The Summer I Turned Pretty (TV series)

The Summer I Turned Pretty is an American coming-of-age romantic drama television series created by author Jenny Han for Amazon Prime Video, and it is based on her novel trilogy of the same name. Lola Tung (Belly) stars as a teenager involved in a love triangle with two brothers played by Christopher Briney (Conrad) and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah).

Production on the series began in 2021. It premiered on June 17, 2022, with the first season consisting of seven episodes. Ahead of the series premiere, it was renewed for a second season which premiered on July 14, 2023, and consists of eight episodes. In August 2023, the series was renewed for a third season consisting of eleven episodes which is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Synopsis
The story follows Isabel "Belly" Conklin, who is about to turn sixteen, as she and her family reunite with Susannah Fisher and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad (the latter of whom Belly has had a crush on since she was ten).

Events from previous summers have impacted Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher's connection with Belly as she navigates the difficulties of growing up and her first love. She discovers the importance of taking chances and that change is inevitable. Every summer Belly and her family stay at her mother's best friend’s home in Cousins Beach. As a child, she felt left out because of the four children, she was the youngest and the only girl. However, this summer, Conrad and Jeremiah have noticed how much she has changed over the last year. Belly gets the impression that this will be an unforgettable summer because of their interest in her.

Main

 * Lola Tung as Isabel "Belly" Conklin
 * Jackie Chung as Laurel Park
 * Rachel Blanchard as Susannah Fisher
 * Christopher Briney as Conrad Fisher
 * Gavin Casalegno as Jeremiah Fisher
 * Sean Kaufman as Steven Conklin
 * Alfredo Narciso as Cleveland Castillo (season 1; guest season 2)
 * Minnie Mills as Shayla (season 1)
 * Colin Ferguson as John Conklin
 * Tom Everett Scott as Adam Fisher
 * Rain Spencer as Taylor Madison Jewel (season 2; recurring season 1)
 * Elsie Fisher as Skye (season 2)
 * Kyra Sedgwick as Julia (season 2)

Recurring

 * David Iacono as Cam
 * Summer Madison as Nicole

Development
On February 8, 2021, Amazon gave the production a series order consisting of eight episodes. The series is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Jenny Han. It is created by Han who also serves as the showrunner and an executive producer. Also executive producing are Gabrielle Stanton, Karen Rosenfelt, Nne Ebong, and Hope Hartman. Stanton is also a co-showrunner for the first season. On June 8, 2022, ahead of the series premiere, Amazon renewed the series for a second season, with Han and Sarah Kucserka as co-showrunners. On August 3, 2023, ahead of the second season finale, the series was renewed for a third season, with Han and Kucserka returning as showrunners.

Casting
On April 28, 2021, Lola Tung, Rachel Blanchard, Jackie Chung, and Christopher Briney were cast as series regulars. In July 2021, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Minnie Mills and Alfredo Narciso joined the main cast, while Summer Madison, David Iacono, Rain Spencer, and Tom Everett Scott joined the cast in recurring roles. On August 31, 2022, Kyra Sedgwick and Elsie Fisher were cast in recurring capacities for the second season. On April 20, 2023, Mills announced that she exited the series ahead of the second season.

Filming
Principal photography for the first season took place in 2021 in Wilmington, North Carolina, locations included Carolina Beach, Fort Fisher, and Wave Transit's Padgett Station on N. 3rd Street. Filming of the second season began in July 2022 and concluded in November 2022.

Cast members have confirmed that filming for the third season was initially set to begin in 2023. However, it ended up being delayed due to the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes that went from May to November 2023. In late January 2024, it was confirmed that the third season had entered into pre-production in the Wilmington area, eyeing a spring start date.

On May 14, 2024, it was announced that the third season had begun filming.

Release
The series premiered on Prime Video on June 17, 2022. The first three episodes of the second season premiered on July 14, 2023, with the remaining five episodes releasing weekly until the finale on August 18, 2023. The 11-episode third season is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Season 1
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 88% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 24 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Summer I Turned Pretty doesn't need more time to become a swan, coming out of the gate a solidly charming and sweet rom-com with appeal across generations." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 72 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "As a coming-of-age story, Amazon's The Summer I Turned Pretty is a cut above. Tenderly written and endearingly acted, it's sensitive to the subtle but irreversible shifts in self-perception that come with late adolescence — and at the same time clear-eyed enough to understand that teenagers, up to and including its own blushing heroine, sure can act like clueless jerks while they're figuring out how to wield their newfound powers." Delia Cai of Vanity Fair also gave a positive review, commenting that "the specificity of Laurel's fantasy summer is ultimately what rescues The Summer I Turned Pretty from being too sticky sweet."

Writing for The Playlist, Marya E. Gates wrote, "Although the voiceover in which [Belly] shares [her] feelings is unevenly deployed, it's refreshing to see a story that puts the girl in the driver's seat and gives her the room to work through the contradictions of adolescence and sexual coming-of-age on her own terms." Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media said the series is "as sweet, light, and refreshing as a soda on ice by the swimming pool...[and] tackles the confusion and loveliness of an awkward coming-of-age."

Abby Cavenaugh of Collider noted "though at some points, the love triangle — or quadrangle, with Cam included — can feel a bit forced, overall this story works on many levels. You grow to really care about these characters and want to see them happy," adding "Belly is the star of the show, and Tung sells every moment of it with her luminous performance."

Season 2
The second season holds an approval rating of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 71 based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Some critics welcomed the series' tackling of the heavier themes of grief and loss. Lauren Chval of The A.V. Club said that season 2 raises the stakes of the central love triangle and makes a strong case for a Jeremiah relationship with Belly. Tung's performance received continued praise, with Kayleigh Donaldson of TheWrap writing that "the season is at its best when it focuses on Belly, giving space to her emotional strife and the oft-derided difficulties of being a teenage girl in a world where you're positioned as something between a sex object and a punching bag." The soundtrack also received praise.

Others felt the second season lacks the breeziness and fun of the first season. Though critics noted the narrative stays faithful to the book, some said the integration of flashback scenes was at times confusing and that important storylines were being skipped. Writing for Collider, Therese Lacson gave an overall positive review but noted that the season's addition of new characters meant less time to develop their arcs and the meat of their stories. Nicole Gallucci of Decider wrote season 2's "emotional roller coaster serves as a harsh reminder that life isn't always a beach, but its unique mix of 'miserable and magical' will keep you hooked until the end."

Impact
Following the series' debut, all three The Summer I Turned Pretty books entered the top three spots on the Amazon Best Sellers list, with the second book, It's Not Summer Without You, reaching number one. The artists whose music is used in the show have also seen an increase in streams, sales and followers, with some experiencing up to a 6,000% increase in song sales. Taylor Swift's seventh studio album, Lover, resurged in sales and streaming, and re-entered the top 40 region of the Billboard 200 chart as well, after three of its songs—"Cruel Summer", "Lover" and "False God"—were featured in the series. Beyoncé's 2014 single 'XO' tripled in sales units following the use of it in the finale. The series also had a significant social media reach, with the hashtag #TheSummerITurnedPretty accumulating over 13.8 billion views on TikTok. It generated over 107,000 global posts over launch weekend and 725 million potential impressions across platforms, according to social analytics agency DMS.

In September 2023, Vernon Sanders, an Amazon Prime executive, revealed that season 2 of Jenny Han’s YA adaptation is currently the streamer’s No. 2 most-viewed series to date among women 18-34, behind only Rings of Power, according to Prime Video. It’s also the most-completed series to-date among that demographic. The series has also driven subscription growth this summer, Amazon reports. The Summer I Turned Pretty is among Prime Video’s Top 3 series in terms of global acquisition (and, again, No. 1 with women 18-34).

Awards and nominations
The Summer I Turned Pretty won the Bingeworthy Show of the Year at the 2024 People's Choice Awards.