Cruel Summer

Ultimately, where Cruel Summer will end up fitting in a teen drama-meets-psychological thriller landscape that includes everything from Pretty Little Liars to Élite will depend on how satisfyingly Kate and Jeanette’s story ends. For now, though, the show is playing on Expert Mode, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

The talented cast, clever mystery, and ’90s nostalgia are a winning combination. For these summer girls, 1999 might be cruel, but for the rest of us, the show is the perfect summer escape.

It doesn’t disappoint, delivering a whiplash-inducing storyline that bounces between a series of days in 1993, 1994, and 1995. ... Despite being both Aurelia and Holt’s biggest project to date, the series allows them to show off their considerable acting chops, as they essentially play three different versions of the same character over the course of a single episode.

When it focuses on character and performances, Cruel Summer finds unexpected depth. It almost makes up for the slow-burn answers to the mystery of Kate’s kidnapping and what she might have experienced, whether or not Jeanette was involved, and how this entire puzzle is presented in an unnecessarily complex storytelling device.

Occasionally, the right show comes along in the wrong venue, which in TV terms can become its own cruel twist of fate. For now, though, the four previewed episodes continue to deliver unexpected turns and crumbs of information, planting the hook deep enough to sustain curiosity about where all this is heading, with the disclaimer that the aforementioned dramas ran out of creative gas pretty quickly...As pass-the-popcorn diversions go, that's about as solid an endorsement -- given misgivings about the subject matter -- as "Cruel Summer" could hope to elicit.

Cruel Summer is at least competent where it counts most. The hair, costume, lighting and acting choices always make clear which year we’re in, and Aurelia and Holt offer up impressively distinct versions of their characters. ... But Cruel Summer doesn’t quite deliver on the pleasures it promises. Many of its surprises are predictable, and the laggard pacing saps some of the dark juiciness implied by the premise.

Like a page-turning beach read or a high-kudos Archive of Our Own fan-work, it’s an easy, breezy—and often cheesy—volume to speedily thumb through and subsequently forget by season’s end. It’s cool for summer, at least.

okay so here we go there is something about this show that just gets me excited whether it be the thrill of knowing who did what or if its just plane fun but its absolutly one of the best shows of the decade i am so happy freeform has yet again won me over

This show was amazing! Olivia Holt give us everything!! Chiara gives too! This is the best TV Show of the year!!

The first season was one of the best opening seasons of a show that I've ever seen, with several intriguing twists and a storyline that kept you at the edge of your seat. However, they foolishly decide to change the cast for the second season which was unsurprisingly a lot worse than the first season. However, it still was pretty solid overall which is why my rating is still 8/10.

Excellent performance from the young actors and a great teen drama carefully orchestrated in 3 timelines. The story unfolds gradually and gives a satisfying buildup. Nice surprise!

When I first decided to check out Cruel Summer, my expectations were not high. I expected the typical CW style teen drama, but instead found a adeptly told mystery/thriller with fantastic performances all around, and equally fantastic editing. After the first four episodes, I still find myself on the edge of my seat in anticipation as the story continues to unravel and reveal unexpected turns. Highly recommended, and I hope this show receives the attention and accolades that it deserves.