When Cruel Summer Season 2 returns to Freeform for Season 2, it will have a new cast, story, and leadership.

The cabler today confirmed the series returns as an anthology with a fresh mystery and cast.

Executive produced by Emmy® Award nominee Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple (The Sinner, Candy) through Iron Ocean Productions and from studio eOne, Cruel Summer Season 1 was a critical and ratings smash, making it Freeform’s most-watched series in network history.

As for what Cruel Summer Season 2 will be about, we have some intel.

“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,” according to the logline.

“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.”

Sadie Stanley (The Goldbergs) will star as Megan Landry, a computer coder and honor student from a blue-collar family.

Once Megan meets Isabella, she begins to live in the moment and embrace her true self.

When events take a tragic turn, her long-held dreams are dashed, and she is left wondering who she can trust.

Eloise Payet portrays the alluring and enigmatic Isabella, the daughter of foreign diplomats, who is spending a year as an exchange student with the Landry family.

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.

Griffin Gluck (Locke & Key) plays Luke Chambers, Megan’s lifelong best friend from a prominent family.

Over time, Luke finds himself at a crossroads as he tries to establish his own place in the world, separate from the expectations of his powerful father.

KaDee Strickland (Private Practice) stars as Debbie, Megan’s hardworking single mom who thinks hosting Isabella will open Megan’s eyes to a bigger world than their small town.

Lisa Yamada (Little Fires Everywhere) is Parker, a popular musician who becomes more cynical as the world takes a dark turn around her.

Sean Blakemore (Greenleaf) will play Sheriff Myer, an old-fashioned law-and-order type, under pressure to solve the first major crime in Chatham.

 (True Story) will recur as Steve Chambers, Luke’s high-profile dad, whose influence in town is far-reaching.

Elle Triedman serves as showrunner, taking over from Tia Napolitano.

Executive producers include Triedman, Bill Purple, Tia Napolitano, and Iron Ocean Productions’ Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple.

The series is distributed internationally by eOne.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano were all aware that the show could possibly become an anthology series.

Given the success of the freshman season, there was no confirmation about which direction the second season would go … until now.

It would have been a safe option to bring the initial cast back for another mystery, but it will be fun to see whether fans embrace the next chapter.

What are your thoughts, Cruel Summer fanatics?

Do you think it’s the right call to refresh the cast?

Hit the comments.

Remember, you can watch Cruel Summer online right here via TV Fanatic.

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