Cruel Summer (TV series)

Cruel Summer
Genre	Teen drama Thriller
Created by	Bert V. Royal
Starring	Olivia Holt Chiara Aurelia Froy Gutierrez Harley Quinn Smith Brooklyn Sudano Blake Lee Allius Barnes Nathaniel Ashton Michael Landes
Music by	Wendy Melvoin Lisa Coleman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Max Winkler Bert V. Royal Tia Napolitano Jessica Biel Michelle Purple
Producer	Nicole Colombie
Cinematography	Damián García Jayson Crothers Allan Westbrook
Editors	Christopher Nelson Meridith Sommers Damien Smith Jeff Israel
Running time	42–45 minutes
Production companies	Entertainment One Iron Ocean Productions
Original release
Network	Freeform
Release	April 20, 2021 (2021-04-20) – present (present)

Cruel Summer is an American teen drama thriller television series created by Bert V. Royal. The series follows two teenage girls in the 1990s and the repercussions on everyone's lives after one is kidnapped and the other seemingly takes her place. The series premiered on Freeform on April 20, 2021. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Set in the fictional town of Skylin, Texas, each episode focuses on the same day over the course of three years: 1993, 1994 and 1995. The series follows two teenage girls: Kate Wallis is a beloved popular girl who one day disappears without a trace at the hands of new vice principal Martin Harris. Jeanette Turner is an awkward outcast who seemingly takes over Kate's life after she goes missing. Found alive a year later, Kate accuses Jeanette of witnessing her abduction but not reporting it, which results in Jeanette becoming the most despised person in America. Through multiple lawsuits and fractured families, friendships and relationships, everyone scrambles to pick sides as the true story unfolds.

Episodes alternate between Jeanette and Kate's viewpoint. Disclaimers appear before certain episodes cautioning viewers over show themes of child grooming and domestic abuse.

Cast and characters

Main

• Olivia Holt as Kate Wallis, a popular girl who goes missing without a trace
• Chiara Aurelia as Jeanette Turner, a nerdy girl who takes over Kate's life after her disappearance
• Froy Gutierrez as Jamie Henson, Jeanette and Kate's mutual love interest
• Harley Quinn Smith as Mallory Higgins, one of Jeanette's best friends before her newfound popularity
• Brooklyn Sudano as Angela Prescott, a bar owner and Greg's new girlfriend
• Blake Lee as Martin Harris, the new vice-principal of Skylin High School who held Kate captive
• Allius Barnes as Vince Fuller, one of Jeanette's best friends before her newfound popularity
• Nathaniel Ashton as Ben Hallowell, Jamie's best friend and Vince's love interest
• Michael Landes as Greg Turner, Jeanette and Derek's father, Cindy's ex-husband, and Angela's boyfriend

Recurring

• Sarah Drew as Cindy Turner, Jeanette and Derek's mother and Greg's ex-wife
• Barrett Carnahan as Derek Turner, Jeanette's older brother and Cindy and Greg's son
• Nicole Bilderback as Denise, Jeanette's lawyer
• Andrea Anders as Joy Wallis, Kate's wealthy self-centered mother with a Southern accent
• Radhesh Aria as Dr. Rajesh, a private doctor
• Ben Cain as Rod Wallis, Joy's second husband and Kate's stepfather

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner"	Max Winkler	Bert V. Royal	April 20, 2021 (2021-04-20)	0.274
Alternating between June 21 on 1993, 1994, and 1995, Jeannette Turner celebrates her birthday: In 1993, she bumps into popular Kate Wallis and her boyfriend, Jamie Henson, at the mall where Jeanette and her friends Mallory and Vince create a bucket list of daring activities. While playing hide-and-seek in a house her father recently sold, Jeanette meets Skylin High's new vice principal, Martin Harris. In 1994, Kate has been missing for a year, and the now popular Jeanette celebrates her birthday with her now-boyfriend Jamie and Kate's former friends. A jealous Mallory confronts Jeanette for taking over Kate's life, which Jeanette dismisses. When it is announced that Kate has been found alive, Jeanette runs to see Jamie, who punches her in the face, asking her what she did to Kate. In 1995, now nationally despised Jeanette spends her birthday meeting with lawyers and fighting with her father and his new girlfriend Angela. As Jeanette watches reruns of the news, it is revealed Kate was abducted by Martin Harris, who was later killed in a shootout with the police. In another interview, Kate claims Jeanette saw her being held in captivity but said nothing, condemning her publicly.
2	"A Smashing Good Time"	Bill Purple	Bert V. Royal	April 20, 2021 (2021-04-20)	0.218
Alternating between June 26 on 1993, 1994, and 1995, the day of the Wallis family's annual garden party: In 1993, Jeanette, Mallory, and Vince meet Jamie's best friend Ben who offers advice on a prank the trio are planning. Kate believes her stepfather Rod is cheating on her mother, Joy. She tells Joy and attempts to find proof but discovers Rod is only planning a surprise cruise. Kate apologizes to Joy who berates Kate for making accusations and being an embarrassment. Upset, Kate leaves the party and gets drunk. The gardener Scott returns Kate home, where she discovers Joy and Scott are having an affair. Distressed, Kate sneaks out again and is found by Martin Harris. In 1994, Jamie (who has reconciled with Kate) and Rod are worried that Kate refuses to talk to the police or go to therapy. Ben passes on a message to Jamie that Jeanette wants to talk. Jamie secretly meets with Jeanette, who swears she is innocent, and the two kiss as Kate secretly watches. Angry, Kate goes to the police and offers Jeanette's necklace as proof of her accusation. In 1995, Kate has taken a dark turn, becoming snarky and hostile. In an online abduction victims' chatroom, Kate confesses to an anonymous friend that she has not been completely honest. In the end, Kate discovers Jeanette is suing her for defamation and angrily screams while Joy tells Rod to call their lawyers.
3	"Off with a Bang"	Kellie Cyrus	Bert V. Royal	April 27, 2021 (2021-04-27)	0.228
Alternating between July 4, 1993, 1994, and 1995, Independence Day. In 1993, Mallory is furious when Jeanette flushes the stash of joints that Mallory brought. Cindy suggests Jeanette distance herself, recalling her own high school popularity, but Jeanette instead sneaks over to Martin Harris' house to steal a yearbook as an apology gift for Mallory. Later, Jeanette poses in the mirror with a joint she secretly kept. In 1994, Greg and Derek furiously confront Jamie for punching Jeanette. Jeanette is questioned by the police and is shocked when they produce her necklace. Cindy begins to doubt Jeanette. Meanwhile, Vince meets up with Ben, whom he is secretly dating. Jamie asks Jeanette to keep their kiss a secret and asks how she knew Kate went missing before everyone else did. In 1995, Kate angrily confronts Jeanette when they bump into each other driving, but Jeanette drives off. Jeanette, ignoring Cindy's calls, practices how to be likable by mimicking television shows. Vince, concerned about talking to Jeanette's lawyers about the lawsuit, calls Ben, but Ben tells Vince to stop calling him. During the fireworks, Jeanette breaks into Martin's house and finds Vince. They have a heart-to-heart, and Jeanette admits she's been to Martin's house many times. Vince later lies to Jeanette's lawyers, saying he doesn't know if she ever went back to Martin's house.
4	"You Don't Hunt, You Don't Eat"	Laura Nisbet-Peters	Imogen Binnie	May 4, 2021 (2021-05-04)	0.260
Alternating between July 15, 1993, 1994 and 1995: In 1993, Kate attempts to bond with her step-sister Ash as the family prepares for their annual hunting trip with Jamie, Derek, Ben, and Martin Harris. Kate tries to confide in Ash about Joy's affair, but Ash brushes her off. Looking for company, Kate abandons a date with Jamie in favor of stargazing with Martin. In 1994, Kate attends therapy where she meets Mallory and the two bond over their mutual hatred of Jeanette. The police tell Kate and Joy that they do not have a solid case against Jeanette, much to their fury. Ash attempts to bond with Kate, but Kate blames Ash for driving her to confide in Martin. After Derek jokes that Ash should assume an alter ego to reach Kate, Ash joins Kate's abduction victims chatroom under an alias. In 1995, Kate and her family meet with their lawyers who stress that her stories must remain consistent. Joy panics when she finds a note with the word "liar" on their door and organizes their annual hunting trip to ensure their friends will support Kate. Joy accuses Mallory of sending the note, much to Kate's anger. At the campfire, Kate tells a ghost story about her abduction, using a character named Annabelle, and blames the adults for putting her in Martin's path. At home, Kate listens to tapes of her therapy sessions to catch inconsistencies. In a tape, she describes meeting "Annabelle" near the end of her abduction, but cannot recall who that is.
5	"As the Carny Gods Intended"	Daniel Willis	Tia Napolitano	May 11, 2021 (2021-05-11)	0.236
Alternating between July 29, 1993, 1994 and 1995 during the Skylin county fair: In 1993, Jeanette attends a date at the carnival with dorky out-of-towner Gideon, but ditches him after people make fun of them. Martin later scolds her. Meanwhile, Kate and Martin continue to bond, but he steals her scrunchie when she leaves. When Jeanette notices, she offers to return it to Kate and takes it. Kate begins to fall for Martin. In 1994, Kate confronts Jamie about his kiss with Jeanette, but he accuses her of making it up. When he tries to gaslight Kate by using her post-traumatic shaky memory as an excuse, she breaks up with him. Meanwhile, Jeanette and Derek attend the carnival in hopes of talking things out with Kate while Cindy starts to descend into alcoholism. Greg meets Angela at a video store. After Jeanette chases Kate and Mallory into a mirror maze, Derek tells her she should go back to being her old self to which she says she cannot. In 1995, Greg tells Jeanette how he has lost everything defending her. Kate and Mallory head to the carnival in hopes of finding Jeanette, but Kate finds Jamie instead who finally admits to the kiss and apologizes to her. Angela brings Jeanette to her bar for karaoke. Mallory brings Kate to the cemetery where they desecrate Martin's grave.
6	"An Ocean Inside Me"	Kellie Cyrus	Brian Otaño	May 18, 2021 (2021-05-18)	0.260
Alternating between August 15, 1993, 1994 and 1995: In 1993, Jeanette, Mallory, and Vince shoplift as Tenille's mother Tanya flirts with Martin. Jeanette covers for Vince and goes to mall jail where she bonds with Jamie. Later, Jeanette sneaks into Martin's house. When Martin and Tanya return, Jeanette hides in a closet. Jeanette witnesses Tanya confiding in Martin in an attempt to seduce him. Tanya discovers Jeanette in the closet and allows Jeanette to leave without telling Martin. In 1994, Greg and Cindy argue as Derek prepares to go to college. Cindy snoops around Jeanette's room and finds Martin's house key. When Greg and Derek both belittle her concerns, Cindy leaves to stay with her sister. Later, Jeanette catches a near-kiss between Vince and Ben at the video store while Tanya gives an interview where she switches her and Martin's roles in her story of their date. In 1995, Denise warns Jeanette that Tanya will be deposed. Jeanette blackmails Tanya with what Tanya had confided in Martin. Tanya does not testify against Jeanette. Cindy approaches Angela at her bar to learn of Jeannette's wellbeing. Greg, to his disappointment, confirms the key Cindy found in Jeanette's room is Martin's house key.
7	"Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis"	Alexis Ostrander	Savannah Ward	May 25, 2021 (2021-05-25)	0.200
Alternating between August 29, 1993, 1994 and 1995, Kate Wallis celebrates her birthday: In 1993, Jamie tells Rod he got Kate a promise ring. After he gives it to her, Kate is uneasy. Jamie gets drunk at the mall with Kate and her friends and the two accept a ride from Martin. Later, Kate arrives late to a dinner celebration Joy planned to find it is already over. Fed up with the lies, Kate reveals Joy's affair to Rod and Joy, lying to cover her tracks, slaps Kate. Devastated, Kate packs and runs away to Martin's house. In 1994, Kate is unable to eat or sleep. After inviting Mallory over for the first time and disclosing this to her, the two get high along with Ash. Meanwhile, Joy pressures a reluctant Kate to go on a talk show to which she later agrees after a random girl claims Martin had once tried to abduct her too. In 1995, Kate continues listening to her therapy tapes before Mallory brings her to the roller rink to celebrate. Back home, Mallory finds out that Joy was behind the "liar" letter on the Wallis' front door. Kate confronts Joy, who reveals that she is upset Kate never forgave her. Derek discovers Ash's anonymous messages with Kate in the online chat room and prints a copy to take to Jeanette, giving Jeanette the knowledge that Kate had originally gone to Martin's willingly.
8	"Proof"	Daniel Willis	Addison McQuigg	June 1, 2021 (2021-06-01)	0.310
Alternating between August 30, 1993, 1994 and 1995, the first day of school: In 1993, a rift continues to grow between Jeanette and Mallory as they try to finish the bucket list's last item. Vince and Jeanette are supposed to keep watch while Mallory plays a prank video school-wide, but the two abandon their posts so Vince and Ben can bond and Jeanette can spy on a meeting between Martin and Joy where Joy discloses Kate never came home the previous night. After Mallory is caught and becomes angry, Jeanette breaks off their friendship. Later, Martin destroys the confiscated prank tape which shows Kate in his house window momentarily. In 1994, Greg questions Jeanette about the key to Martin's house and forces her to give it to the police. Jeanette tries to pull away from Vince in order to protect his secret relationship with Ben and soon decides to drop out of school to avoid scrutiny. A drunken Jamie is arrested after accidentally crashing his car while driving Ben, leaving Ben with an extreme arm injury. In 1995, Jeanette presents her newfound proof to Denise before angrily meeting her estranged mother for breakfast. Jeanette meets with Jamie who finally apologizes for punching her. After he shows Jeanette a cryptic voicemail of heavy breathing that he received the Christmas Eve after Kate's abduction, Jeanette rushes to Mallory's and asks for "the" snow globe that Mallory pretends she does not have.
9	"A Secret of My Own"	Alexis Ostrander	Matt Antonelli	June 8, 2021 (2021-06-08)	0.297
Alternating between the fall of 1993 and 1994. In 1993, Martin leaves Kate at his house where she stays the day instead of going to school. After Kate is designated a missing person, Martin worries and tells her to go, but the two play Never Have I Ever instead to procrastinate deciding what to do. After twenty-one days together, the two have started a romantic relationship under the mutual agreement Kate must not leave his house. Halloween and Thanksgiving pass, and on Christmas Eve Kate has fallen into a depressive state as she misses the outside world. That night, Jeanette sneaks into Martin's house while he is out shopping and steals a snow globe (the same one she had wanted back from Mallory in the previous episode), but accidentally drops her necklace, which Kate picks up and keeps secret from Martin. Kate later sneaks out to spy on her parents and leaves with the assumption they are enjoying their lives without her. After Kate attempts to leave for good, Martin locks her in the basement to save his reputation. In 1994 during therapy, Kate recalls her first couple months of captivity in which she was not locked in the basement. Her therapist informs her Martin was grooming her.
10	"Hostile Witness"	Unknown	Unknown	June 15, 2021 (2021-06-15)	N/A
Alternating between October 3rd, 1993, 1994, and 1995. In 1993, Kate sees Jeanette break in and take the snow globe, then makes eye contact with a hooded figure on a bike who is revealed as Mallory. Mallory confronts Jeanette about breaking in to Martin's house and takes the snow globe. In 1995, Jeanette's lawyer presents the chat transcript proving Kate went to Martin's willingly, exposing Ashley as Berenice4. Jaime confronts Ben, taking responsibility for the accident and encouraging him to talk to Vince. Mallory and Kate sneak into Martin's house to meet Jeanette and expose the truth. Kate apologizes to Jeanette and explains her relationship with Martin and his emotional manipulation. They go to the basement together to revive Kate's memory of Annabelle.

Production

Development

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. The series premiered on April 20, 2021. On June 15, 2021, Freeform renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

On November 13, 2019, it was reported that 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. On 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.

Music

Besides Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman serving as the main composers, the series heavily relies on a 90's inspired soundtrack. The second episode notably makes use of the Cranberries song "Zombie".

Reception

Critical response

Cruel Summer received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 90% based on 21 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical 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 12 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Saloni Gajjar of The A.V. Club gave the series 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."

Ratings

On April 30, 2021, it was reported that Cruel Summer is the most-watched overall series debut ever on Freeform with an average 3.81 million total viewers across multi-platforms for its first week.

Viewership and ratings per episode of Cruel Summer

No.	Title	Air date	Rating (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner"	April 20, 2021	0.1	0.274	0.1	0.238	0.2	0.512
2	"A Smashing Good Time"	April 20, 2021	0.1	0.218	0.1	0.201	0.2	0.419
3	"Off with a Bang"	April 27, 2021	0.1	0.228	0.1	0.302	0.2	0.530
4	"You Don't Hunt, You Don't Eat"	May 4, 2021	0.1	0.260	0.1	0.338	0.2	0.598
5	"As the Carny Gods Intended"	May 11, 2021	0.1	0.236	0.1	0.341	0.2	0.577
6	"A Ocean Inside Me"	May 18, 2021	0.1	0.260	—	—	—	—
7	"Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis"	May 25, 2021	0.1	0.200	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
8	"Proof"	June 1, 2021	0.2	0.310	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

External links

• Cruel Summer at IMDb