How to Watch 'Love Island' U.K. in the U.S.

Time to catch up on all the drama in this year's villa.

love island uk still
(Image credit: ITV)

Summer is here and it's time to meet a new group of Islanders. The British reality hit Love Island has returned for its eighth season with its traditional premise: Young single people live in a beautiful Mallorca villa and try to find love (or garner enough popularity to win the show's £50,000 grand prize and instant Instagram fame). 

For anyone who hasn't checked out the show, it's must-watch reality TV. While much of the runtime is made up of conversations between beautiful people lounging around a pool, there are also jaw-dropping twists that instantly shake up the cast's entire dynamic (two words: Casa Amor). Once you get into the season, don't be surprised if you find yourself cancelling plans to watch: the UK show airs six nights a week. 

The cultural phenomenon has spawned several international versions, including one here in the U.S. (its third season premieres on NBC's streaming service Peacock next week). However, there's nothing like bingeing the original and speaking in British slang for the next few months. And luckily, Love Island UK is available on one of the Big Three streamers.

The UK series is available to stream on Hulu, with the streamer adding new episodes nightly at 12am PST between Tuesday and Saturday. There is a catch, though. While UK viewers have been following (and tweeting about) the series since Day 1, the series didn't premiere on Hulu until two weeks after the premiere. So if you already have Hulu and are ready to tune in, you'll be two weeks behind the action. (We suggest taking precautions to avoid social media spoilers.)

If you don't have Hulu (due to frugality or living under a rock), the streamer has a generous 30-day free trial. That's half the length of Love Island's eight-week run, so if you time it right, you can have a month to binge through the whole show. The season eight finale is likely to air in the UK on August 1, and might hit Hulu around August 16.

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Culture Writer

Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.