‘Cruel Summer’ Season 2 Makes A Splash On Freeform With Network’s Top Telecast In 2 Years
EXCLUSIVE: Cruel Summer has made a splashy return to Freeform, with the Season 2 premiere marking the network’s top telecast in two years — since the Season 1 finale of the hit series in June 2021.
After seven days of delayed viewing, the Season 2 premiere drummed up 2.6M viewers across linear and digital platforms, according to Freeform. That’s up more than 1,000% from the live+same-day audience of 223,000.
More from Deadline
Through two episodes, Cruel Summer is averaging 2.3M total viewers, marking Freeform’s most-watched season two series of all-time and Freeform’s No. 1 current series.
The series is finding continued success due to its next-day availability on Hulu, which is opening it up to a wider audience. In its debut week, the first two episodes of Cruel Summer Season 2 were the most-watched scripted TV episodes on Hulu via SVOD on-demand.
Set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, the next chapter of Cruel Summer follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship. Approaching the story from three different timelines surrounding Y2K, the season twists and turns as it tracks the early friendship between Megan, Isabella and Megan’s best friend Luke, the love triangle that blossomed, and the mystery that would impact all of their lives going forward.
Season 2 stars Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada, and Sean Blakemore. Paul Adelstein and Braeden De La Garza recur.
Cruel Summer comes from studio eOne and was created by Bert V. Royal. Elle Triedman serves as showrunner. Executive producers include Triedman, Bill Purple, Tia Napolitano, and Iron Ocean Productions’ Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple.
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
