Scripted series · Freeform
Cruel Summer
The truth is how you see it.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Olivia Holt
Kate Wallis
10 eps
Chiara Aurelia
Jeanette Turner
10 eps
Froy Gutierrez
Jamie Henson
10 eps
Harley Quinn Smith
Mallory Higgins
10 eps
Allius Barnes
Vince Fuller
10 eps
Brooklyn Sudano
Angela Prescott
10 eps
Blake Lee
Martin Harris
10 eps
Michael Landes
Greg Turner
10 eps
Sadie Stanley
Megan Landry
10 eps
Lexi Underwood
Isabella LaRue
10 eps
Griffin Gluck
Luke Chambers
10 eps
Lisa Yamada
Parker Tanaka
10 eps
Sean Blakemore
Sheriff Myers
10 eps
KaDee Strickland
Debbie Landry
10 eps
Barrett Carnahan
Derek Turner
7 eps
Jason Allen Wear
Mall Goer / Coffee Shop Patron
3 eps
Nathaniel Ashton
Ben Hallowell
1 eps
Carson Cunningham
Intersection Teen
1 eps
Vhelma Richardson
Mall Shopper (uncredited)
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Cruel Summer actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Cruel Summer reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Emotional Weight.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Taking place over three summers - 1993, 1994, 1995 - in a small Texas town, a beautiful popular teen, Kate, is abducted and, seemingly unrelated, a girl, Jeanette, goes from being a sweet, awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town and, by ’95, the most despised person in America.
The run
Seasons
2 seasons · 20 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
202110 episodes
7.7IMDbBest episode · S01E09 A Secret of My Own
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
202310 episodes
6.3IMDbSet in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, season 2 follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship. Approaching the story from three different timelines surrounding Y2K, the season twists and turns as it tracks the early friendship between Megan, Isabella and Megan’s best friend Luke, the love triangle that blossomed, and the mystery that would impact all of their lives going forward.
Best episode · S02E01 Welcome to Chatham
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E09
A Secret of My Own
Kate's closely held secrets and fragmented memories of her time in Martin's captivity are brought to the surface.
- Directed by Alexis Ostrander
- Written by Matt Antonelli
S01E10
Hostile Witness
Kate and Jeanette's worlds collide as the court date arrives, finally forcing the two young women to answer the question on everyone's mind, but the answer comes with a price that not everyone can pay.
- Directed by Bill Purple
- Written by Bert V. Royal
S01E02
A Smashing Good Time
It’s time for the annual Skylin Garden Club Party! Year after year after year, the residents of Skylin struggle with the truth around what happened to Kate, keeping their secrets buried and maintaining appearances.
- Directed by Bill Purple
- Written by Bert V. Royal
S01E04
You Don't Hunt, You Don't Eat
Kate, reeling from the lawsuit, prepares her defense and finds friendship in an unlikely source. The annual Wallis hunting trip becomes the setting for an important first meeting.
- Directed by Laura Nisbet Peters
- Written by Imogen Binnie
S01E07
Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis
Kate struggles with a family secret she’s been holding on to. Joy tries to convince Kate to go on “The Marsha Bailey Show.” Mallory has a birthday surprise.
- Directed by Alexis Ostrander
- Written by Savannah Ward
S01E03
Off with a Bang
Victim or villain? Jeanette continues to add fuel to the fire as her reckless behavior causes her friends and family to question her even more.
- Directed by Kellie Cyrus
- Written by Bert V. Royal
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
- Photo unavailable
Bert V. Royal
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Michelle Purple
Executive producer
Jessica Biel
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Matt Morgan
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Tia Napolitano
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Diana Glogau
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Brian Otaño
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Imogen Binnie
Writer
Addison McQuigg
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Elle Triedman
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Savannah Ward
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Matt Antonelli
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Michelle PurpleExecutive Producer
- Bert V. RoyalExecutive Producer
- Jessica BielExecutive Producer
Writing
- Matt MorganWriter
- Tia NapolitanoWriter
- Diana GlogauWriter
- Bert V. RoyalWriter
- Brian OtañoWriter
- Imogen BinnieWriter
Direction
- Bill PurpleDirector
- Daniel WillisDirector
- Kellie CyrusDirector
- Alexis OstranderDirector
- Laura Nisbet PetersDirector
- Max WinklerDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- HuluStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Dexter
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Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
El Señor de los Cielos
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
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Need something lighter afterwards? Start here.
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If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Never stop watching
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