The cast and creator of The Summer I Turned Pretty explain why audiences fell in love with the show

There’s nothing sweeter than summer love—and there’s an abundance of it in the third and final season of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty. The new season of the show, which is based on the Young Adult (YA) book trilogy of the same name by Jenny Han, continues the ongoing love triangle between Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) and the Fisher brothers, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad (Christopher Briney) in the sleepy beach town of Cousins Beach. While past seasons focused on the ups and downs of young love and first romances, season three finds its characters coming of age in a much more dramatic way, which is aided by a time jump. Belly, who is now in college and dating Jeremiah, has some major decisions to make about her future with him—which are complicated by the return of her first love (and her first heartbreak), Conrad.

Watch The Summer I Turned Pretty cast and creator Jenny Han unpack season three.

The love triangle of Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad has been a hit with streaming audiences—season two of the series, which premiered in July 2023, more than doubled its season one viewership in its first three days of launch and remains one of the ten most-watched seasons of any series on Prime Video. All previous seasons are available for streaming exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. For Han, who’s also the creator of the show and a co-showrunner, the success speaks to the value of audiences being able to see themselves in the story.

“To me, the value is hopefully people looking and seeing themselves and seeing what could be possible,” Han says.

Tung agrees, noting that the show has offered its viewers a way to imagine new possibilities.
“It's always important for people to see that whatever they want to do is possible,” Tung says. “I think it’s nice to know that there are young girls who watch the show and who maybe will start acting or start writing. It’s cool to see that happen and to hear people say that it means something to them.”

For Sean Kaufman, who plays Belly’s brother Steven, the show has also proven firsthand how important having on-screen representation for a diverse audience can be. He recalled the time a fellow actor told him that watching him on The Summer I Turned Pretty helped inspire her to pursue an acting career.

“I think my whole life, I have been searching for Asian faces in media subconsciously,” Kaufman says. “A big person for that for me was Steven Yeun—he was the first Asian face I ever saw that wasn't just playing like an Asian stereotype, he was just a character up there playing himself and it was beautiful. This young lady was talking to me, and she was like, ‘I watched The Summer I Turned Pretty and I saw you and Lola being like leads and love interests in a hit show and that made me realize that that is a possibility and I can do that.’”

Kaufman’s sentiment points to what audiences are excited for when it comes to entertainment and media. According to the From Ads to Zeitgeist report from Amazon Ads, 7 in 10 consumers want to see genuine, real stories in media that reflect different cultures.

The third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty premieres during an exceptionally robust year for premium original shows and content on Prime Video, including the Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel-fronted thriller series, The Better Sister, and the critically acclaimed comedy series from Benito Skinner, Overcompensating. In February, the platform also released the third season of Reacher, which set a milestone as the most-watched returning season in Prime Video history, with 56.4 million viewers worldwide in the first 19 days of its release. And with an exciting lineup of forthcoming original shows and movies from Prime Video, there are endless opportunities for brands to reach millions of viewers through Streaming TV ads in Prime Video content. With the powerful ad tech solutions of Amazon Ads, it's easier than ever to help brands connect with audiences through premium original content.

For Tom Everett Scott, who plays Adam Fisher, Jeremiah and Conrad’s father, the show’s compelling storylines and wide appeal have shown how Prime Video’s investment in original content has paid off when it comes to connecting with audiences. According to the 2024 From Ads to Zeitgeist study from Amazon Ads, 62% of consumers are looking for the creation of more original content.

“Prime Video is making great TV,” says Scott, who noted that he was excited to appear next on another Prime Video show, Elle. “I think they support their writers and their creative agenda in a great way.”

For Casalegno, what elevates The Summer I Turned Pretty is its ability to reach a wide range of viewers. Though it would be easy to assume that a show based on a YA romance novel might appeal to a niche demographic, he makes the case that the show’s popularity comes from its universal themes about relationships and connection.

“I feel like there's a lot of really deep, relatable themes like grief and love and heartbreak,” Casalegno says. “It's awesome to be a part of a project that wants to speak to all of those things and that people can relate to. And I think that's part of the most beautiful thing about doing art and being on the show.”

Rain Spencer, who plays Taylor, Belly’s best friend, agreed, adding that the ability to connect with audiences through the characters and storylines was one of the aspects she appreciated most working on the show.

“I'm so excited and grateful that people can relate to our characters and relate to the world that Jenny created,” Spencer says. “It's a great feeling.”

For Han, reflecting on her time with The Summer I Turned Pretty as its run on the small screen draws to a close, the ending is bittersweet, but ultimately satisfying.

“I feel really proud of what we made,” Han says, “It's been a really beautiful journey.”