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So Fresh: Absolute Must See!
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Episodes
In the '90s when a popular teen goes missing, 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.
The annual Skylin Garden Club Party; year after year, the residents of Skylin struggle with the truth around what happened to Kate, keeping their secrets buried and maintaining appearances.
Jeanette continues to add fuel to the fire as her reckless behavior causes her friends and family to question her.
Kate, reeling from the lawsuit, prepares her defense and finds friendship in an unlikely source; the annual Wallis hunting trip becomes an important first meeting.
Jeanette 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.
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.
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.
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.
Kate's closely held secrets and fragmented memories of her time in Martin's captivity are brought to the surface.
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.
Cruel Summer: Season 1 Videos
Cruel Summer: Season 1 Photos
Tv Season Info
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Genres:Mystery thriller, Drama
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Network:Freeform
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Premiere Date:Apr 20, 2021
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Executive producers:
Cast & Crew

Creator

Executive Producer

Executive Producer

Executive Producer

Executive Producer

Director
Episodes
In the '90s when a popular teen goes missing, 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.
The annual Skylin Garden Club Party; year after year, the residents of Skylin struggle with the truth around what happened to Kate, keeping their secrets buried and maintaining appearances.
Jeanette continues to add fuel to the fire as her reckless behavior causes her friends and family to question her.
Kate, reeling from the lawsuit, prepares her defense and finds friendship in an unlikely source; the annual Wallis hunting trip becomes an important first meeting.
Jeanette 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.
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.
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.
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.
Kate's closely held secrets and fragmented memories of her time in Martin's captivity are brought to the surface.
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.
Critic Reviews for Cruel Summer: Season 1
Audience Reviews for Cruel Summer: Season 1
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May 04, 2022I like the 90s vibes and a good mystery tv show. It was worth to watch it. At the last, I wish I could say that was nobody's fault…
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Jan 15, 2022I'm addicted. Go watch this show. Go go go. This is one of the most ingenius mysteries written, and the fact that it's so underrated is incredibly unfair. If Freeform had a marketing budget, this would be as popular as Stranger Things.
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Dec 31, 2021I enjoyed watching this. It was very suspenseful. It kept me in the edge until the end and to find out she really did see her in the basement and said nothing. I really thought she didn't see her. I usually figure things out well in advance but this one got me until the end.
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Dec 15, 2021Well, it's storytelling is a little confusing at times, and its non-chronological sequences aren't exactly unique, but "Cruel Summer" is ultimately carried by the performances of its two leads.
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Nov 06, 2021Really great show. Fresh. Amazing performances, storytelling and production. Loved the editing.
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Oct 18, 2021The writing in this show should be taught in storytelling 101 at film school. I wish all movies and shows cared this much about their characters and their development
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Sep 18, 2021Really really well done. Could easily have been too much, but it's well written and uses the time jumps more effectively than would be expected. Particularly impressive is Aurelia's performance- with each version of Jeanette portrayed extremely convincingly despite being extremely distinct. The mystery is gripping and well-paced while also remaining far more realistic than its counterparts. The show successfully creates something new and unusual within a familiar genre.
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Sep 17, 2021Nail-biting material all the way through. Great twists and the choice of putting the story together with fragments from three years is well executed and worked perfectly for revealing the truth one by one. The girls characters had depth and demonstrated the many different and sometimes terrifying aspects of being a teenager. The parents and siblings on the other side were portrayed too pale on Jeanettes side and way too cliché on Kates. There would have been room for more character development and more potential to show how they influenced their daughters and sisters more subtle than it was done.
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Aug 16, 2021I thoroughly enjoyed this. I didn't expect any of the twists at all (maybe just the one involving Vince) but the meaty stuff i never saw coming. Stick out and watch it
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Aug 13, 2021I really loved this series! It's incredibly addictive. The acting in this is high quality, and, a rare feature, it has truly unpredictable twists and turns that genuinely made my jaw drop on multiple occasions. I don't really understand why so many people struggle with the 3 timelines- it's pretty clear. The hairstyles, plot and colour grading change in extremely obvious, simple ways between 1993, 1994 & 1995. I loved that the plot unfolded slowly, yet little to none of what we were shown felt irrelevant, as it does with so many other shows. I was watching every little bit to try and figure out if Janette or Kate were lying- and as the plot unfolds, everything becomes so clear in such a jaw dropping way. Most of all, I loved the characters in this. I loved that like real life, none of them were 100% good or bad. Kate & Janette are both at once innocent and knviving. The boyfriend is both lovably kind and annoyingly dumb. Malorie is both harsh and loyal, and Kates mother, a stand out for me and I think the best actress in the show, is both terrifying and fiercely loving. They each have dreams, pasts, insecurities, faults, innocence and brutality. One of the weaker points of this show is its script- the dialogue gets more and more simple, predictable and dumb as the show runs its course. Yet at the same time, it's full of really poignant points when it comes to the characters and their relationships. Even though it's not perfect, I loved this show a lot more than I do most. Well done to the team and actors behind it, as stringing together a 10 part psychological drama with 3 contrasting timelines must have been no easy feat.
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