Bert V. Royal, the creator of Freeform’s popular teen thriller, Cruel Summer, is no longer involved with the show. When it premiered in April 2021, Cruel Summer quickly became Freeform’s most-watched series of all time, averaging 6.8 million views per episode across all platforms. This made it an easy decision for the network formerly known as ABC Family to renew the show for a second season in June.
Set over three consecutive summers in the 1990s, Cruel Summer follows the interwoven stories of two teen girls: popular Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), who is kidnapped and held hostage for almost a year, and shy Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), who then begins to take over Kate’s social position, becoming close with Kate’s friends and dating her boyfriend. When Kate eventually escapes captivity and accuses Jeanette of having known her whereabouts for months, both girls’ lives - and lies - are thrown into the national spotlight. As it turns out, almost all the characters in Cruel Summer have something to hide.
Now, it seems there was some drama behind the scenes as well. THR revealed that, despite being credited as creator and executive producer on all 10 episodes of season 1, Bert V. Royal “grew frustrated after repeated clashes with an exec at the network during the pilot process and walked away.” Royal, whose Recovery Road previously aired on Freeform, was still credited as a writer for several episodes of Cruel Summer beyond the pilot and was paid for all 10.
Details about Cruel Summer season 2 are still under wraps, and it is unknown if the show will continue the story of Kate and Jeanette or if it will become an anthology series and focus on a new group of characters. Either way, it will be moving forward without the involvement of its creator. However, fellow executive producer and showrunner, Tia Napolitano (Scandal), is returning for the second season, so there will certainly be a level of continuity moving forward.
In television, it’s not unusual for creators to part ways with their projects, often as a result of creative differences with a network, or simply a desire to do something new when a series has been running for many years. Shows like The Walking Dead, Community, and Gilmore Girls have all experienced such transitions, as have many others. Without knowing the details of the “repeated clashes,” it’s impossible to say what really happened, but Royal has demonstrated a wealth of ideas for smart, gripping teen shows and films, and odds are he will come up with more. As for Cruel Summer, the second season may not fully clarify all the lies and half-truths of season 1, but it will likely be just as twisty and engrossing.
Source: THR