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The day before my daughter was born, I curled up in bed and watched the first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. It was a grey August, and the sun-kissed scenes at the fictional Cousins Beach proved a brief escape from my impending responsibilities. In 2023, I quietly cursed myself for wasting possibly my last day of guilt-free TV on a show about American teenagers reluctant to date outside their childhood friendship pool. But two years on, here I am watching the third and final season as Amazon Prime Video drip-feeds weekly episodes of the show based on the young-adult book trilogy by Jenny Han (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before).
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And I’m not alone. The series, in which Isabel ‘Belly’ Conklin (Lola Tung) has conflicted feelings for two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher (Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno), is more popular than ever. And, at its heart, it’s this love triangle that seems to draw people in. I’m not the only self-respecting adult pledging their allegiance to #TeamConrad or #TeamJeremiah like it’s the early oughts.
While particularly prominent in teen fiction, TV writers have long leaned on the trope of the love triangle. It often plays out like this: an ‘attractive’ protagonist, often cis female, has to choose between a brooding bad boy and one who is more emotionally available. Some critics say the love triangle in YA fiction is at a crossroads with binary choices less appealing to a modern audience. Others point out that in the specific case of TSITP, the love triangle offers two equally unenticing options. Whatever the case, Belly and the Fisher brothers are just the latest in a long line of TV love triangles. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the most memorable.
Carrie, Big and Aidan (Sex and the City)
As fictional love triangles go, it’s hard to go past Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Big (Chris Noth) and Aidan (John Corbett) from Sex and the City – a dynamic so enduring it was resurrected (against some fans’ wishes) decades later in the sequel series And Just Like That... Carrie and Big’s relationship was marked by miscommunication, mismatched desires and unmet needs. By contrast, everything with Aidan initially seemed easy. Aidan’s southern country charm was contrasted to Big’s cigars and avoidant attachment style. Like TSITP, it’s compelling (and frustrating) to watch our protagonist swing from one archetype to another, making ill-informed choices along the way. Both shows offer plenty of opportunities to scream at the TV.
Dr Karl, Susan and Izzy (Neighbours)
Dr Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) and Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) on Neighbours.
Everybody needs good neighbours. Unless good neighbours turn out to be good friends who have extramarital affairs with Natalie Bassingthwaighte. This love triangle, surely the longest-running on Australian TV, had Dr Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), his wife Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Izzy (Bassingthwaighte) in a twist, from the initial affair in 2004 to Izzy’s return in 2018. Soap operas like Neighbours are the natural home of the love triangle, where characters have seemingly endless complications thrown their way. As Woodburne recently told The Guardian of her character Susan: “I’ve had some fantastic storylines: I was diagnosed with MS, I was abducted … and the Karl and Susan love triangle with Izzy will always remain a favourite as there was so much comedy, drama and tragedy. You don’t go through your husband almost fathering a child that isn’t his, and come out the other side the same person!” Indeed.
Buffy, Angel and Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Credit:
Teenage vampire slayers need love too, and in the ’90s and early 2000s, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) found herself torn between two vampires, Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James Marsters). There’s a lot on the line for this trio; Angel has his soul taken away when he and Buffy sleep together. Spike has his reputation as a bad boy to uphold. Unlike others on this list, Buffy ultimately chooses neither love interest. But that hasn’t stopped rabid fans from choosing their own side.
Meredith, Derek and Addison (Grey’s Anatomy)
Grey’s Anatomy might hold the record for the most love triangles on TV. Where to start? George, Izzie and Callie? Callie, Arizona and Mark? Mark, Derek and Addison? Of course, it has to be Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Addison (Kate Walsh). This one is responsible for one of the greatest lines in the show’s 21 seasons, levelled at Meredith: “And you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband”. Technically, they were estranged. But even after Meredith asks Derek to choose her in a now-famous speech not unlike Conrad’s entreaty to Belly the night before her wedding, he picks Addison. If I was a patient at this hospital, I’d hope these doctors would pick me over their endless romantic trysts, but it makes for fascinating television.
Rory, Jess and Dean (Gilmore Girls)
Milo Ventimiglia and Alexis Bledel in Gilmore Girls
Who can forget when Luke Danes’ troubled-yet-bookish nephew, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), comes to Stars Hollow? Not every millennial who rewatches Gilmore Girls on an annual basis, that’s for sure. Some have even drawn parallels from Jess’ broody appeal to Conrad. Jess steals Rory’s heart in a way her first boyfriend Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) couldn’t. He’s smart, rebellious, and wants more for Rory than a life as a housewife in a small town. Throughout the series, Rory flits between both characters, eventually dating someone entirely different who meets her grandparents’ elitist expectations at Yale. Fun! Still, it’s hard to forget the Jess era, even if he did crash the car Dean built for her.
Dawson, Pacey and Joey (Dawson’s Creek)
Joshua Jackson (Pacey), Katie Holmes (Joey) and James Van der Beek (Dawson) in Dawson’s Creek.
The triangulated love between Dawson (James Van Der Beek), Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Joey (Katie Holmes) has been credited with redefining the teenage TV soap. From 1998 to 2003, audiences were captivated by Joey’s romantic interests in two close friends. The series feels the closest to TSITP, which is in no small part due to the fact both shows were filmed in the same location: Wilmington, North Carolina (along with One Tree Hill, which gets an honorary shoutout for its own foray into love triangles). The idyllic beachside town of Capeside lives on in Cousins.
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Who is your favourite TV love triangle? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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