Romance Why teen show is a big hit - not just with teens

It was billed as a show for teenagers, but you would be hard-pressed to find a millennial woman who has not watched – and become mildly obsessed with – The Summer I Turned Pretty.

- Nadia Khomami

Based on Jenny Han’s novel trilogy of the same name, the coming-of-age drama has quietly grown into a global phenomenon for Prime Video. The first two episodes of its third and final season drew 25 million viewers, triple the audience of its debut.

As it approaches its highly anticipated finale on Wednesday, the show’s main audience is not teenagers but women over 25 – and they cannot stop talking about it.

“Why Every Millennial Woman You Know Is Suddenly Watching The Summer I Turned Pretty,” ran a headline in Vogue.

So fervent is the fandom that Amazon even asked viewers to start “acting normal online” after cast members were targeted with abuse in the buildup to the climax.