Cruel Summer: Critically acclaimed series set for season 2 return with new cast and new story

Freeform had a big breakout hit with their critically acclaimed series Cruel Summer and it’s gearing up for a season 2 return. Given the fact it is now functioning as an anthology series, season 2 is going to see a cast and story overhaul as well as a new showrunner.

Production on season 2 began just this week and it’s a clean slate for the show. Sadie Stanley, Eloise Payet, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada, Sean Blakemore, and Paul Adelstein will be the new cast for the second season. In addition to the new faces in front of the camera, Elle Triedman has been named the new showrunner for the series, per The Hollywood Reporter. Triedman replaces Tia Napolitano, who remains credited as an executive producer.

Cruel Summer was picked up to series under then-Freeform president Tom Ascheim and it stars Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. The series followed two teenage girls in the 1990s and the repercussions on everyone’s lives after one is kidnapped and the other seemingly takes her place. The season one cast of the show all knew when they signed on that there was a possibility Cruel Summer could shift to an anthology series for its second season and they were notified of that change a bit after the season finale aired.

The show was a hit with critics, scoring a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it held well in the ratings as. With 35 days of multiplatform viewing, Cruel Summer averaged 6.8 million total viewers per day. It ranked as the No. 1 new cable drama of the year among women 18-34. The series also was a strong performer on Hulu, where all of Freeform’s originals are available to stream the day after linear debuts. The series was the most-watched next-day season one title from a linear channel in its first seven weeks to date on the Disney-owned platform.

While exact plot details aren’t completely confirmed, Freeform has released detailed character descriptions for the new cast which can be viewed below!

Sadie Stanley stars as Megan Landry, a computer coder and honor student from a blue-collar family. Once Megan meets Isabella, she begins to live in the moment and embrace her true self. When events take a tragic turn, her long held dreams are dashed and she is left wondering who she can trust.

Payet portrays the alluring and enigmatic Isabella, the daughter of foreign diplomats, who is spending a year as an exchange student with the Landry family. She quickly shakes up life in this small town, but her charm can’t hide the truth about her past, or the real reason she came to live with the Landrys, forever.

Gluck plays Luke Chambers, Megan’s lifelong best friend from a prominent family. Over time, Luke finds himself at a crossroads as he tries to establish his own place in the world separate from the expectations of his powerful father, Steve (Adelstein).

Strickland plays Debbie, Megan’s hardworking single mom who thinks hosting Isabella will open Megan’s eyes to a bigger world than their small town. Yamada is set as Parker, a popular musician who becomes more cynical as the world takes a dark turn around her.

Blakemore will play Sheriff Myer, an old-fashioned law-and-order type, under pressure to solve the first major crime in Chatham.

Will YOU be watching season two of Cruel Summer?