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Cruel Summer 2021
Cruel Summer is an American teen drama mystery thriller anthology series crafted by Bert V. Royal. Season one centers on two teenage girls during the mid-1990s, exploring how lives change after one vanishes and the other appears to assume her identity. The second season examines a turbulent teenage friendship unfolding in 1999 and 2000.
The show launched on Freeform on April 20, 2021. By June 2021, it had been ordered for a second season, debuting at the ATX Television Festival on June 2, 2023 before its official broadcast start on Freeform on June 5, 2023. The series concluded in December 2023 after two seasons. Critics praised the first season, especially Holt's and Aurelia's performances. In August 2025, news emerged that Cruel Summer would return with a third season in development.
Cast
- Olivia HoltKate Wallis
- Chiara AureliaJeanette Turner
- Froy GutierrezJamie Henson
- Harley Quinn SmithMallory Higgins
- Brooklyn SudanoAngela Prescott
- Blake LeeMartin Harris
- Allius BarnesVince Fuller
- Nathaniel AshtonBen Hallowell
- Michael LandesGreg Turner
- Sarah DrewCindy Turner
- Barrett CarnahanDerek Turner
- Nicole BilderbackDenise
- Andrea AndersJoy Wallis
- Ben CainRod Wallis
- Jason DouglasNick Marshall
- Sadie StanleyMegan Landry
- Lexi UnderwoodIsabella LaRue
- Griffin GluckLuke Chambers
- Lisa YamadaParker Tanaka
- Sean BlakemoreSheriff Myer
- KaDee StricklandDebbie Landry
- Nile BullockJeff
- Ben CottonNed
- Paul AdelsteinSteve Chambers
- David LewisTom Galvin
- Jessica HaylesRebecca
Crew
- Creator
- Bert V. Royal
- Producer
- Nicole Colombie, Jamie Neese, Jason Neese, Rohit Kumar
- Executive producer
- Max Winkler, Bert V. Royal, Tia Napolitano, Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, Bill Purple, Elle Triedman
- Cinematography
- Damián García, Jayson Crothers, Allan Westbrook, Mark Berlet
- Music
- Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman
Details
- Production
- eOne, Ides of March Productions, Iron Ocean Productions
- Network
- Freeform
