At the center of the mystery. Lexi Underwood is making waves as Isabella LaRue in season 2 of Freeform’s anthology series Cruel Summer.
The show became a fan favorite when it debuted in April 2021 due to its unexpected plot twists and unique narrative structure. Following a show shakeup, Cruel Summer turned into an anthology series, while still using different timelines to explore a mystery at the center of the story.
Season 1 followed Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), who was kidnapped and later rescued, and Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), who was accused of knowing the whereabouts of the missing girl throughout the ’90s. Meanwhile, Season 2 explores the ups and downs of a friendship between Megan Landry (Sadie Stanley) and newcomer Isabella (Underwood) with Y2K as a backdrop.
Ahead of the show’s season 2 premiere, Underwood opened up how Cruel Summer was able to stick to what made it a network hit in the first place.
“Number one, what I love about season 2 is that tonally, it’s the same, we follow the same format but new characters, new mystery, and it’s, of course, set in Y2K. So I think that it’s just a complete — you can’t even compare it to season 1,” the actress told Nerds of Color in June 2023 about Isabella, who ends up in a love triangle with Megan and Luke (Griffin Gluck). “Something that’s so beautiful about this season specifically is that we’re really exploring the female friendships.”
The Maryland native continued: “In season 1, the girls, their characters, they were kind of like two worlds apart, but in this season, the girls, they’re together constantly, they’re going through all these hardships together. And so, being able to really navigate and talk about female friendships and the importance of them and what it truly means — like what the actual definition of a ride-or-die means and how you show up with that — I think that that’s something that I feel like a lot of fans will be intrigued by this season.”
Meanwhile, the creative team hinted that viewers would see how the anthology series connects seasons 1 and 2.
“We took into big consideration [that] people really loved the cast in season 1 and were connected to them,” executive producer Michelle Purple told TVLine that same month. “We actually opened up a room and discussed, ‘What does it look like to continue both these girls’ stories or one of these girl’s stories?’”
Purple went on to say that there will be a moment that brings together the series, adding, “We’re playing in the same world in the sense of it’s just a few years later. So there’s a tie to season 1, but we’re not going to tell you [what it is]! You guys have to find it!”
Jessica Biel, who is also an executive producer on Cruel Summer, showed her excitement for the new story lines being explored in season 2. “Season 2’s friendship is much deeper and much more connected between the two girls,” she told the outlet. “We really wanted to explore … loyalty and what happens when two young women are extremely close and then something drives a wedge between them.”
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