TV Shows That Feature Taylor Swift's Music in Pivotal Moments

TV shows such as The Summer I Turned Pretty and Bridgerton have used Taylor Swift’s music to elevate their content with iconic needle drops. During season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly's (Lola Tung) romantic moments with Conrad (Christopher Briney) included Swift deep-cuts including "False God" and "This Love (Taylor’s Version)." Creator Jenny Han praised the singer for approving her music request. "I don't even know the words for what that meant to me. That was my No. 1 dream, to get one of her songs on this show," she told E! News in June 2022 while discussing how Swift's discography inspired her writing process. "I was listening to Fearless and I was like, 'These songs have really helped me get to the finish line.' When I write books, I like to listen to music to help me see the emotional vein of the story and her music really did that with me for the series." Han said she was even more excited for fans to hear the needle drops, adding, "I knew what it would mean to me and I knew even more what it would mean to the people who have held these books really close to their hearts. That just felt like the best gift I could ever give." Scroll down for more TV shows that used Swift's discography for a memorable needle drop:

TV shows such as The Summer I Turned Pretty and Bridgerton have used Taylor Swift’s music to elevate their content with iconic needle drops. During season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly's (Lola Tung) romantic moments with Conrad (Christopher Briney) included Swift deep-cuts including "False God" and "This Love (Taylor’s Version)." Creator Jenny Han praised the singer for approving her music request. "I don't even know the words for what that meant to me. That was my No. 1 dream, to get one of her songs on this show," she told E! News in June 2022 while discussing how Swift's discography inspired her writing process. "I was listening to Fearless and I was like, 'These songs have really helped me get to the finish line.' When I write books, I like to listen to music to help me see the emotional vein of the story and her music really did that with me for the series." Han said she was even more excited for fans to hear the needle drops, adding, "I knew what it would mean to me and I knew even more what it would mean to the people who have held these books really close to their hearts. That just felt like the best gift I could ever give." Scroll down for more TV shows that used Swift's discography for a memorable needle drop:

Ahead of the May 2025 series finale, Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" (Taylor's Version) was included as June (Elisabeth Moss) and the rest of the resistance stormed Gilead.

Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) got his moment in the sun on The Bear when "Love Story (Taylor’s Version)" started playing during his episode. The season 2 scene offered a glimpse at Richie's excitement after he found his purpose following ups and downs in the workplace. 

One season later, The Bear played "Long Live (Taylor’s Version)" while introducing Richie to Tiffany's fiancé Frank, who was played by Josh Hartnett.

Swift and Phoebe Bridgers’ Red (Taylor’s Version) collaboration, “Nothing New,” is used in The Buccaneers’ premiere episode to highlight the emotions of debutantes looking to find wealthy English husbands.

The Apple TV+ period drama needle dropped Swift’s music again during the season 1 finale. “Long Live (Taylor’s Version)” plays as Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) makes her triumphant escape from her abusive husband, Lord James Seadown (Barney Fishwick), at her sister Nan’s (Kristine Froseth) wedding.

The musical moment also marks a bittersweet moment for Nan, as she gives up a potential romance with Guy (Matthew Broome) by marrying the Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers) so she can use her power as a Duchess to protect her sister.

A snippet of Swift's “Out Of The Woods (Taylor’s Version)” played in theaters in an October 2023 trailer for the animated film Migration.

In an October sneak peek at season 45 of Survivor, Swift’s hit Midnights single “Mastermind” played as viewers got a glimpse at upcoming challenges.

Prime Video debuted Swift's version of "Look What You Made Me Do" track for the Wilderness trailer, which surprised fans when the clip dropped in August. The creative team behind the show leaned into the song's message by using, “Look what he made her do," as the tagline and even featuring the music in the opening titles.

The hit medical drama used Swift's "White Horse" during a pivotal season 5 sequence which included Owen (Kevin McKidd) kissing Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Miranda (Chandra Wilson) telling Alex (Justin Chambers) to reset the operating room clock. 

The Prime Video series has been inspired by Swift's discography over the years. From "Lover" to "August" to "Invisible String" to "Sweet Nothing," The Summer I Turned Pretty has taken every opportunity to accentuate scenes — especially between Belly and Conrad — with Swift's help. 

During the season 2 finale, Heartstopper picked "Seven" as the song that set the scene for Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy's (Kizzy Edgell) love confession. The track continued to play as each member of the friend group focused on the happy moments in their lives while hanging out together after prom.