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The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Could Be The Show's Last

The Prime Video series is based on Jenny Han’s book trilogy.

by Brad Witter
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Originally Published: 
Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah) and Lola Tung (Belly) in 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 2, via Prime...
Erika Doss/Prime Video

Thanks to the trilogy of best-selling Jenny Han novels it’s adapted from, The Summer I Turned Pretty had a fanbase before it premiered. Even as Season 2 was still airing, Prime Video turned up the heat by renewing the coming-of-age romantic drama for a 10-episode third season. “This charming, deeply heartfelt series has shown the breadth of our customer base, appealing to a young, diverse set of viewers,” Amazon and MGM Studios TV head Vernon Sanders said in an Aug. 3 statement. “Jenny Han is a gifted storyteller, whose fans have been clamoring for the third chapter of this story. We’re excited today to share the news that they have a lot more Summer to look forward to.”

Exactly how much more Summer is ahead remains to be seen, though. As Han fans are already aware, there are only three books in the series, meaning the Prime Video adaptation could also end with Season 3. However, the author also serves as writer, co-showrunner, and executive producer and has been open to updating her novel trilogy, which was published between 2009 and 2011. “Fifteen years later, the world looks different, and I’m different,” Han explained to the Los Angeles Times in an interview published in July. “I don’t shy away from taking a different turn as long as the core is still intact. I never want people to feel like they aren’t given what they hope to see, but I also want to surprise them.”

Also working in The Summer I Turned Pretty’s favor is that its latest installment is one of the 10 most-watched seasons of any series ever on Prime Video, according to the streamer, and more than doubled the first season’s viewership within three days of launch.

Though its future remains unclear, The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 is already a go. Here’s everything to know about what might happen next at the fictional Cousins Beach.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Cast

Though Prime Video has yet to make any casting announcement, the series stars Lola Tung (Isabel “Belly” Conklin), Christopher Briney (Conrad Fisher), Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah Fisher), Sean Kaufman (Steven Conklin), Rain Spencer (Taylor Jewel), David Iacono (Cam), Summer Madison (Nicole Richardson), Elsie Fisher (Skye), Jackie Chung (Laurel Park), Rachel Blanchard (Susannah “Beck” Fisher), Alfredo Narciso (Cleveland Castillo), Tom Everett Scott (Adam Fisher), Colin Ferguson (John Conklin), Minnie Mills (Shayla Wang), and Kyra Sedgwick (Julia).

Courtesy of Prime Video

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Plot

Just one day before announcing the renewal, the show’s official Instagram account captioned a photo, “We'll always have summer,” which also happens to be the title of the trilogy’s third and final novel. Though Prime Video has yet to confirm the theory, Season 3 will likely follow a similar plot. According to the official We’ll Always Have Summer synopsis, the book opens two years into Belly and Jeremiah’s (aka Jelly) up-and-down romance. Though the protagonist is almost positive he’s her soulmate, she is forced to make a final choice between him and his brother Conrad, who realizes he either has to tell Belly he loves her or lose her for good. As the publisher teases, Belly ultimately “will have to break one of their hearts.”

Though the book makes Belly’s fate clear, her journey could still evolve on screen. “I like the idea of it being ultimately what makes her happy,” Han added in her Los Angeles Times interview, “and how you grow as you get older and your ideas change about love.”

Erika Doss/Prime Video

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Potential Premiere Date

While announcing the Season 3 renewal, the streamer clarified that they officially greenlit the next chapter ahead of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. As such, production will not begin until after labor negotiations with those unions have been resolved, for which there’s currently no definitive timetable. Filming for Season 2 reportedly took place in Wilmington, North Carolina, from July until November 2022, ahead of a July 2023 premiere. If the third season follows a similar schedule, expect it to drop about a year after production begins. As of publication, a late 2024 or early 2025 return is still within the realm of possibility.

This post will be updated as more The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 details become available.

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