Carrie Breitwieser, a social worker who was a consultant on the show. "It'll be good for other people too, who aren't experiencing [the illness] to learn about it and have their eyes opened in an entertaining space."
