According to IMDb, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (TSITP) is about “a love triangle between one girl and two brothers” and “first love, first heartbreak and the magic of that one perfect summer.” On paper, one might assume that the show would be unoffensive or something cute for kids. You wouldn’t guess that this simple show would be the cause of three years’ worth of internet discourse and melodrama.
TSITP is, quite frankly, a cultural phenomenon. For the uninitiated, the show is based on the book trilogy of the same name written by Jenny Han, who was brought on as a showrunner. Han is also the creator behind another popular book-to-screen adaptation: “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The Netflix adaptation made waves when it premiered in 2018 and quickly became a beloved new-age romcom. Seeing the success of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” Han would decide to take her less-favored book trilogy, TSITP, and turn it into a television series with Amazon Prime’s streaming service.
I watched the first season of the show when it premiered in the summer of 2022. I had fun, but by the time the next season released the following summer, I did not feel inclined to press play. It was only when I saw the chaos surrounding the show this past summer, as the third and final season aired, that I decided to tune back in and see for myself what was so enticing about this show. Because the thing is… it is everywhere.
The main characters, Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah are in a love triangle that took the internet by storm in a way that we have not seen since the likes of “Edward or Jacob” and “Peeta or Gale” of a decade prior. Not even the show’s predecessor, “To All The Boys,” elicited such vicious online battles. NFL teammates were asked by their social media managers which team they were on as they prepared for a game. Delta assigned each boy a specific seat in their planes. Celebrities got asked in Q&As which brother they support.
Then of course, there is the Taylor Swift of it all. Arguably the most famous musician in the world at the moment is licensing her songs for nearly every episode, and even premiered a few “Taylor’s Version” tracks through the series before their official release dates.
Now, back to my questions: Why this show? Why this much discourse? What about this show specifically reignited the teen drama fandom?
From what I have observed, there is not one answer. Those who love the show have different reasons. An article in Vogue from the perspective of an adult woman appreciated the way the show handled grief and how it shapes young love as someone who experienced a similar thing herself. Others find nostalgia for the great teen series of the past in it. And some simply enjoy the drama of it all.
Then there are those who find the show annoying. Those who find the love triangle stupid and question why Belly cannot leave these brothers behind and discover the millions of other options out there. There is even a subsection of people who hate-watch the series because the rage it brings them is cathartic.
More than anything, I believe TSITP encapsulates all of the aspects of teen pop culture that people love (or love to hate). Viewers compare the characters to the teen drama icons of the ’90s and early 2000s and act out scenes reminiscent of the romcoms of the past. These aspects of the show are nostalgic for the middle-aged women watching the show with their friends, while also being exhilaratingly fresh for the current teenage audience. It is both a celebration of the past and a blueprint for the future.
Quite honestly, I don’t think we have anything like TSITP on television right now. The days of the teen drama seem to be behind us. Where shows like The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, The O.C., Dawson’s Creek and Gossip Girl used to reign, we now have Stranger Things, The White Lotus, The Last of Us, Squid Game and The Bear — not exactly teen dramas — taking up most of the space in the cultural zeitgeist. TSITP is occupying that empty space, with only Outer Banks to keep it company. Shows like TSITP are necessary in an era where teen television culture is slowly drifting away.
When you’re a teenager, relationship and friendship drama feel world-ending, and it feels like every decision could make or break your future. Some people might find comfort in these reminders of youth, while others might find it frustrating to be reminded of the worst parts of those years. But we’ve all been there. TSITP shows us that.
And yes, I am Team Conrad.
Contact Izzy Shotwell at shotwell@oxy.edu
