'Cruel Summer' season 2 features new cast, new mystery

The new season of the anthology series will take place in the Y2K era

ByGina Sirico OTRC logo
Monday, June 5, 2023
'Cruel Summer' season 2: new cast, new mystery
Season 2 of Freeform's anthology series 'Cruel Summer' features an all-new mystery in Y2K, with the same twists and turns fans loved.

LOS ANGELES -- "Cruel Summer" returns to Freeform with a new season, a new cast and a new mystery to unravel. But there will be similarities to season one, which was a huge hit with fans.

This story follows the relationship between Megan, Isabella and Luke when a shocking event changes everything. This season will take place over three timelines in the Y2K era. On The Red Carpet spoke to the three leads, Sadie Stanley, who plays Megan, Griffin Gluck, who portrays Luke and Lexi Underwood, who plays Isabella.

"This season is a lot like the first," said Sadie Stanley. "We have a lot of the same pieces to it and the same formula. We have the three timelines which worked so well in the first season."

"Just as unstructured as the timeline is when you watch it, it is just as unstructured while we're filming it. We are bouncing back and forth like several times a day," Gluck said. "It's really fast paced. It's tough work. But I think the way we handled it as a cast was just relying on each other you know, leaning on each other."

"I think that as an actor you always want to attach yourself to a project that's going to stretch you, that's going to make you a better artist on the other side of it," Lexi Underwood said. "I'm really grateful we were able to have the opportunity to tackle it and I think hopefully we did it justice, just like the cast in season one."

Stanley said she understands how the fans of "Cruel Summer" season one may be surprised by a new cast, but says she thinks it's worth the wait.

"I think that everybody made the right decision to make it an anthology. Hopefully the fans are excited and there's all the twists and turns that they love."

"Cruel Summer" season two premieres June 5 on Freeform. New episodes air Mondays on Freeform, and catch up on past episodes on Hulu.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Freeform and this ABC station.