Cruel Summer (TV series)

Cruel Summer is an American teen drama mystery thriller anthology television series created by Bert V. Royal. The first season follows two teenage girls in the mid-1990s and the repercussions on everyone's lives after one disappears and the other seemingly takes her place. The second season follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship between two girls in 1999 and 2000.
The series premiered on Freeform on April 20, 2021. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered at the ATX Television Festival on June 2, 2023, ahead of its broadcast premiere on Freeform on June 5, 2023. In December 2023, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Set between 1993 and 1995 in the fictional town of Skylin, Texas, the first season follows two teenage girls whose lives become deeply entangled. Sweet but socially awkward Jeanette Turner undergoes a striking transformation after the sudden disappearance of the beautiful and popular Kate Wallis—seemingly stepping into Kate's life. But when Kate is found alive over a year later, she accuses Jeanette of witnessing her abduction and staying silent, turning Jeanette into one of the most hated people in the nation. As a legal battle unfolds, friendships, families, and reputations are put to the test. But beneath the surface, both girls may be hiding secrets about what really happened.
Set between 1999 and 2000 in the fictional town of Chatham, Washington, the second season follows three teenage friends whose lives take a dark turn. Aspiring coder Megan Landry and her family welcome Isabella LaRue, a charismatic foreign exchange student, into their home for a year. The two girls form a deep bond—one that becomes increasingly complicated when both develop feelings for Megan's childhood best friend, Luke Chambers. But what starts as a tangled love triangle soon spirals out of control when a leaked sex tape shatters their lives—leading to Luke's shocking murder. With suspicion mounting, Megan and Isabella find themselves at the center of the investigation, but the truth may be far more twisted than anyone expects.
In addition, Jenna Lamb co-stars as Lily Landry, Megan's younger sister.
On September 25, 2019, Freeform gave Last Summer a pilot order. On January 17, 2020, Last Summer was picked to series. The series was created by Bert V. Royal who was also expected to executive produce alongside Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, and Max Winkler who also directed the pilot. The production companies involved with the series are Entertainment One and Iron Ocean Productions. On May 18, 2020, Last Summer was retitled as Cruel Summer. On June 15, 2021, Freeform renewed the series for a second season. On July 6, 2021, it was reported that Royal has exited the series after the pilot after disagreements with a network executive. On April 21, 2022, Elle Triedman was named as the new showrunner for the second season, replacing Tia Napolitano who boarded the series after Royal left. However, Napolitano is set to remain as an executive producer. It was also reported that the series is an anthology series. On December 8, 2023, Freeform canceled the series after two seasons.
On November 13, 2019, Michael Landes, Brooklyn Sudano, Harley Quinn Smith, Chiara Aurelia, Mika Abdalla, Froy Gutierrez, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Nathaniel Ashton were cast in series regular roles. By May 18, 2020, Olivia Holt had replaced Mika Abdalla. On October 30, 2020, Sarah Drew joined the cast in a recurring role. On March 11, 2021, Barrett Carnahan, Andrea Anders, Benjamin J. Cain, and Nicole Bilderback were cast in recurring roles. On April 21, 2022, Sadie Stanley, Eloise Payet, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada and Sean Blakemore joined the cast in starring roles while Paul Adelstein was cast in a recurring role for the second season. On April 27, 2022, Lexi Underwood joined the series, replacing Payet in a recasting. On May 6, 2022, Braeden De La Garza, Nile Bullock, and Jenna Lamb were cast in recurring capacities for the second season.
Besides Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman serving as the main composers, the series heavily relies on a 1990s-inspired soundtrack.
The first season of Cruel Summer was filmed over six months in Dallas, Texas. The second season began filming on April 21, 2022, and concluded on September 7, 2022, in Richmond, British Columbia.
The series premiered on Freeform on April 20, 2021. Following its premiere at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, on June 2, 2023, the second season premiered on Freeform on June 5, 2023, with two new episodes.
Cruel Summer received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 94% based on 33 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Though it may have a bit too much going on, Cruel Summer's delicious twists and delightful turns from its young stars are never less than entertaining." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club gave the first season a B and wrote, "Cruel Summer manages to overcome its convoluted storytelling because it finds interesting, grounded ways to explore the impact of society's expectations of these young girls, and how their town and own families contribute to the pressure they face."
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 69% based on 9 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. On Metacritic, it holds a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
On April 30, 2021, Cruel Summer was the most-watched overall series debut ever on Freeform with an average 3.81 million total viewers across multi-platforms for its first week.