Is Cruel Summer based on a true story. With its music, clothes, and pop-culture references, Cruel Summer, a teen thriller drama that launched on Freeform on April 20, instantly transported audiences back to the 1990s. Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) accuses Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) of failing to help her when kidnapped in this psychological thriller. The two girls appear to trade lives overnight, and when Kate is rescued, she accuses Jeanette of being the most hated person in America.
As fans know, every episode starts with a typed-up statement: “The things that are about to unravel take occurred on approximately June 21, 1993, 1994, and 1995.” The month and date shift focused on crucial occasions in those three separate summers.
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What is the plot of ‘Cruel Summer’?
The events of Cruel Summer take place in the little Texas town of Skylin in the years 1993, 1994, and 1995. Every episode differentiates between three days throughout the year and alternates between them. The year is displayed on the screen in the first scene, but viewers may tell which year it is by the tremendous changes in the main two characters.
The major plot revolves around the disappearance of Kate Wallis, a popular 15-year-old. Viewers learned early on that Martin Harris, the new assistant principal, held her hostage in his basement until police officers liberated her a year later.
Meanwhile, Jeanette Turner, another adolescent, undergoes a metamorphosis. She gets rid of her spectacles, braces, and curly hair to become famous. Jeanette takes Kate’s place by dating her boyfriend and becoming best friends with Kate’s two best friends.
Kate tells the cops that Jeanette had seen her in the basement but didn’t notify anyone when she was rescued. Viewers may see the media’s damage in telling the narrative as the story bounces back and forth from Jeanette’s point of view to Kate’s.
Is there an actual story behind ‘Cruel Summer’?
Cruel summer, a freeform series, is not based on a true story. Skylin is a fictional town in Texas that does not exist in real life. Bert V. Royal also devised the television characters and scenarios. On the other hand, the screenwriter included real-life circumstances in the story. The music, dress, and technology of the 1990s are historically true. Instead of cell phones, we see teens using dial-up internet and pagers.
Is there a book that inspired ‘Cruel Summer’?
Summer of Cruelty is not based on a book. The series, named Last Summer, was written by Bert V. Royal. The screenwriter also created the screenplay for Emma Stone’s picture Easy A.
Royal told Deadline, “We’re incredibly pleased to tell this narrative.” “We hope that this will stimulate some intriguing discussions on how our society can upend a person’s life and send them to the hell of notoriety before—and sometimes even in the face of—the facts.”
If you’re wondering whether Cruel Summer, the new Freeform series, is based on a true story, it’s probably because Cruel Summer, in both its narrative and production design, badly wants you to believe it is. The twisting teen thriller begins with the echoic memory of a modem’s braying tone and a computer screen pulling out text that reveals how the series’ events occur “roughly June 21 of 1993, 1994, and 1995.” The natural mental impulse for most people would be to write “based on a true story.” On the other hand, Cruel summer is not based on a true story.
Bert V. Royal, who is likely best known for scripting the 2010 Emma Stone adolescent comedy Easy A, is the author of Cruel Summer. Cruel Summer, starring Chiara Aurelia and Olivia Holt as two Texas teenagers whose lives are profoundly intertwined in the aftermath of a kidnapping, skims across the top of the 1990s, beeping cultural icons to keep its non-linear storyline grounded.
Alternative Nation classics from Garbage and the Cranberries are discussed, as well as ’90s indie rock treasures (Tiger Trap’s “Supreme Nothing”), the developing technology of mobile phones, and a mall survey of Clinton-era teen hairstyles: Cruel Summer is a work of fiction, yet it is grounded in truth by objects from the period in which it is set.
Where can I find ‘Cruel Summer’ to watch?
Cruel Summer episodes run Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. EST on Freeform. Each episode is available to stream on Hulu and Freeform the following day. The series is not available on Netflix; however, it may get purchased through Amazon Prime Video. Cruel Summer contains seven episodes; however, only three are online as of May 3, 2021.
Will there be a second season of ‘Cruel Summer’?
Another significant question about Cruel Summer is whether it will be a limited series or if it will return for Season 2. It has never been billed as a limited series or miniseries; therefore, there is a chance that the show will have more seasons in the future. In an interview, Tia Napolitano, the showrunner, spoke with Hollywood Life about the show’s finale.
“What I love about our program in Season 1, and it’s a question we get asked a lot, is that we tell you all the answers,” she says. We deliver everything. We put everything on the table. It’s not a show that will leave you unsatisfied or drag you around for hours. We pay off all of these hints that we’re setting up.” Will there still be a story to tell in Season 2 if fans get all of their questions addressed at the end of Season 1?
It will be interesting to watch if Cruel Summer returns for a second season. The remaining season will be thrilling as everything comes together to the grand finale run-up.
Final Thoughts
We can conclude by saying that in this article we got answer to the question that Is Cruel Summer based on a true story. It is not based on a real story, despite the enigmatic opening and set-up. Unlike many contemporary psychological thrillers, Cruel summer isn’t based on a book or anything. The happy news is that we already know the plot depicted in Cruel Summer did not, at least not in this form, happen to some poor girl in real life.
