Freeform and Hulu Developing Third Season of Canceled Drama With Returning Star

A canceled Freeform drama is making a comeback.

Sources tell Variety that the network and Hulu will be developing a third season of the mystery thriller anthology Cruel Summer.

The series premiered in 2021 and ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2023. Olivia Holt will be returning to star in the new season and executive produce, reprising her role of Kate Wallis from Season 1. Cori Uchida and Adam Lash will serve as showrunners and executive producers, with Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple returning to executive produce for Iron Ocean. Lionsgate TV is the studio.

The first season, set between 1993 and 1995, centered on two teenage girls whose lives become entangled when Holt’s Kate goes missing and Chiara Aurelia’s Jeanette Turner, a nerdy girl, takes over her life until Kate mysteriously reappears a year later. In Season 2, set between 1999 and 2000, the lives of three teenage friends take a dark turn due to a love triangle, a leaked sex tape, and a murder.

Along with Holt and Aurelia, Season 1 also starred Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Brooklyn Sudano, Blake Lee, Allius Barnes, Nathaniel Ashton, and Michael Landis. Season 2 was led by Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, Lisa Yamada, Sean Blakemore, and KaDee Strickland. Cruel Summer did not initially start out as an anthology, but after the show was renewed, it was revealed that it would include a new cast, a new storyline, and a new showrunner. Additionally, creator Bert V. Royal departed after filming the pilot due to creative differences.

In addition to Cruel Summer, Holt is known for the Disney XD show Kickin’ It and I Didn’t Do It on Disney Channel. She also starred in the Freeform and Marvel series Cloak & Dagger, reprising her role as Tandy Bowen/Dagger in Disney XD’s Spider-Man and Hulu’s Marvel’s Runaways. Other credits include Class Rank, Status Update, Totally Killer, Heart Eyes, Girl vs. Monster, and Laid.

It’s unknown if anyone else from the first season will return, especially since there was still much more to tell with that story. No other information about Cruel Summer Season 3 has been revealed, but additional details should be released in the coming months. For now, both seasons of Cruel Summer are streaming on Hulu, where Season 3 might soon join.