Amazon acquires Cruel Summer
David Farnor | On 10, Jun 2021
Cruel Summer has found its UK TV home with Amazon Prime Video snapping up the rights to the psychological thriller.
The series, which premiered on Freeform in the US in April, hails from executive producers Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple (The Sinner), with Bert V Royal (Easy A) serving as creator and executive producer and Tia Napolitano (Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19) serving as showrunner and executive producer. Max Winkler directed and executive produced the pilot.
It follows the aftermath of a popular teen going missing, only for an outcast to seeming take over her life. Spanning three summers in the 1990s, it begins with Kate Wallis disappearing without a trace, only for the seemingly unrelated Jeanette Turner transform from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America.
Each episode is told from alternating POVs. The series stars Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, Brooklyn Sudano and Sarah Drew.
The 10-part series is reaching its finale in the America, with its twisting, turning narrative drawing positive reactions and helping it become Freeform’s most-watched overall series debut ever. In the UK, it will premiere on Friday 6th August on Amazon Prime Video. Here’s the trailer:
Cruel Summer is available to watch online on Amazon Prime Video as part of a Prime membership or a £5.99 monthly subscription.