A new mystery? Cruel Summer has become a fan-favorite drama series since it premiered in April 2021. With two seasons under their belt, fans are anxious to find out if there are more episodes on the horizon.
As an anthology series, the third season would follow a new mystery with a whole new cast of characters. Cruel Summer season 1 starred Olivia Holt (Kate Wallis) and Chiara Aurelia (Jeanette Turner) while the second season had Sadie Stanley (Megan Landry), Lexi Underwood (Isabella LaRue) and Griffin Gluck (Luke Chambers) taking over as the main trio.
“We really stepped back and we were able to look at the show — the three timelines, the dual perspectives, the mystery, the week-to-week who do you believe? — and [decided] that was something we could hold on to as the core of what Cruel Summer is and find a new story, two new characters to follow,” executive producer Michelle Purple told TV Line in a 2023 interview, explaining why they decided to go the anthology route.
Where does Cruel Summer go next? Keep reading for details about a possible season 3.
Will There Be a ‘Cruel Summer’ Season 3?
Cruel Summer was canceled after two seasons in December 2023, Freeform confirmed.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Freeform executives wanted to bring back Cruel Summer and Good Trouble, which was also canceled, however
“ratings didn’t justify the costs of doing so.”
Who Would Star in a ‘Cruel Summer’ Season 3?
Since there’s been no renewal announcement just yet, it’s unclear who would star in an upcoming batch of episodes. However, the show has become an anthology, so a new cast of characters would be on the horizon.
“We love working with these amazing young actors,” executive producer Jessica Biel gushed to TV Insider in June 2023, when discussing season 2 specifically. “We love putting them in these risky situations … real adult kind of situations. And the nostalgia of the ’90s makes everything fun!”
Every season of the show takes place over three consecutive timelines, which Michelle explained gives the stars “the opportunity to play three different roles” in one series.
“It’s the same character, but really three different parts of that character,” she added to TV Insider. “There’s not many opportunities to do that, I would assume, for actresses to sink their teeth into stuff like that.”
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