Cruel Summer Season 2: Release date, trailer, cast, plot, & more

❘ Published: 2023-06-22T15:51:40

Freeform

Here’s everything we know about Season 2 of Cruel Summer, the popular anthology thriller series, from its release date and trailer to cast, plot, and more.

The hit teen drama Cruel Summer rocked the early weeks of summer in 2021 with its many twists and turns. The plot kept the audience guessing in a way not seen in a teen-centric show since Pretty Little Liars.

And now, two years later, fans are finally being treated to the show’s second season after patiently waiting.

Here’s everything you need to know about Cruel Summer Season 2 from its release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more.

Cruel Summer release date: When does it come out?

Cruel Summer Season 2 premiered on Monday June 5, 2023 at 9pm EST.

The show had a two-episode premiere on its release date and, just like the previous season, the episodes were made available to view on Hulu the next day. Following its premiere, the show will continue to air on Mondays on Freeform at 10pm EST, which will be its regular time slot.

Cruel Summer was created by Bert V. Royal, the genius mind behind the film Easy A and executive produced by Jessica Biel, who’s best known for her starring role in the teen series 7th Heaven as Mary, the eldest daughter of the Camden family.

Cruel Summer Season 2 trailer

The trailer for Cruel Summer Season 2 was released on May 8, 2023. Check it out below:

The trailer starts with two teenage girls being questioned by a police officer. They’re both being accused of lying and hiding secrets before it cuts to flashbacks in different points in time, which is a staple for Cruel Summer. The timeline for this show seems to follow the two girls through a summer and winter break as fans can see them at parties and connecting with other teens.

The turning point in the trailer happens when the police pull a body out of a lake and, while we can’t see the face of whoever it is, the person seems to be tied to our main characters as one of them says that they “have to get their story straight.”

Cruel Summer Season 2 cast: Who’s in it?

Cruel Summer 2 has a brand new cast and characters as its an anthology series. Check out the cast list below:

Lexi Underwood as Isabella
Sadie Stanley as Megan
Griffin Gluck as Luke
KaDee Strickland as Debbie
Lisa Yamada as Parker
Sean Blakemore as Sheriff Meyer
Paul Adelstein as Steve Chambers

Underwood, best known for playing Pearl Warren in Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere and Malia Obama in Showtime’s First Lady, was not originally supposed to be in the series. Eloise Payet, whose only role to date is one episode of the show Dive, was first cast in the role as Isabella but, according to Deadline, Underwood was given the role after the character was “reworked.”

It seems like the recasting was for the best as Underwood has more acting experience, which will come in handy as her two co-stars are also seasoned actors. Sadie Stanley played the role of Brea Bee on the hit TV show The Goldbergs for 36 episodes before debuting on the Disney Channel as Kim Possible in the live-action movie of the animated series. And Griffin Gluck has played the role of a leading man before when he was cast as the main love interest in Netflix’s Tall Girl movies.

Cruel Summer Season 2 plot: What is it about?

The official synopsis given by Freeform reads: “Set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, the next chapter of ‘Cruel Summer’ 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.”

The first season of Cruel Summer followed a similar plotline as it centered around two teenage girls who were polar opposites, one popular and one not, before, during, and after one of them went missing for over a year. While Season 1 didn’t have a traditional love triangle, it’s interesting that both seasons showcase an intense relationship between two young girls.

How to watch Cruel Summer: Where can I stream it?

Cruel Summer airs on Freeform in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Though the show airs live on Freeform, US viewers can stream the episode the very next day through Hulu. As for the UK, new episodes will be streamed through Prime Video.

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