Prime Video’s latest YA book-to-screen adaptation, “Every Year After,” has just been released. Following “Off Campus” is a tough move, but actor Abigail Cowen hopes audiences will embrace the new show in the same way.
“I love seeing [the “Off Campus”] success. I think they were filming at the same time we were filming… I actually read that script,” Cowen told Variety Australia in a new interview. “I was like, people are gonna love this. But [for “Every Year After”], one can only hope.”
Cowen wants people to enjoy the TV show as much as the cast and creatives do, and has declared it’s now a season “of adaptations” and “of love.”
This is just one on a long list of book-to-screen adaptations Prime Video has on its slate, including “The Love Hypothesis” and “The Last Sunrise” coming later this year. It’s a good gamble for the studio, as not only can they sell book versions on Amazon, but the existing IP comes with an in-built fanbase.
“I remember growing up and being fans of [book] series,” Cowen noted. “When you read, you create your own character… coming into it and making an adaptation is just so fun and kind of new [and brings] the vision that they had [in their head] on screen.”
Book fans will be surprised and delighted by the changes “Every Year After” makes from Carley Fortune’s novel “Every Summer After”, but the series has Fortune’s stamp of approval. Fortune served as an Executive Producer on the show, alongside showrunner Amy B. Harris.
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“[Fortune] was so supportive and amazing. She would come to set and just be encouraging, which is all you can ask for, especially when doing an adaptation,” Cowen said. “So getting her, kind of, thumbs up was the best, best day of our lives.”
The eight-part series is able to expand on other side characters, including Cowen’s Delilah and Chantal, played by Aurora Perrineau. “Every Year After’s” Season 1 finale ended on a cliffhanger, but the show has yet to be renewed, unlike “Off Campus.”
Cowen has high hopes, but admits she hasn’t had any confirmation from the executives in charge. “It really just depends on the fans. I think if we get viewership and people love it as much as we do, then hopefully [we will be renewed],” she said. “I don’t have any information on that, but I’m manifesting.”
All eight episodes of “Every Year After” are now streaming on Prime Video.