The summer we binged family love triangle shows
Courtesy of Gina Wurtz from Movie Movie Mondays with Gina (The Puma Prensa / Rhea Buchan)
By Rheya Bushan, Features Editor
One girl. Two brothers. Love. That seems to be the plotline of at least one TV show in every single generation. And for some reason, every generation seems to fall head-over-heels for it.
Right now, The Summer I Turned Pretty—based on Jenny Han’s bestselling trilogy—is the latest show to send the internet into a frenzy. The love triangle between Belly Conklin and the Fisher brothers has fueled endless online debates, fan edits, and dramatic TikTok comment wars.
Ask almost anyone, “Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?” and they are sure to know about the topic.
And if someone replies “Team Jeremiah,” they better be prepared for a mob of passionate Team Conrad defenders ready to defend “Connie baby” like their lives depend on it.
The show just wrapped up its third and final season, leaving fans emotional and happy but already hungry for more. Luckily they won’t have to wait too long. A Summer I Turned Pretty movie is officially in the works.
But let’s be honest, this brother love triangle isn’t a new formula.
Another extremely popular show amongst Gen Z is My Life With the Walter Boys, which viewers describe as basically the same thing as The Summer I Turned Pretty, except with a “yeehaw” Conrad and Jeremiah.
Before that, there was The Vampire Diaries, which tore audiences between Stefan and Damon Salvatore. And back even further, to the 2000s, One Tree Hill had fans choosing sides in the Lucas-Peyton-Brooke saga. Different actors, different eras, but the exact same idea.
People from all ages seem to eat up all the drama and tension that these episodes offer us. From heartbreak and cheating to going back and forth between brothers, each of the shows don’t necessarily preach good decisions. So why do people like them so much?
There are a few answers to this question.
For starters, the drama is addictive. These shows give people high-stakes love, family betrayal, makeups and breakups—all without the real-world consequences. Watching characters spiral into bad decisions while yelling at the screen? Kind of therapeutic.
But there’s a deeper layer too. Female leads like Belly are often vilified when things get messy. Fans are quick to label her a “homewrecker” or “heartbreaker” for dating two brothers–even though both of them are equally involved. People have even gone as far to call her “stomach” believing that it’s an insult to her actual name. The criticism becomes less about fictional relationships and more about how we judge young women for their choices, fictional or not.
And, of course, the other obvious reason why people love the show: the brothers are hot.
Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno (Conrad and Jeremiah) have become full-on internet heartthrobs, spawning fan edits, thirst tweets, and dreamy Pinterest boards. They’ve reached that rare level of fame where people don’t even refer to them by their real names anymore–it’s just “Conrad” and “Jeremiah” now.
But are these shows selling people toxic love stories wrapped in good lighting and great soundtracks? Or are they just harmless fun with pretty people and angsty feelings?
At the end of the day, maybe these shows don’t reflect the healthiest relationships—or proper morals—but they do reflect something real. So whether someone is Team Conrad, Team Jeremiah, or just here for the drama, one thing’s for sure: this story isn’t going anywhere. Not yet.
Not until the movie…