Teens Explain How 'Love Island USA' Became Gen Z's Must-See TV: 'We All Watched It Together'
With its bombshell sixth and seventh seasons, Love Island USA successfully found a connection with one of TV’s hardest-to-attract demographics.
“I was spending a lot of time watching Love Island. I like an embarrassing amount of time,” 17-year-old Greta, tells us during a SheKnows Teen Council focus group recorded in the video above.
The show, which amassed over more than 1 billion minutes viewed by the time its first nine episodes aired, was particularly popular among Gen Z, a generation statistically less likely to tune into traditional TV than older generations. In fact, in a 2021 survey from Deloitte, Gen Z ranked watching TV or movies at home as their fifth favorite entertainment activity, favoring it less than video games, listening to music, browsing the internet, or using social media.
So what made these Love Island fans tune into the show? “TikTok and my friends,” says Greta. “I think I wouldn’t have had interest in watching it if it wasn’t all over my For You Page.”
Engaging with TikTok edits and fan discussions has become an essential part of the Love Island USA viewing experience after the show’s viral sixth season in 2024 set the stage for even higher viewership this year.
17-year-old Lilia, a fan since last year, even got her 15-year-old brother, Theo, involved. “I watched last season, and then I started watching [this season], and then he was watching it with me, and then it just turned into, like, every night he would be like, ‘When are you coming home to watch Love Island?'” she says.
“It’s just like something to look forward to, honestly,” she adds. “Because you can’t binge it if you’re up to date, you know? So it’s like you have to wait every night until a certain time for it to come out. So [excitement] kind of just builds. You’re like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t wait for tonight.'”
For a generation raised on streaming and bingeable TV shows, tuning in nightly to watch the show live offered a new kind of viewing experience, one that cultivated a community.
“We definitely talked about it,” says Joris, 16, who watched alongside Lilia and Theo. “If we watched it separate from one another, we kind of talked about it during the day, like, who was pissing us off, who do we like?”
Despite the show’s finale airing on July 13, the question of who fans like can still stir up a debate among young viewers.
“Nicolandria. Since day one, when those edits started coming out,” Lilia says, referring to runners-up Nic and Olandria, whose friend-to-lovers storyline set the internet ablaze. “I was on the bandwagon.”
“I think Nicolandria was fake,” Greta maintains. “That’s my opinion. Like, I think that they were doing it to stay on the show. However, they’re still together right now.”
16-year-old Anaïs followed the show with her friends, meeting up to watch episodes as a group. “We would watch it together and be talking the whole time, or like, pausing and then coming back and watching it all together,” she says. “I would get voice memos of my friends talking about their opinions on the characters and how that changed.”
The show captivated Gen Z social circles, so much so that even those who didn’t watch it could keep up — “I can probably explain the entire season just from things I saw on social media,” says 17-year-old Olivia — and may mark new guidelines for anyone trying to market a show to younger generations. Get them engaged, get them posting, and leave them wanting more.
Before you go, click here to see a parent’s guide to all the biggest teen shows of the summer.
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