Cruel Summer Season 2 Gets First Look and Release Window

By Jenna Anderson

Freeform is about to have a Cruel Summer once again. On Wednesday, as part of ABC Networks' presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour, it was announced that the second season of the anthology series will be arriving sometime this summer. The new batch of episodes will follow a completely different story from Season 1, which centered on the disappearance of popular girl Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt). The announcement was subsequently confirmed through a teaser trailer video.

Additionally, Freeform released a first look photo of Season 2's ensemble cast, which you can check out below.

What is Cruel Summer Season 2 about?

Season 2 of Cruel Summer will be set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, and will follow 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 (Stanley), Isabella (Payet) and Megan's best friend Luke (Gluck), the love triangle that blossomed, and the mystery that would impact all of their lives going forward. Strickland will play Debbie, Yamada will play Parker, and Blakemore will play Sheriff Mayer.

The cast of the season includes Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada and Sean Blakemore, with Paul Adelstein in a recurring role.

Why is Cruel Summer an anthology?

Ellen Friedman, who previously worked on Freeform's Siren and Guilt, will be serving as showrunner for Season 2, after showrunner Tia Napolitano departed to focus on her family. Napolitano, who joined on to the series after the pilot following creative differences between creator Bert V. Royal and a Freeform exec, will still serve as an executive producer on Season 2. 

"After getting season two of Cruel Summer up and running, Tia Napolitano has stepped back from the show, and as such, will no longer be serving as showrunner," a representative said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Tia has been instrumental in the success of the show and will remain an executive producer."

Will you be tuning in to Cruel Summer Season 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

As mentioned above, Season 2 of Cruel Summer will arrive on Freeform at some point in the summer of 2023.

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