Cruel Summer is an American teen drama mystery thriller anthology television series created by Bert V. Royal.

The first season takes place between 1993 and 1995 in the fictional town of Skylin, Texas, and follows two teenage girls: Jeanette Turner and Kate Wallis.

The second season takes place between 1999 and 2000 in the fictional town of Chatham, Washington, and follows three teenage friends: Megan, Isabella, and Luke.

Within months, things unravel quickly when a leaked sex tape results in Megan and Isabella becoming prime suspects in Luke's murder.

In 1993, Jeanette, Mallory, and Vince meet Jamie's best friend Ben who offers advice on a prank the trio are planning.

Cindy suggests Jeanette distance herself from Mallory, recalling her own high school popularity and friendship/rivalry with Kate's mother.

In 1993, Jeanette attends a date at the carnival with dorky out-of-towner Gideon but abandons him after people make fun of them.

Jeanette and Derek attend the carnival in hopes of talking things out with Kate, while Cindy starts to descend into alcoholism.

Later, Jeanette catches a near-kiss between Vince and Ben at the video store; while Tanya gives an interview where she paints Martin, instead of herself, as the aggressor while recounting their date.

When Kate arrives to her birthday dinner celebration late, a furious Joy tells her she already told everyone to go home.

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.

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.

Halloween and Thanksgiving pass, and on Christmas Eve Kate has fallen into a depressive state as she misses the outside world.

In summer 1999, a reluctant Megan Landry, her sister, Lily, and their mother, Debby, welcome exchange student Isabella LaRue.

While hooking up at the Chambers' cabin, Megan and Luke witness a local conspiracy theorist shooting a gun in the woods.

Meanwhile, a box of the tapes is mysteriously dropped off at the sheriff's office, showing Brent having filmed sex with minors, but managed to avoid the any punishment from the law as his father gets it swept under the rug.

Tagging along to a Christmas in July party, Trevor realizes that Isabella has not told Megan about what happened in St. Barts before her arrival.

In winter 1999, Megan prepares to spend a day with Isabella and Luke at "The Plunge", but bails last minute to work for Ned at his home.

After jumping into the ice cold lake and sharing a towel, Luke kisses Isabella, but she backs away out of respect for her and Megan's friendship.

In an effort to save a New Year's party, Luke takes the keys to an abandoned property that his father owns.

In October 1999, Luke announces his plan to join the Coast Guard Academy instead of attending Branson, much to his father's disappointment.

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.

[33] On April 21, 2022, Elle Triedman was named as the new showrunner for the second season, replacing Tia Napolitano who boarded the series after Royal left.

[34] On November 13, 2019, 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.

[36] On March 11, 2021, Barrett Carnahan, Andrea Anders, Benjamin J. Cain, and Nicole Bilderback were cast in recurring roles.

[6] On May 6, 2022, Braeden De La Garza, Nile Bullock, and Jenna Lamb were cast in recurring capacities for the second season.

[8] Besides Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman serving as the main composers,[38] the series heavily relies on a 1990s-inspired soundtrack.

The website's critics 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.

Club gave the first season 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.

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