From Off Campus to The Last Sunrise, Here’s Why Everyone is Watching YA Romantic Dramas
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Prime Video
When it comes to the shows of summer 2026, you can’t get far without hearing people talk about Off Campus. The new Prime Video series based on the books by Elle Kennedy has had record-breaking viewership, amassed a huge loyal fandom, and become a part of the wave of Young Adult (YA) and New Adult shows and movies that Prime Video is investing in. And yes, the Latine community is also watching.
In the last couple of years we have seen a shift into YA shows being part of the conversation in the same way that Game of Thrones was when it was airing. All over social and in our homes and jobs, people were talking about shows across various networks and streaming services like The Summer I Turned Pretty, My Life with the Walter Boys, XO Kitty, and of course the enigmatic Euphoria. Even your favorite celebrities were arguing about whether they were Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah.
When it comes down to it, when we really think about why people are gravitating to these romantic dramas, the answer is pretty simple. It’s about community. In 2026, we are severely lacking third spaces. Instead we’re consistently cycling between work and home with a couple activities in between. Watching these romantic dramas acts as a form of escape that we can communally come back together and discuss. Think of it as the modern day water cooler conversation. But instead of it just being at your job, it’s with millions of fans all over the world.
Just this past weekend, we got to see that community of fans come together for Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest, a showcase on the shows and movies they’re working on for a YA and New Adult audience. And after attending, I can tell you that it’s clear that the industry, especially Prime Video in particular, is making a concerted effort to continue feeding audiences shows that act as these community spaces. You’ve got Benito Skinner’s Overcompensating, the adaptation of Carley Fortune’s Every Year After, Reese Witherspoon’s Elle, and of course the beloved Off Campus series created by Louisa Levy.
Think of Obsessed Fest as a mini Comic-Con. But the only conversations that are happening are about romantic dramas where the focus is on love, friendship, connections, and discovering oneself. And the people that are gathering there, are all there for a singular purpose: to share in what they’re obsessed with. And in a way, it emphasizes how the uptick in these romantic dramas is just as much about third spaces as it is about being a mental escape.
Through shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty or Off Campus, these fandoms have developed where they can forget about the real world for a second. Instead they can focus on the joys of first love, the heartbreak of figuring life out, and the thrill of knowing that your life is just starting. Oh also that there’s going to be a happy ending no matter what. There’s certainty in these shows and movies. And that certainty is a major draw for viewers and those who loved the books before they were even adapted.
There’s also quite a bit of diversity in people and communities in these shows and movies. The Summer I Turned Pretty has an Asian lead in the form of Lola Tung. The Last Sunrise has a Latina lead in the form of Maia Reficco. And Red, White & Royal Blue has a Latino lead and Middle Eastern lead in the form of Taylor Zakhar-Perez. And Prime Video has invested in Venezuelan talent like Ariana Godoy’s Follow My Voice and Mercedes Ron’s entire House of Ron universe that includes the Culpables movies and their adaptations. And that’s without getting into Germany’s Maxton Hall or Italy’s Love Me Love Me and the upcoming romantic drama Postcards from Italy.
If streaming services want to keep up with demand and create the kind of communities where people keep coming back for more because they relate to the characters on screen, they have to look at the model that Prime Video is doing right now with their YA summer shows and films. Because they’re investing in book to screen adaptations and listening to fans while also creating a space where said fans can share in their obsessions. That’s how you create a community activity in the same way that people sit down to watch Love Island during the summer like clockwork. And I’m saying this as someone who has become one of those Love Island people this summer.
That’s not to say that everything is perfect. As a queer Latina, I feel like Prime Video has to do better in those two essential parts of my identity. And I can acknowledge that fault while also seeing how they’re creating a space, especially for young women, where romance isn’t seen as this cringe thing that only “teenagers are into.” They’re not. Women are watching these shows. Women with mortgages, children, and communities of their own. And if these shows and movies help people connect on a deeper level and form communities that make them feel less alone, I’m down. I’m always down. Now we just have to continue building that home for everyone.
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Note: Travel and accommodations were provided by Prime Video to attend Obsessed Fest in exchange for coverage.