Abigail Cowen on Every Year After: bringing back yearning

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• Why book adaptations are having a moment — and how Every Year After fits in
• Taking on Delilah: how Cowen prepared and why the part mattered
  • From audition to embodiment
  • Finding Delilah after the page
• Queer moments and Delilah’s self-discovery: what Cowen hopes to see next
• Why the show leans into male yearning — and why audiences respond
• Will there be an Every Year After Season 2?
• Comparisons to The Summer I Turned Pretty and other Prime hits
• Side-by-side with Off Campus: can Every Year After match Prime’s other newcomers?
• On-set stories: ice cream scenes and the behind-the-scenes mood
• Fan questions answered: does Charlie ever put on a shirt?
• Collaborating with creators and the power of female-led storytelling
• Key elements viewers should watch for

Abigail Cowen is drawing attention for her turn as Delilah in Prime Video’s Every Year After, a YA romance that leans into nostalgia, messy first loves, and long-burn longing. I spoke with her about why the show’s perspective feels fresh, what drew her to the role, and whether fans can expect more seasons — plus the burning wardrobe question viewers keep asking.

Across our conversation Cowen unspooled her thoughts on book-to-screen passion, the appeal of male yearning in contemporary romance, and the value of telling these stories through a female lens. Below are the highlights from that interview, reworked and reported to capture the key moments fans are debating online.

Why book adaptations are having a moment — and how Every Year After fits in

Streaming platforms are increasingly mining young adult novels for television, and Cowen says that appetite is no accident. Readers form vivid mental casts when they turn pages, and adaptations offer a shared visual language for those imaginings — amplified now by communities like BookTok that turn reactions into a cultural event.

• Built-in audiences: Bestsellers arrive with engaged fan bases eager to see beloved characters on screen.
• Community reactions: Social media accelerates conversation, turning premieres into water-cooler moments.
• Creative expansion: TV allows writers to stretch timelines and deepen backstories, giving viewers more time with characters over years rather than chapters.

Taking on Delilah: how Cowen prepared and why the part mattered

From audition to embodiment

Cowen recalls that her path to Delilah began in typical industry secrecy: the project came in under a code name. Once she knew the adaptation’s true identity, she dug into the source material and treated the part as both a responsibility and a gift — an opportunity to chart a character’s growth across time.

Finding Delilah after the page

Portraying Delilah meant honoring the book’s emotional timeline while leaving room for discovery. Cowen describes the role as a journey of self-reclamation: a character who must confront choices made young, then remake herself with more agency and clarity.

Queer moments and Delilah’s self-discovery: what Cowen hopes to see next

One scene that generated buzz involves Delilah sharing an intimate moment with another woman. Cowen welcomed that beat as a natural extension of the character’s evolution: someone beginning to prioritize her own needs and explore desire outside of earlier definitions.

Asked whether she’d like the show to follow Delilah further down this path, Cowen answered that she’d love to see the character continue to grow, especially if a second season allows the writers to examine who Delilah becomes when she starts putting herself first.

Why the show leans into male yearning — and why audiences respond

Every Year After foregrounds men who ache for the women they love: long-held infatuations and regret drive much of the drama. Cowen believes viewers enjoy seeing emotional vulnerability reversed — men pining, hurting, and learning — because it refreshes familiar romantic tropes.

• Emotional complexity: Male yearning creates tension while humanizing characters who might otherwise be framed as stoic.
• Relatable longing: First-love regret and the “what if” factor are universal hooks for YA audiences.
• Balance of perspective: When both genders display longing, stories feel fuller and less one-dimensional.

Will there be an Every Year After Season 2?

Cowen is hopeful but realistic. Renewal, she notes, ultimately hinges on audience engagement and viewership — the metrics that sway streaming decisions. She emphasized that if fans tune in and champion the show, a follow-up season could happen; until then, she’s optimistic and “manifesting” success for another chapter.

Comparisons to The Summer I Turned Pretty and other Prime hits

Viewers and critics have drawn parallels between Every Year After and other nostalgia-tinged YA romances — two brothers, lakeside drama, and grief woven into the plot invite comparison. Cowen welcomes the association insofar as it highlights shared themes of adolescence, longing, and forgiveness, while stressing that her show explores different timeframes and delves deeper into formative years to explain why characters make the choices they do.

Side-by-side with Off Campus: can Every Year After match Prime’s other newcomers?

Cowen watched Off Campus and cheered its success. She believes every series finds its own audience, and hopes Every Year After will carve out a similar space among Prime Video’s roster of YA romances. Her view: good stories rise on their merits — and viewer enthusiasm helps amplify them.

On-set stories: ice cream scenes and the behind-the-scenes mood

Some of the show’s lighter moments came while filming a scene built around ice cream. Cowen laughed when recalling the shoot: the cast had to balance romantic nuance with physical comedy, all while repeatedly eating frozen desserts. The repeated takes meant sugar highs and long days, but also lots of shared laughter that translated on camera.

Fan questions answered: does Charlie ever put on a shirt?

The internet noticed Charlie’s frequent shirtless moments, and Cowen admits she asked the same wardrobe question during production. For now she says fans won’t be disappointed either way, but if a second season arrives, the mystery of Charlie’s closet could amusingly become a plot point to revisit.

Collaborating with creators and the power of female-led storytelling

Cowen praised the creative team, particularly the show’s author-producer, for trusting the writers and showrunner to adapt a personal diary-inspired story. She described the experience as supportive: having the original creator involved on set meant reassurance that the series remained true to its emotional core.

Why the female gaze matters: Cowen stressed that stories shaped by women bring a different sensitivity to relationships and desire, and that perspective is visible in Every Year After — in how scenes are framed, which moments are lingered on, and how characters’ inner lives are honored.

Key elements viewers should watch for

• Character arcs that span years, revealing motivations behind youthful mistakes.
• The emotional contrast between longing and self-discovery.
• Female-driven creative choices that alter how classic YA romance beats play out on screen.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Every Year After Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.

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