History Series / CruelSummer

''Cruel Summer'' is an anthology series airing on Creator/{{Freeform}}.

** [[spoiler:The final moments of the season reveal that Isabelle knew of Luke's fate the entire time - because she found him trying to swim ashore, still alive, and she crushed his face into the sand until he suffocated, before pushing him back out into the water.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Like Jeanette before her, Isabella avoids punishment for killing Luke by flying away to another country, Megan only comes across the incriminating evidence after her escape.]]

The second season, starring Creator/SadieStanley, Lexi Underwood, and Creator/GriffinGluck, takes place circa Y2K[[note]]In this season, the three timelines are separated by half-years instead of full years, taking place in summer 1999, winter 1999, and summer 2000[[/note]]. The season focuses on Megan Landry, high school senior and aspiring programmer living in a small Pacific Northwest town, and Isabella [=LaRue=], foreign exchange student staying with Megan's family, and focuses on the intense friendship that forms between the two, their relationship with Megan's childhood friend Luke Chambers, and the mystery surrounding Luke's death after the New Year's Eve party.

The second season, starring Creator/SadieStanley, Lexi Underwood, and Creator/GriffinGluck, takes place circa Y2K[[note]]In this season, the three timelines are separated by half-years instead of full years, taking place in summer 1999, winter 1999, and summer 2000[[/note]]. The season focuses on Megan Landry, high school senior and aspiring programmer living in a small Pacific Northwest town, and Isabella [=LaRue=], foreign exchange student staying with Megan's family, and focuses on the intense friendship that forms between the two, their relationship with Megan's childhood friend Luke Chambers, and the mystery surrounding Luke's death after the New Year's party.

* AllForNothing: Despite Isabella's taking the blame for Megan's sextape, which costs heer her reputation, Megan loses her scholarship anyway [[spoiler:after Jeff gives her up to the police for producing the fake [=IDs=] with forged watermarks.]]

** [[spoiler:On the outside, Luke seems like a loving boyfriend and a dutiful son, especially in comparison to Brent, his sexist and lazy older brother. As the series goes on, it turns out that Luke was a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] [[DirtyCoward coward]] who ruined Megan and Isabelle's lives just to boost his own ego and reputation.]]

* DisappearedDad: Megan's dad Kieth abandoned the family years ago before Lily was born. Megan wants nothing to do with him, and is pissed when, in 2000, her mom reaches out to him for help hiring a good lawyer for Megan.

In April 2022, it was announced that the second season would have an entirely new cast, storyline, and showunner. Like the first season, it features three timelines playing out simultaneously, this time following three teens in a small Pacific Northwest town circa Y2K and their intense friendship that ultimately leads to tragedy.

The second season premiered in June of 2023.

* {{Bittersweet Ending}}: Kate and Mallory make out and dance together in public, proud and happy. However, Kate having told the public she had made a mistake and Jeanette was innocent has virtually ruined her reputation. Not only that, but Jeanette is named “the most wronged woman in America” after being found innocent of seeing Kate held captive. Jeanette is completely innocent of seeing Kate imprisoned, but Jeanette clearly heard Kate pleading for help while imprisoned and didn’t do anything about it except smile at the thought of it. Potentially this means that Jeanette has earned a good reputation from this and likely won’t face any consequences. Ashley also doesn’t seem to face any consequences for lying to Kate, claiming to have experienced the same thing as her, beside her family presumably getting angry at her. Jamie also doesn’t seem to get his comeuppance for trying to make Kate think she is delusional and punching Jeanette, beside apparently ending up with Jeanette.

** Furthermore, Joy is still happily married after her affair is exposed. Mallory is quickly forgiven for [[spoiler: seeing Kate through the window and not saying anything (half justified by the fact that she didn't see her face and only saw a "woman living freely," then didn't want to spill Kate's truth in spilling her own -- still let Jeanette take the fall, however)]], Ash suffers no consequence other than her family’s anger over being [=BereniceIV=], Jamie suffers no consequences for gaslighting Kate and hitting Jeanette [[spoiler: unless you count winding up with Jeanette as a consequence, which some may]], so on and so forth.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Isabella killed Luke, something Megan only finds out when she hacks a camera that recorded the whole incident]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Like Jeanette before her, Isabella escapes punishment for killing Luke by flying away to another country, Megan only comes across the incriminating evidence after her escape.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:On the outside, Luke seems like a loving boyfriend and a dutiful son, especially in comparison to Brent, his sexist and lazy older brother. As the series goes on, it turns out that Luke was a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] [[DirtyCoward coward]] who ruined Megan and Isabelle's lives just to boost his own ego and reputation.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Isabella killed Luke, something Megan only finds out when she hacks a camera that recorded the whole incident]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:On the outside, Luke seems like a loving boyfriend and a dutiful son, especially in comparison to Brent, his sexist and lazy older brother. As the series goes on, it turns out that Luke was a manipulative coward who ruined Megan and Isabelle's lives just to boost his own ego and reputation.]]

* BigBrotherBully: Brent was not above roughing Luke up or humiliating him whenever he felt that Luke had forgotten his place in the family.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Much of the conflict

* EnemyMine: Despite the considerable bitterness between them by the summer of 2000, Megan and Isabella have little choice but to work together, as they are the prime suspects in the murder of [[spoiler:Luke]].

* ShoutOut: Isabella has a driver's license under the name "Pat Highsmith". Patricia Highsmith was the author of ''Literature/TheTalentedMisterRipley'', about an identity thief. The fourth episode reveals that it was part of a set made by Megan and Jeff; Jeff became [[Creator/RaymondChandler Ray Chandler]] and Luke became [[Creator/RobertLudlum Rob Ludlum]].

* NoodleIncident: In the third episode, in 2000, Isabella raises the possibility of invoking diplomatic immunity to get out of trouble. Rebecca says that's not an option, not after what happened in St. Bart's in summer 1998.

In April 2022, it was announced that the second season would have an entirely new cast, storyline, and showunner. Like the first season, it will feature three timelines playing out simultaneously, this time following three teens in a small Pacific Northwest town circa Y2K and their intense friendship that ultimately leads to tragedy.

* ShoutOut: Isabella has a driver's license under the name "Pat Highsmith". Patricia Highsmith was the author of ''Literature/TheTalentedMisterRipley'', about an identity thief.

* EndearinglyDorky: Jeff Pope is always hiding behind his camcorder, but he's reasonably attractive and Megan found him cute once.

* ShoutOut: Isabella has a driver's license under the name "Pat Highsmith". Creator/PatriciaHighsmith was the author of ''Literature/TheTalentedMisterRipley'', about an identity thief.

* SuprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In the third episode, after Brent turns over his collection of explicit videos to the police, his dad insists that the matter is closed, but Sheriff Myers points out that if any of the girls on the videos turn out to be underage, he'll be required to arrest Brent.