There's something about a small town that never fully lets you leave. You can move away, build a career, reinvent yourself, but the second you go back…you’re really back. The people who stayed already know all your business. Parental friends pointedly ask, “What have you been up to?” in just the right way to trigger your insecurity. Someone you haven't seen in a decade recognizes your car before you've even parked. Every Year After (watch now on Amazon Prime) captures that feeling perfectly. Before it’s a love story, it's a story about return, about the people you outgrew or thought you had, and the versions of yourself you can’t seem to leave behind. That’s the tension that makes the series impossible to pause. It has the waterfront nostalgia of The Summer I Turned Pretty, the romantic pull of My Life with the Walter Boys, and just enough small town gossip to make every interaction feel like a bigger deal than it is. Right in the middle of it all is Abigail Cowen as Delilah, delivering the kind of performance that slowly–if not so quietly—wins you over. If not at first then trust us, just give her some time.
Born in Gainesville, Florida, Abigail Cowen has built a career playing women who are never quite what they seem. Whether in Fate: The Winx Saga, Redeeming Love, Stranger Things, or now Every Year After, there's always another layer to the 28-year-old’s performances. Delilah is introduced through someone else's perspective long before we really meet her: the pretty one, the popular one, the teenage girl who seems to have everything all figured out. When the show’s main character Percy returns home after ten years away, one of her first run ins is with Delilah, who appears to have embraced every stereotype of the woman who peaked in high school and left well enough alone. She's polished, a little performative, and eager to remind everyone she's doing just fine. She has the most beautiful house, the perfect marriage, a life that looks exactly the way it's “supposed to”. It's easy to think you know who she is within minutes, and it's even easier not to like her, and that's exactly what the show wants.
The smartest decision Every Year After makes is refusing to leave Delilah there, as the girl we all love to hate. As the season unfolds, Cowen slowly peels back the onion skins, revealing someone far more complicated. She's navigating broken friendships, broken hearts, and a familial love triangle. None of it excuses Delilah's choices, but it explains how she reacted to them. And thanks to Cowen's performance, you don't just understand Delilah, you find yourself rooting for her, and even resonating. Every Year After is the kind of series you can finish in a weekend. It’s the perfect beach house binge. Call it a guilty pleasure or just revel in the nostalgic drama. But be ready to get hooked.