Video clips of two teens sharing charged eye contact, passionate conversations and almost-kisses have flooded social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and Facebook in recent days. These fragments of Maxton Hall: The World Between Usthe German young adult TV show on Prime Video that can be watched with English subtitles or dubbed in English are becoming ubiquitous on social media as the show’s viewership continues to rise around the world.
Since its premiere on May 9, the German original series based on the books by Mona Kasten has already broken streaming records. According to the streamer, the series had the largest first-week global viewership for an international title in Prime Video history. On May 17, Prime Video announced it was being renewed Maxton Hall for a second season.
The series centers on the lives of a group of students from the elite high school Maxton Hall who compete for a place at Oxford after graduating. When lower-income student Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten) discovers a secret about the very wealthy Lydia Beaufort (Sonja Weißer), she attracts the unwanted attention of Lydia’s twin brother, James Beaufort (Damian Hardung). What follows is a slow-burn romance between enemies and lovers set in a world full of extreme privilege and family drama. Think Gossip Girl meets One Tree Hill.
Twin sisters Eleni Tzougros and Gabriella Tzougros first saw videos of Ruby and James on their social media feeds last week. As fans of teen dramas and romance, the Indianapolis-based twins knew they had to watch it. “I’m longing for something like this,” Eleni told Yahoo Entertainment.
The timing was also perfect. The 22 year olds had just finished watching the first four episodes of Bridgerton‘S third season. While Maxton Hall originally their way of buffering while they waited for the rest of Colin and Penelope’s love story to be released in June, the German show quickly exceeded their expectations.
The twins are fans of international TV and think Maxton Hall is a great mix of Netflix’s Spanish teen series Elite and the Swedish teen series Young royals. Maxton Hall’In the version of the enemies-versus-lovers trope, the chemistry (especially the sustained eye contact) between the leads and the characters’ evolution over the six episodes were exactly what they were looking for in a new show.
Eleni and Gabriella Tzougros are not alone in their fast-paced fandom.
“What I liked most Maxton Hall was the chemistry between the two main characters. It made me absolutely dizzy the entire time. It felt natural and not forced at all. It made the show unique,” fan Laura Heath told Yahoo Entertainment.
Heath, who is 28 and lives in Alaska, watched the show with her husband after her two children were asleep and found everything from the raw emotions of the characters to their chemistry and acting completely riveting.
Heath was so invested in the show that she found herself in a slump upon finishing it.
“Okay, serious question: what should I do with my life now that I’ve finished the first four episodes Bridgerton and ended the entire season of Maxton Hall?” she said in a TikTok video that has more than 1 million views and counting. “I feel like there’s a gaping hole now [that] those two shows have left.
Unlike Heath and the Tzougros twins, Gillian Erin was watching Maxton Hall on May 9, just days before the final season of Bridgerton premiered.
Erin admits that while she doesn’t watch much international TV, the YouTube trailer resonated with her.
“I had a very strange feeling about that [it] it was going to be something big,” she told Yahoo.
When Erin watched the show in its entirety on May 9, it confirmed her suspicions Maxton Hall would be a hit.
“In terms of James and Ruby, their chemistry was insane,” Erin said. “I feel like everyone on the show has great character development, even the side characters.”
Erin’s reaction video from her first watch has over 3 million views on TikTok, and it was one of the first videos to generate buzz for the show.
The popularity of TikToks like Erin and Heath’s also illustrates how fans like the Tzougros twins create their watchlists.
“I definitely think social media has bridged the gap between international films and TV shows [with American audiences],” Gabriella Tzougros told Yahoo Entertainment.
Streaming has also created international shows Maxton Hall more accessible.
“Global platforms like Amazon and Netflix have created greater access to a wider range of culturally diverse programming, making it easier than ever before to sample a TV series or movie from another country and/or in another language Brandon Katz, an entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, which measures demand for film and TV content, told Yahoo Entertainment. “Demand for non-English content in the US has increased by 50% in the past three years, partly due to improved dubbing and subtitling and greater cultural exchange.”
One of the reasons why Gabriella enjoys watching international TV shows, especially YA shows Maxton Hallis that “it makes you realize how similar we are to other people, regardless of the countries they come from,” she said.
“No matter what country we’re in, there’s going to be drama, there’s going to be a love interest, there’s going to be a fun story,” she added. “You can agree with that, even on the other side of the ocean.”
Maxton Hall is streaming on Prime Video
