‘Cruel Summer’ Season 2 Release Finally Announced: Everything We Know About the Plot and Cast
After more than a year, we finally have an update regarding season 2 of Freeform’s Cruel Summer. Despite the rumors about Cruel Summer getting canceled, the show will return with an all-new cast and story this summer. Here’s everything we know about Cruel Summer Season 2 including plot details and casting updates.
‘Cruel Summer’ Season 2 release teased during TCA panel
According to the Television Critics Association, Cruel Summer will return in summer 2023 with “new faces and a new mystery spanning three different timelines.” Executive producers Michelle Purple, Elle Triedman, and Jessica Biel dropped hints about the new season of Cruel Summer during the winter panel. Cast members Lexi Underwood, Sadie Stanley, and Griffin Gluck were also present.
An official release date for Cruel Summer Season 2 has not been announced at the time of publication.
New episodes of ‘Cruel Summer’ are set in the Pacific Northwest
The first season of Cruel Summer took place in Skylin, Texas, and followed the disappearance of Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt). Season 2 of the Freeform series is set in “an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest” and follows the “rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship” (via Disney).
Per the logline: “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.”
Season 2 will feature a new cast
Since this is an all-new story, that means an all-new cast for Cruel Summer Season 2. Starring this season are Sadie Stanley (Kim Possible, The Goldbergs), Lexi Underwood (Little Fires Everywhere), Griffin Gluck (Tall Girl, Locke & Key), KaDee Strickland (Shut Eye, American Gangster), Lisa Yamada (Little Fires Everywhere, Never Have I Ever), and Sean Blakemore (Church Girl, Motives).
Underwood replaces Eloise Payet, who was originally slated to play Isabella in the Freeform series. The recasting decision came during a table read in April 2022 (via The Hollywood Reporter). What’s more, Paul Adelstein will recur in new episodes, reuniting with his Private Practice co-stars Strickland and Gluck.
Where to stream the first season of ‘Cruel Summer’
If you want to catch up on the first season of Cruel Summer while you wait for news about the official release date for the upcoming season, it’s streaming on a few platforms. Hulu, Fubo, Directv, Freeform, and Sling have season 1 available to watch with a subscription.
Disney+ subscribers also have access to the first season of the series. You can also buy episodes of Cruel Summer Season 1 through Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Google Play.
Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for the latest updates regarding the release of Cruel Summer Season 2.
