The love triangle that could determine the series we watch from now on.

BarcelonaThis summer, in the world of series, The summer I fell in love has managed to monopolize part of the conversation on the networks. Just do some scroll on Instagram or TikTok to find videos asking users if they are "team Conrad or team Jeremiah." This is the dilemma posed by this Amazon teen series, which follows the romantic struggles of young Belly, who must decide between two brothers she has known since childhood, Conrad and Jeremiah. The platform is currently airing the final season of the series – publishing one episode per week – and, as the end approaches, the debate on social media is growing. This week, the head of series at Amazon MGM Studios, Vernon Sanders, assured that The summer I fell in love has become the spearhead of its strategy for youth fiction, a genre that has long since disappeared from linear television but is proving to be very effective in streaming.

In an interview with VarietySanders explains that the series, which adapts a trilogy of books by Jenny Han, has helped them understand the full potential of this genre, which also appeals to a more mature audience, especially women. According to data from the same platform (therefore not audited by third parties), the third season of The summer I fell in love It's the most-watched season of any of their series by women ages 18-34. They also point out that this season's launch had a 40% increase in viewers than the second season premiere.

"Generally, when we talk about shows for young women, we're talking about shows that focus on characters in a certain age range," Sanders says. "But, as we see in The summer I fell in love, through the parents' characters, there are rich plots and characters. It's an intergenerational story, so people can find themselves throughout the series. One of the interesting things is that, considering how long ago it was originally published, people maybe started reading the books when they were teenagers, then our adaptation came out, and at that point, they were in their early 20s. So people have been growing and evolving as the story has evolved," she argues.

Social media content seems to reinforce Sanders's theory. During this season's broadcast, TikTok and Instagram videos from female users and the target audience of users over 40, who would be about 20 years younger, have been common. This impact is what has led Amazon to decide to continue investing in young adult fiction, and it already has several productions in its pipeline that follow this line. romanticasy (a mix of fantasy and romance) Fourth Wing and from the series of romantic books Off campus. In addition, the new season of Maxton Hall, another teenage romance phenomenon, and the conclusion of the film trilogy Guilty, our fault, which premieres on October 19. The project list also includes the romantic comedy The hypothesis of love, based on a novel by Ali Hazelwood. Beyond that, Amazon is expected to soon greenlight new seasons of the youth series it has already aired, such as Imposture, an LGBTI+ comedy starring Charli XCX, or We were liars. In addition, Sanders has not ruled out the possibility of a series of cuttings. The summer I fell in love or new fictions signed by Jenny Han.

Netflix leads the way

The summer I fell in love has allowed Amazon to confirm that there is a demand for youth products, but Netflix has been working on this line for some time and, in fact, there are many productions in its catalog that can be labeled as fiction for young audiences. Leaving aside Wednesday, which falls squarely into this category although it moves in the realm of Gothic and not Romanticism, the collection of fictions intended for the public young adult It includes titles that have been very well received, such as Ginny & Georgia, Outer Banks, Geek girl and My life with the Walter boys. Netflix's hegemony in the youth genre started with To all the boys I've loved before, an adaptation of another book trilogy by Jenny Han.

While Amazon and Netflix have no problem promoting youth products, on other platforms it is still a residual product. Apple TV+, which bases its strategy on series with very high production standards and above all designed for an adult audience, has ventured to try to hunt down viewers of the Z generation with The buccaneers, an adaptation of an unfinished novel by Edith Wharton that has been seasoned with a soundtrack full of musical hits from singers such as Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan (this element is also very present in The summer I fell in love). The intense social media campaign for the second season has made the show a major player in the television conversation this summer.