What to know about season 3 of North Carolina-shot Amazon show 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'

It's been a long, two-year wait for fans.

The third and final season of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" — the Wilmington-shot, coming-of-age drama series that's been a hit for Amazon's Prime Video streaming service — premiered the first two of its 11 episodes on Wednesday, July 16.

Shooting under the name "Strawberry Fields," the show's third season started pre-production in late February 2024, began production in March 2024 and wrapped in early August of last year. Seasons one and two of the show, both of which also shot in the Wilmington area, aired in 2022 and 2023, and season three likely would've aired in 2024 if not for since-resolved strikes by writers' and actors' unions that shut down production for much of 2023.

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" is wildly popular and highly anticipated, especially among women in the 18-to-34 demographic. Amazon Studios, which is co-producing the series with the wiip production company, is, aside from a weeks-long flurry of social media promo posts, keeping a pretty tight lid on things ahead of the premiere of season three.

Here's what you need to know about season three.

'Summer' starts now

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" follows the life, loves and family drama of Belly, played by Lola Tung, whose heart is torn between two brothers: first love Conrad, played by Christopher Briney, and new boyfriend Jeremiah, played by Gavin Casalegno.

Much of the action plays out on the fictional Cousins Beach, where the two families spend summer each year. The series started when Belly was still in high school, and season three has her finishing her junior year of college.

Other characters include Belly's brother, Steven, played by Sean Kaufman; her best friend, Taylor, played by Rain Spencer; and her mom, played by Jackie Chung.

The actors were sometimes spotted around Wilmington, with Briney getting the occasional coffee at downtown hotspot Bespoke and Tom Everett Scott ("An American Werewolf in Paris," TV's "Southland"), who plays Conrad and Jeremiah's father, hanging out at the South Front District's Satellite Bar & Lounge.

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" is based on the best-selling book trilogy by Jenny Han, who wrote and directed some episodes, is one of the show's executive producers and, with Sarah Kucserka, is its co-showrunner.

Han also wrote the best-selling book series "To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before," which spawned a film trilogy and a Netflix spinoff, "XO, Kitty." Han has said in the past that a "Summer I Turned Pretty" spin-off is possible, but nothing has been confirmed.

When to watch

Compared to season one, which released all seven episodes at once, and season two, which released three episodes before switching to a weekly format for its final five episodes, season three will be much more drawn out.

Episodes one and two dropped July 16, with the final nine episodes revealed weekly on Wednesdays starting July 23, with the finale on Sept. 17.

Viewership

A first look at "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Season 3 starring Lola Tung (Belly), Christopher Briney (Conrad) and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah).

Amazon doesn't release specific viewership numbers, but with "The Summer I Turned Pretty" airing in more than 240 countries, it's probably safe to assume that millions of people watch the show worldwide.

A 2023 story in entertainment industry website Deadline said the show was Amazon's second-most-viewed and its most-completed series among women age 18 to 34.

According to that story, and to Amazon, the show helped drive subscriptions to the streaming service, with its season two audience more than doubling that of season one.

Wilmington area locations

A house at 1921 Chestnut St. in Wilmington prepped for filming to be in season three of "The Summer I Turned Pretty."

The list of Wilmington-area locations used in "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is voluminous.

According to film permits filed with the city of Wilmington, here are some of the locations "The Summer I Turned Pretty" shot at in 2024.

In downtown Wilmington, the list includes:

• Pier 33 Apartments at 901 Nutt St.
• The rooftop of Riverview Suites at 106 N. Water St.
• Arrive Hotel at 101 S. Second St.
• The intersection of Second and Dock streets, as well as the Duck and Dive bar at 114 Dock St. and the Husk bar at 31 S. Front St.
• The Sorrow Drowner cocktail bar at 19 S. 10th St.
• The Cape Fear Club at 206 Chestnut St.
• The Cotton Exchange at 321 N. Front St.
• The foot of Market Street and Kilwin's ice cream shop
• St. James Episcopal Church at 25 S. Third St.
• Circa 1922 restaurant at 8 N. Front St.
• The exterior of Cape Fear Community College at Front and Red Cross streets, as well as CFCC's Union Station at 502 N. Front St. and CFCC's Health & Human Services building at 319 N. Third St.
• The New Hanover County Public Library at 201 Chestnut St.
• Grace United Methodist Church at 401 Grace St.
• The UnderFront Co. bar at 265 N. Front St.
• The Harrelson Center at 20 N. Fourth St.
• The Beer Barrio at 34 N. Front St.
• Other downtown locations used by the show include 614 Peacock Lane, 215 S. Front St., 214 Red Cross St., 1309 Princess St. and 721 Princess St.

Outside of downtown Wilmington, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" shot at these locations:

• New Hanover County Arboretum at 6206 Oleander Drive
• Summer Rest Road near Wrightsville Beach
• Cape Fear Country Club at 1518 Country Club Road off Oleander Drive
• 1209 Hill St.
• Masonboro Baptist Church at 1501 Beasley Road
• Coastal Massage & Spa at 7205 Wrightsville Ave.
• 1807, 1921 and 2311 Chestnut St.
• St. Andrews Covenant-Presbyterian Church at 1416 Market St.
• Covey restaurant at 1610 Tiburon Drive
• Tavern 14 at 6309 Market St.
• 715 Greenfield St.
• Goody Goody Omelet House at 3718 Market St.
• 301 Martin St.
• Little Loaf Bakery at 3410 Wrightsville Ave.
• 2018 Lynnwood Drive
• Martin Luther King Boulevard at the intersection with Kornegay Avenue
• Michaels and David's Bridal in Mayfaire Town Center
• Benny’s Pizzeria at 206 Greenfield St.
• 812 Forest Hills Drive
• Legion Stadium on Carolina Beach Road

In addition to Wilmington proper, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" has also shot scenes in Southport (which appears in the season three trailer), the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Brunswick Community College, Wrightsville Beach and Fort Fisher.

Books vs. show

The third and final season of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" premieres July 16 on Amazon Prime Video.

For the most part, seasons one and two of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" more or less followed the events of books one and two, though there were some notable differences. No doubt fans of the books and the series will be watching to see how much season three deviates from the third book, which, no spoilers, contains some pretty serious drama between Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad.

As for the first two seasons, Jeremiah and Conrad's "Aunt Julia," played by Kyra Sedgwick, didn't exist in the book, nor did her daughter, Skye, the boys' cousin played by Elsie Fisher.

Jeremiah is depicted as bisexual in the show, something that also wasn't in the books, and the romance between Belly's brother Steven and best friend Taylor was added for the show as well. There's also a scene where where Belly's mom and Jeremiah and Conrad's mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), sneak off to a bar and smoke weed that wasn't in the books.

'Pretty' big for tourism

Belly watching the sunrise in Cousins.

According to Connie Nelson, communications director with the Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, "During the first two seasons of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' there was a lot of interest in show locations among young visitors and the media they consume. We anticipate that the interest will continue when season three debuts. We especially love when visiting fans tag our destination in social media posts.

"With each season, there’s a surge in media coverage of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' locations, especially among pop culture magazines like People, Us Weekly (and) Entertainment Weekly," she added, "As well as media outlets, bloggers and social media influencers that target young audiences."

Nelson said it remains to be seen whether the show's three seasons "will have the lasting impact on tourism that (Wilmington-shot shows) 'Dawson’s Creek' (six seasons) and 'One Tree Hill' (nine seasons) have experienced.

"Adult fans of both shows are now bringing their own families to visit the beloved 'Capeside' and 'Tree Hill' locations," she added. "While we do not yet know if 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' will have lasting fan loyalty, we certainly hope it will and that fans will continue to visit locations in Wilmington and our island beaches long after the show’s season three finale."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What to know about season 3 of North Carolina-shot Amazon show 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'