CRUEL SUMMER – On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Freeform marked the highly anticipated debut of Cruel Summer’s second season by hosting a nostalgic Y2K-themed screening event and a reception in Los Angeles, where guests were transported back to the years of 1999/2000 in the Pacific Northwest and welcomed to the show’s lakeside town of Chatham. (Freeform/Frank Micelotta)
BILL PURPLE, MICHELLE PURPLE, NILE BULLOCK, TEDRA ROGERS, LISA YAMADA, SADIE STANLEY, JESSICA BIEL, LEXI UNDERWOOD, BRAEDEN DE LA GARZA, GRIFFIN GLUCK, KADEE STRICKLAND, SEAN BLAKEMORE
On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Freeform hosted a nostalgic Y2K-themed event for the premiere of Cruel Summer’s second season. Cast, crew, and ‘90s heartthrobs alike came together to celebrate the occasion at Grace E. Simons Lodge in Los Angeles, California.
Cruel Summer season two is set in the early 2000s where Megan (Sadie Stanley), Luke (Griffin Gluck), and Isabella (Lexi Underwood), the mysterious new girl in town, weave themselves into a tangled web of lies and deceit that ultimately ends in tragedy. The show’s unique format alternates between three different timelines in each episode.
The night’s events kicked off with a stunning red carpet designed to represent the ominous dock from the show’s Pacific Northwest lakeside town of Chatham. Among those gracing the carpet were executive producers Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple, along with castmembers Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada, Sean Blakemore, and Braeden De La Garza.
Guests entered through a walkway of nostalgia with old TV sets playing throwback music videos and news clips from Y2K. They stopped for photo ops with the Cruel Summer logo and a ‘Welcome to Chatham’ sign before securing a seat along the ‘docks,’ across from the series’ infamous lake at ‘the bloom,’ for the season’s premiere screening.
Also there to ring in the hit series’ return were ‘90s stars Mario Lopez (Saved By the Bell), Tori Spelling (90210), Tara Reid (American Pie), brothers Andrew Lawrence and Matthew Lawrence, and Paula Abdul, among others. Notable names Alina Bock (TikToker), Colton Underwood (The Bachelor), Kelly Rizzo (blogger), and Yasmine Sahid (influencer), to name a few, attended the New Year’s Eve-themed party.
CRUEL SUMMER – On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Freeform marked the highly anticipated debut of Cruel Summer’s second season by hosting a nostalgic Y2K-themed screening event and a reception in Los Angeles, where guests were transported back to the years of 1999/2000 in the Pacific Northwest and welcomed to the showÕs lakeside down of Chatham. (Freeform/Frank Micelotta)
JESSICA BIEL, BEVERLEY MITCHELL
In the name of nostalgia, Jessica Biel and Beverley Mitchell reunited for an impromptu 7th Heaven reunion, joined by Lance Bass (NSYNC), who made his TV acting debut on the popular family drama.
CRUEL SUMMER – On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Freeform marked the highly anticipated debut of Cruel Summer’s second season by hosting a nostalgic Y2K-themed screening event and a reception in Los Angeles, where guests were transported back to the years of 1999/2000 in the Pacific Northwest and welcomed to the showÕs lakeside down of Chatham. (Freeform/Frank Micelotta)
SADIE STANLEY, LEXI UNDERWOOD
After the screening, the real party began. Guests explored an airstream activation where they snapped Polaroids to hang along the wall, just like in the series. Inside the lodge was the interactive interrogation room, another callback to the series, where a DJ kept the nostalgia flowing with hit tunes from back in the day. Before leaving, guests were invited to fill out custom Chatham postcards to add to the postcard tower.
Delectable bites of the night included a gourmet smores station and the sweet taste of Van Leeuwen ice cream, whose partnership with the series brought themed flavors like ‘Y2K Sorbet’ and the ‘Shoreliner Café.’ Grab a custom Cruel Summer sundae at Van Leeuwen’s Los Angeles locations on June 5th and 6th before it’s gone for good.
Season two of Cruel Summer premieres on Freeform June 5th.
CRUEL SUMMER – “Cruel Summer,” the highest-rated series in Freeform history, will return for its second season in Summer 2023. The anthology series features a brand new cast and mystery. 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. 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. (Freeform/Frank Ockenfels)
LEXI UNDERWOOD, SADIE STANLEY, GRIFFIN GLUCK, LISA YAMADA, KADEE STRICKLAND & SEAN BLAKEMORE
