Cruel Summer’s thrilling first season came to a close Tuesday, and while it gave viewers the answers they desired, it left them with a wild cliffhanger.
If you watch Cruel Summer online, you know viewers learned Mallory was the person who saw Kate in Martin’s home, not Jeanette as Kate had thought.
The development paved the way for Kate to apologize to her nemesis and for Jeanette to drop the lawsuit against her.
Then, in the final moments, viewers learned that Jeanette did know Kate was locked in the basement all along.
Naturally, you would think that would be followed up on the recently announced Cruel Summer Season 2, but that may not be the case.
Showrunner Tia Napolitano opened up about what the future holds for the series and the characters in an interview with TV Line.
“We’re literally just starting the work,” she told the outlet.
“But Season 1 was designed to be a complete story. That is the final puzzle piece to the mystery of Season 1, more so than, I would say, a cliffhanger,” she said, referring to the revelation about Jeanette.
When the outlet asked about whether the series could continue with the current characters, Napolitano said the following:
“I don’t know. I know nothing of Season 2. We literally just got the word, and then went on vacation, so… [Laughs] I don’t know.”
There are undoubtedly pros and cons to picking up with the current cast and story on Cruel Summer Season 2.
One of the biggest cons is that Cruel Summer Season 1 has been stellar, providing excellent storytelling, but it could become stale if it was always planned to be a complete story.
Pivoting to a new cast and story could alienate some of the fans, but it could result in a much better experience.
It’s a tricky situation, especially because the show has emerged as such a huge success for Freeform.
It is the network’s biggest show ever.
What are your thoughts on a potential reboot for Season 2?
Would you miss Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, and Harley Quinn Smith?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.