The Jenny Han drama series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has been renewed for Season 2 at Amazon before Season 1 has even premiered, Variety has learned exclusively.
“When I decided to adapt ‘Summer’ for television, I knew we’d need more than one season to honor the story we are telling,” said Han. “To receive a second season pickup ahead of the premiere of Season One is beyond my wildest dreams. I am so grateful to Amazon Studios for this amazing vote of confidence in our show, and cannot wait to bring our incredible team back together to tell the next chapter in our story.”
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” was picked up to series at Amazon in February 2021. Season 1 of the show is set to debut on June 17. The first season will consist of seven episodes. In addition, while Gabrielle Stanton served as co-showrunner on Season 1 alongside Han, she will solely be an executive producer on Season 2. Sarah Kucserka has come onboard to serve as co-showrunner with Han on the second season.
“As fans anticipate the beach fun and young romance in the upcoming first season, we’re excited to announce more summer to come with a second season of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty,’” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios. “We look forward to our Prime Video customers returning to Cousins Beach with Jenny Han and her characters as they continue their coming-of-age journeys for another season.”
Based on Han’s book series of the same name, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is described as a multigenerational drama that hinges on a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, the ever-evolving relationship between mothers and their children, and the enduring power of strong female friendship. It stars Lola Tung, Jackie Chung, Rachel Blanchard, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Alfredo Narciso, and Minnie Mills, with Colin Ferguson and Tom Everett Scott.
“The wait is almost over until audiences around the world can experience Jenny Han’s extraordinary style of storytelling come to life on screen, as her new and longtime fans alike share our excitement for Season One of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ to make its global debut,” said Paul Lee, CEO of series co-producer wiip. “We’re incredibly excited to continue on this journey with Jenny and the talented team at Amazon to make Season Two of this beloved young adult series.”
Han and Kucserka serve as executive producers on Season 2 along with Stanton, Karen Rosenfelt, and Hope Hartman, Mads Hansen, and Paul Lee for wiip. Amazon Studios and wiip co-produce.
The first novel in the “Summer” series was originally published in 2009. The sequels “It’s Not Summer Without You” and “We’ll Always Have Summer” followed in 2010 and 2011 respectively. In addition to those three books, Han is known for writing the “To All the Boys” books, which have been adapted into a series of hit films at Netflix. The Amazon series marks her first television writing credit.
