The Summer I Turned Pretty

Main characters include complex women such as Belly, her mom Laurel, and Laurel's best friend Susannah, though their lives revolve around familiar topics of romance, the men in their lives, and/or being mothers. Like series creator and writer Jenny Han, Laurel is Korean American. Laurel and her biracial (Korean and White) kids, Belly and Steven, all have leading roles. Otherwise, most characters are White, and race generally goes unmentioned, only coming up in rare instances like when Laurel says if she wrote about "the Asian American experience," her books would sell better. More is made of Belly's family's finances relative to Susannah's; Susannah is rich and often pays for things, which makes Laurel uncomfortable. A country club is a central location, which characters mention as a space for rarefied wealth. A main character is sexually fluid and makes no bones about "hooking up" with both boys and girls; another character uses they/them pronouns. Mental health issues are tackled when characters grieve over a death in the family, experience depression and panic attacks, and work through their feelings in various ways.

A mom smacks her son in the head lightly during an argument, after which he apologizes to her. Young men come to blows at parties; during one fight, a girl is accidentally hit in the face and has a bruise. An important character grapples with cancer (spoiler alert!) and dies. Several sad scenes as characters work through grief.

Romance looms large in this series, and characters flirt and kiss. Lots of talk about boyfriends and girlfriends. Expect romance, dating, and broken hearts. Characters discuss having sex. Teen characters undress (they're shirtless, and a girl unhooks her own bra; nothing sensitive shown) and then the camera cuts to afterward, with one character asleep as the other wears his oversized T-shirt. Teens tease each about wanting a "hot make-out session" and jokingly call each other a "dirty little slut." Discussions around parents' past cheating.

Language includes "f--k," "f---ing," "s--t," "a--hole," and "bulls--t." Friends taunt each other with words like "bitch," "slut," and "loser" and use the middle-finger gesture.

Several characters, including teens, smoke pot; in one scene, moms share a joint. Characters drink at parties, often to the point of drunkenness. Teen girls pass a flask at a debutante lunch.