
TV show · mystery, drama
Cruel Summer
2021–2023 · 2 seasons, 20 episodes · canceled
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Seasons and episodes Cruel Summer
Season scores: TMDB, out of 10.
Season 1
2021 · 10 episodes · about 7h · 7.8/10
1. Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner46 min · 7.4/10
Taking place over 3 summers in the 90s when a popular teen goes missing, and a seemingly unrelated girl transforms from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America.
2. A Smashing Good Time43 min · 7.8/10
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.
3. Off with a Bang43 min · 7.7/10
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.
4. You Don't Hunt, You Don't Eat43 min · 7.8/10
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.
5. As the Carny Gods Intended43 min · 7.6/10
Jeannette and Kate cross paths at the Skylin High takeover of the County Fair, where one is desperate to prove herself and the other to lose herself.
6. An Ocean in Me43 min · 7.7/10
A new deposition threatens Jeanette’s case. A discovery causes Cindy’s suspicions about her own daughter to reach new heights as her relationship with Greg becomes further strained.
7. Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis43 min · 7.8/10
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.
8. Proof43 min · 7.7/10
On the first day of school, everyone learns that the drama of the summer is anything but over and that some people will pay more for the consequences of Jeanette and Kate's deception than others.
9. A Secret of My Own43 min · 8.2/10
Kate's closely held secrets and fragmented memories of her time in Martin's captivity are brought to the surface.
10. Hostile Witness45 min · 8.1/10
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.
Season summaries2 seasons, 10 episodes each
Season 1
2021 · 10 episodes · about 7h · TMDB 7.8
Season 2
2023 · 10 episodes · TMDB 6.3
Set 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.
Episodes run about 44 min. Last episode: July 31, 2023
Is it worth watching? Cruel Summer
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Reception
On other sites
7.4/10388 votes
What is it about? Cruel Summer
The truth is how you see it.
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.
Genres: mystery, drama. Themes: anthology, psychological thriller, summer, missing person, 1990s.
Cast and crew Cruel Summer
AllCreators
- Created byBert V. Royal
- NetworkFreeform
Full cast19 cast members across all seasons
Cast:
- Olivia Holt · Kate Wallis · 10 ep.
- Chiara Aurelia · Jeanette Turner · 10 ep.
- Froy Gutierrez · Jamie Henson · 10 ep.
- Harley Quinn Smith · Mallory Higgins · 10 ep.
- Allius Barnes · Vince Fuller · 10 ep.
- Brooklyn Sudano · Angela Prescott · 10 ep.
- Blake Lee · Martin Harris · 10 ep.
- Michael Landes · Greg Turner · 10 ep.
- Sadie Stanley · Megan Landry · 10 ep.
- Lexi Underwood · Isabella LaRue · 10 ep.
- Griffin Gluck · Luke Chambers · 10 ep.
- Lisa Yamada · Parker Tanaka · 10 ep.
- Sean Blakemore · Sheriff Myers · 10 ep.
- KaDee Strickland · Debbie Landry · 10 ep.
- Barrett Carnahan · Derek Turner · 7 ep.
- Jason Allen Wear · Coffee Shop Patron · 3 ep.
- Nathaniel Ashton · Ben Hallowell · 1 ep.
- Carson Cunningham · Intersection Teen · 1 ep.
- Vhelma Richardson · Mall Shopper (uncredited) · 2 ep.
Crew:
- Jessica Biel · Executive Producer
- Bert V. Royal · Executive Producer
- Michelle Purple · Executive Producer
- Bert V. Royal · Writer
- Bill Purple · Director
- Alexis Ostrander · Director
- Kellie Cyrus · Director
- Daniel Willis · Director
- Tia Napolitano · Writer
- Max Winkler · Director
- Laura Nisbet Peters · Director
- Matt Morgan · Writer
- Diana Glogau · Writer
- Imogen Binnie · Writer
- Matt Antonelli · Writer
- Elle Triedman · Writer
- Addison McQuigg · Writer
- Brian Otaño · Writer
- Savannah Ward · Writer
Trailer Cruel Summer
ENCruel Summer | Trailer: Happy Birthday | FreeformApril 21, 2021Shows like this Cruel Summer
Details Cruel Summer

- First episode
- April 20, 2021
- Last episode
- July 31, 2023
- Status
- canceled
- Network
- Freeform
- Country
- United States
- Original language
- English
- Rating
- TV-14
- Studios
- Entertainment One, Iron Ocean, Entertainment One Television
Frequently asked questions
How many seasons does Cruel Summer have?
2 seasons, 20 episodes. The last episode aired July 31, 2023.
Who’s in Cruel Summer?
Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Brooklyn Sudano, Blake Lee, Michael Landes, Sadie Stanley, and Lexi Underwood. Created by Bert V. Royal.
Sources: TMDB (title data, images). As of November 13, 2026. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. · Ta strona po polsku




























