“Cruel Summer” Finally Returns For Season 2 in June

When “Cruel Summer” returns for its second season, it will do so in anthology format with a completely new story rather than a continuation of the first season’s storylines and characters. The official synopsis reads, “Set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, the second chapter 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.”

Along with the new storyline, we’re getting a completely new cast for the second season. Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, and Griffin Gluck lead the main cast, with KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada, Sean Blakemore, and Paul Adelstein also joining.

According to Freeform, Stanley plays Megan Landry, “a computer coder and honor student who starts focusing more on living in the moment after meeting Isabella,” played by Underwood – who replaces newcomer Eloise Payet. Isabella is the daughter of foreign diplomats who is spending a year with the Landry family. Her description notes, “She quickly shakes up life in this small town, but her charm can’t hide the truth about her past or the real reason she came to live with the Landrys forever.” Meanwhile, Gluck plays Luke Chambers, who “finds himself at a crossroads as he tries to establish his own place in the world, separate from the expectations of his powerful father.”

As for the rest of the cast, Strickland plays Debbie, Megan’s “hardworking single mom”; Yamada stars as Parker, a well-known musician; Blakemore plays the town’s by-the-books Sheriff Myer, while Adelstein recurs as Steve, Luke’s high-profile dad.

The series returns for its second season on June 5 with a two-episode premiere at 9 p.m. It’ll then move to its regular 10 p.m. ET time slot for weekly new episodes.