Alexa & Katie, Netflix's latest teen-centered comedy seems like it's straight out of the Disney Channel factory of hits, but there's a twist. New high schooler Alexa (Paris Berlec) is battling cancer

Alexa & Katie, Netflix's latest teen-centered comedy seems like it's straight out of the Disney Channel factory of hits, but there's a twist. New high schooler Alexa (Paris Berlec) is battling cancer and her best friend Katie (Isabel May) is with her every step of the way.

"It's definitely unconventional, for sure," Tiffani Thiessen told E! News.

"We wanted to do it in a respectful way because cancer is a heavy topic and a difficult topic to talk about sometimes," Berlec, a veteran of Mighty Med and Lab Rates: Elite Force, said. "So we did some research, and we met a girl named Katie, actually, at a children's hospital, and she was telling us her story because everyone goes through it differently. I think the big thing about it is your mindset. I think that also helps you with recovery, is how you look at it."