If you are a fan of the current Thai BL (Boys' Love) craze—with high production values, steamy kiss scenes, and international fan meetings—it is hard to imagine a time when the genre barely existed.

Let’s talk about the show that walked so Bad Buddy and KinnPorsche could run: The Common Misconception: Was it Love of Siam ? Many new fans think the 2007 film The Love of Siam (starring Mario Maurer) was the first BL. While that movie was a groundbreaking LGBT+ coming-of-age story that put Thai queer cinema on the map, it wasn’t a "series," nor was it strictly marketed as "BL" (which usually focuses on romance between attractive male leads for a female audience).

The story follows (a rich, cool band member) and No (the shy, confused narrator). Pun has a girlfriend, but he finds himself drawn to No. To hide his feelings (and to get No to stop a rumor), Pun asks No to be his "pretend boyfriend." Cue the chaos, jealousy, and the slow-burn romance that defined a generation.

But if you want to understand Thai BL is a billion-baht industry, you owe it to yourself to watch Episode 1. You’ll see the raw, unpolished heart of a genre that dared to exist before it was cool.