SPOILER ALERT: This piece contains spoilers for Every Year After now streaming on Prime Video.
Every Year After, the Prime Video television adaptation of Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After has splashed onto screens as the latest in a succession of coming-of-age, romance, book adaptations and other projects coming to Prime Video this summer.
For showrunner Amy B. Harris this specific story, which stretches between young adulthood and more established adulthood by flashing back to previous summers by the lake in Barry’s Bay, the story hinges on all of the in between moments before making big life decisions.
“The coming of age story is really about being on a precipice and what happens when you take that leap. And you’re always on a precipice. That’s a good thing, I think,” Harris said. “Like, ‘Am I leaving this job? Am I moving to a new city? Am I going to take a leap with this guy? Am I going to end a relationship?’”
All of the characters in Every Year After deal with some form of this interim, and Harris traces the return to and demand for variations of these types of adaptations — aside from the reader fanbase that contribute to the books’ success — to that uncertainty that shows up over and over again in life.
“People want to see themselves on TV, and or feel nostalgic for a time in their life that they either adored or sometimes hated, and would like to see the better version,” she said. “I think they’re the most relatable stories, and that’s why I love them, but I do think you come of age, if you’re lucky, your whole life.”
In the below interview, Harris talks her process of translating Fortune’s debut novel to the small screen in terms of music selection, perspective of storytelling and more.
DEADLINE: During the opening to the show, when Percy is making her speech, I almost thought, “Oh, is she at the funeral already?” Was that on purpose?
AMY B. HARRIS: I never intended for people to necessarily think it was the funeral, but what I love about that is there are sort of three big moments — or four, I guess: life, death, marriage and taxes. I loved the idea of opening on one of those big moments in a show that’s about love and romance, and about the loss of an important person in our main character’s life — to open with the possibility of love and connection, and then have that ripped out from under her.
I knew the minute I read the book what I wanted the opening to be. I immediately thought, I want her to be thinking about love. And why would she be thinking about that? If Chantal is getting married, when your friends go through these new phases of life and you’re not any closer to that — whether you want marriage or don’t want marriage — it definitely makes you think about your life. I loved the idea, since the show takes place in flashbacks, of flashing back to those happier times with Sam.
DEADLINE: How did you want to balance that dual timeline and perspective, and find the moments where it lines up really well, while also trying not to confuse the audience?
HARRIS: We definitely talked a lot about whether or not to use interesting camera transitions. We wanted it to feel real and emotionally grounded, and for the nostalgic flashbacks to become a natural part of it. We worked very hard to always create some version of a camera move that helped you move from one idea to the other, from past to present. What we were really chasing each time we built out the present story was: “What in her past do we want to reveal here that helps inform the present story?”
For example, when Percy realizes that Delilah is pregnant and she hadn’t been paying enough attention, in the present, that was about what kind of friendships you’re looking at as an adult and the regret Percy has about how she handled herself in the past.
DEADLINE: There’s one specific transition where Percy’s wearing red in both past and present. She has the red suit for swimming across the lake, and then she’s wearing red in the present timeline. Was that symbolic of anything specific?
HARRIS: We talked a lot about trying to figure out how to honor who she was in the past in more powerful moments, and I think that red swimsuit is a very powerful moment for her, when she’s finally learning to swim the lake. We did love the idea of nodding to that a bit in the present when she’s a bit more lost, but by the end of that episode, she is starting to think about what she really wants for herself, and she finally stands up to Sam in that moment. I think she says what a lot of the audience is thinking, which is that he has jerked her around a lot in the past and the present. He was not consistent. I think Carley says it beautifully: “He was the safest of friends, but not always a safe boyfriend for her when she was young.”
DEADLINE: I thought about it as: she can be seen as a messy main character, but he’s just as messy, if not more.
HARRIS: Totally. I think a lot of people were like, “Oh, she’s so awful, the mistake she made.” What I really felt — and I loved exploring this in that closet scene with Charlie — is that she starts to understand that when Sam made her feel insecure or unloved or unwanted, she did what a lot of girls do. She would make out with someone else. She would try to get his attention with a new boyfriend. She slept with his brother.
These are mistakes she made, and that she regrets, but she’s also growing up and changing. I love the powerful message that you can be messy and make mistakes, and half the battle is forgiving yourself for those mistakes. Then you get to choose how you move on. Because she really can’t move on until she forgives herself.
DEADLINE: I love that both brothers are also held accountable in their own ways, especially with Chantal’s advice about Charlie, so that boathouse scene is awesome.
HARRIS: I love, in TV, when you end up in the trapped elevator scene. Those are moments that are some of the most epic in television for me. I loved it in Gossip Girl when they did that blackout in the elevator, so that was something I wanted Percy and Charlie to have — to face each other and manage their conflict, and not be able to walk away from it.
DEADLINE: Did you approach the soundtrack in a certain way, wanting to create a specific tone?
HARRIS: We’re so thrilled with all the artists who allowed us to use their songs. We’re in shock, and so grateful. We had a brilliant music supervisor and a team at Amazon Music that was so helpful. There were certain songs — I knew “Fine Line” by Harry Styles was what I wanted for that finale montage from the day I started writing the pilot.
I had a sense of that montage for the end, so there were certain songs I was leaning into very early on. What surprised me as we started working on the edits — because sometimes I would put a song in the script, but very often I wouldn’t — was how much Dolly Parton had a huge influence on the show.
Mumford & Sons — I don’t know if “country” is the right word — but there’s an Americana quality there, even though it’s a Canadian show, and the vibe of that music became incredibly important along with some awesome pop songs. Billie Eilish, Noah Kahan — we suddenly started to realize there was a sound to the show, and it came really organically. The editors and my assistant put together a whole list of songs, and I would cull through them. I had certain songs I got very attached to, knowing, “Oh, this should be here.”
RELATED: ‘Every Year After’ Soundtrack: All The Songs In Prime Video’s Carley Fortune Adaptation
The Mumford & Sons song with Gracie Abrams, we actually found later because it hadn’t come out yet. When it came to us, I was like, “That’s the song for that moment where Percy is thinking about Sue for the first time, and we’re seeing a flashback of her.” Sue’s taste in music started to influence how we saw the show. But I also have a very young taste in music; my daughter listens to a lot of the same stuff, and I wanted that combination of pop, bluegrass and Dolly. I loved that mixture. I’m very grateful for the music budget and the great taste of everyone around me.
DEADLINE: How did you think about incorporating Sue and her presence in the story, like inserting her into certain flashbacks?
HARRIS: I was intrigued by the fact that, in the book, she’s obviously not there, but she’s the reason everyone is getting back together, and she was a huge influence on Percy’s life. I sensed that in the book, but I knew that in the series I really wanted to develop it. The scene where Percy gets her period and tells Sue is one of those moments where you realize sometimes there are things you need a mother figure for, but you’re not comfortable telling your own mother. Sue was this cool young mom Percy could express her aspirations to.
I added the stuff about The Tavern, and what I kept thinking about when we were coming up with that storyline was that Sue really understood Percy. That scene with the tiara and the tutu, when Percy says, “I don’t know if I can handle the crown,” and Sue says, “You’re going to need to learn, because my boys aren’t going to want to” — to me, that was as much about the tavern and this life in Barry’s Bay that her boys weren’t necessarily going to hold on to. She knew that, but I think she also understood Percy really needed that.
Having Elisha sign on really allowed me to expand Sue. We weren’t sure how much we would use her, actually, until Elisha signed on. At first it was going to be touches, and then once I knew we could get her, I was like, “Oh, good, I get to write really meaty material,” because she’s here for it and can do it. The fact that she’s Canadian added an element of excellence for me and for Carley.
DEADLINE: I know Carley was big on Sue being played by a Canadian actress, which is super exciting. I love her author cameo in the finale. Were there other moments you were thinking of putting her in the show, or was that one the standout?
HARRIS: She didn’t come to set a lot. She came at the very beginning for a couple of days and then was heading — I can now say this — to Tofino for her newest book, Our Perfect Storm, because she was doing research. So she came in, and I was so happy. I said, “I think you should come for the celebration of life for Sue because I think that’ll be a really fun scene.”
We were just sitting there watching, and then all of a sudden I was like, “Oh, you have to be in the scene. This is it. There’s this big moment. The audience, the fans, are going to go crazy knowing you have this cameo.”
Then she went in, and Sadie [Soverall, who plays Percy] walked right over to her and started dancing, and the cameras were right there to catch them dancing. It was so beautiful and authentic, because that wasn’t planned in any way. That little moment — and Carley was genuinely in it — was so beautiful. I was pretty blown away when that happened, because I didn’t know what it would be. I thought maybe she would just be standing at a table talking and we would pan past her, but then to see Percy and the person who created Percy dancing together — it was a little teary for me to watch.
To write a book and build a world, and then to see it on screen, must be overwhelming. I mean, I know for me, just writing the scripts, it’s unbelievably overwhelming sometimes. You can’t believe, “Oh, this is all happening because of what I thought about and typed into my computer.” So to be able to give Carley that was incredibly special.
DEADLINE: Thinking of Jordie, and even Chantal’s ex-fiancé Drew, you’ve introduced a bunch of different types of men. And Jordie, I love, because he stayed in Barry’s Bay. He had his own curveball. He’s so funny too — Joseph [Chiu]. Could you talk through the process of expanding the range of men we meet in Every Year After?
HARRIS: I think Chantal was trying to lock it all down, right? “I’m going to make partner, I have the perfect, gorgeous husband who’s kind and nice, and I’m going to marry that guy, and then we’ll have two kids once I make partner, and a nanny will show up at 8 a.m. and I’ll show back up at 7 p.m.” I think Barry’s Bay changed her. It started to make her wonder, “Why am I just chasing this idea of what my life should be?”
One of the things that was so important to me was to say that being a workaholic is not a problem for a woman. That can be a positive, and I don’t think there should be any shame in that, and no one should make you feel bad about it. I don’t know if this suddenly feels like I’m on my own journey with Chantal, but I think it’s really important for women to be celebrated for that. But I also think she felt like she had to do the other things to prove that she was well-rounded.
What I love about Jordie is he’s like, “I don’t want to change you. I’m happy that that’s who you are, and that doesn’t scare me off. I just want to be with you while you do that.” I think he’s a potentially great partner for her, but they’re still in the very early days, and she’s going to get scared and make mistakes. And he’s living in the same town now with Delilah, so we’ll have to see what that looks like.
My hope is that these men — besides just being incredibly handsome — are a lot of different versions of fantastic men who are growing up, and if they actually do grow up, they’ll become the kind of men women want to be with. I think that’s fun to watch.
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