Cruel Summer Renewed for Season 2 on Freeform

Freeform has announced today that it is renewing its summer hit series Cruel Summer for Season 2. In addition to dominating our weekly Power Ranking throughout its run, we at Paste placed the series sixth in our list of the 20 Best TV Shows of 2021 (So Far) and have loved the fact that it also helped revive theory culture with its weekly episode rollout. Speaking of which, the show—which also airs next-day on Hulu—was that platform’s most-watched first season title from a linear network.

The series follows two teenage girls through three summers in the mid-1990s. The popular Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) is kidnapped and then rescued almost a year later, while the nerdy Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) “takes her place” in the social hierarchy and appears to be complacent somehow in the disappearance—which upends things once again. The show skips among these timelines as it slowly uncovers the truth in compelling ways, including thoughtful considerations of disturbing topics such as grooming. But it (rightfully) shies away from gratuitous depictions of such violence, and instead relies on intense emotional fall out and therapist-driven discussions of the trauma.