Be it the heartbreaking beach confession between Conrad and Belly or the iconic summer looks sported by the entire cast, Jenny Han’s ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has firmly taken over pop culture in India and across the globe. Social media feeds are flooded with edits, theories, and fandom chatter, proving the Prime Video young-adult drama is worth every bit of the hype.

The series, rooted in hard-hitting yet relatable plots, carries a strong Bollywood-coded appeal that resonates deeply with Indian audiences. With new episodes dropping weekly, the show has managed to hook viewers with each twist and turn, while fan edits and ship theories keep the conversation alive online. This wave of popularity has also placed the series alongside other global hits on Prime Video, including the Maggie Q-led crime drama ‘Ballard’ and Daniel Dae Kim’s Korean drama ‘Butterfly’. Together, these Originals have been breaking viewership records worldwide.

According to a press release shared by Prime Video, Vernon Sanders, Head of TV at Prime Video (US), credited these successes to a long-term strategy of creating stories that resonate with global audiences in an organic way. ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ alone registered 25 million global viewers in its first week, highlighting how female-led shows and Asian-fronted stories can achieve massive popularity without race being the central theme.

“When you try to force something, sometimes you don’t get the results you’re looking for. So we’ve been at this a while,” Sanders explained. “Albert Cheng and I used to be co-Heads of TV together, and it was something we talked a lot about back in the days, about how we find organic ways to tell stories that would resonate all around the world? Because we do have a global audience, and we are passionate about making sure that we’re telling stories that really cover the globe and cover the spectrum of people across the world.”

The third season of the show has particularly cemented its global status, resonating strongly with young women who have connected with its heartfelt, messy, and relatable portrayal of growing up. Based on Jenny Han’s best-selling trilogy, the drama captures the exhilarating and painful journey of adolescence in a way that speaks universally.

Despite a significant gap between Season 2 and Season 3, Sanders admitted there were concerns about retaining the audience. However, the opposite has happened. “The response has been incredible, and we’ve seen a huge increase in Prime Video subscribers,” Sanders revealed. “There has been just a massive explosion of people coming into the service.”

The global viewership surge underscores the importance of telling universal stories from diverse perspectives. As ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ heads towards its highly anticipated grand finale on September 17, anticipation is at an all-time high, with Indian fans joining the rest of the world in celebrating what has truly become a cultural phenomenon.