Freeform Sets Premiere Dates For ‘Grown-ish’ Final Season & ‘Cruel Summer’ Season 2

Katie Campione
Updated ·3 min read
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Freeform is kicking off its summer slate with the return of its hit series Cruel Summer and the final season of grown-ish.

The second season of Cruel Summer will debut on June 5 with a special two-episode premiere, the network announced Monday. The premiere episodes will air at 9 p.m. ET/PT, before the show transitions to its normal timeslot at 10 p.m.

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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.

The series stars Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada and Sean Blakemore. Paul Adelstein and Braeden De La Garza will 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. The series is produced and distributed internationally by eOne.

It’s also the beginning of the end for grown-ish this summer. The black-ish spinoff series is taking its final bow with Season 6, which will premiere on June 28. After following in his big sister Zoey’s footsteps and taking on her alma mater, Andre Johnson Jr., aka Junior (Marcus Scribner), makes moves to step out of his sister’s shadow and become a big man on campus.

Tara Raani, Justine Skye // Credit: Sela Shiloni, Kat Irlin
Tara Raani, Justine Skye // Credit: Sela Shiloni, Kat Irlin

Justine Skye and Tara Raani have been upped to series regulars. Skye plays Annika, a funny, sharp, extremely ambitious future media mogul who chose Cal U because it was best for her brand. Raani plays Zaara, a first generation Indian American. She is a junior, type A overachiever with a lot of swagger. Zaara is queer and open with her sexuality.

The series stars Marcus Scribner, Trevor Jackson, Diggy Simmons, Daniella Perkins, Justine Skye and Tara Raani and is produced by ABC Signature. Kenya Barris, Craig Doyle, Yara Shahidi, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, E. Brian Dobbins and Michael Petok serve as executive producers. Doyle also serves as showrunner for the sixth season.

Freeform is also making its animated debut this summer with the premiere of Praise Petey on July 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Two back-to-back episodes will air each week. The series follows Petey, a New York City “it” girl who has it all until her life comes crashing down around her. As luck would have it, a mysterious gift from her father gives her a new lease on life: She’s going to “lean into” modernizing his small-town cult.

The series stars Annie Murphy, John Cho, Kiersey Clemons, Stephen Root, Amy Hill and Christine Baranski. Praise Petey is from creator, writer and executive producer Anna Drezen (former head writer of Saturday Night Live). Bandera Entertainment’s Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis, along with ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico, and Monica Padrick serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television Animation, with animation by ShadowMachine.

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