“Cruel Summer” premiered in 2021. It is a psychological thriller set in 90s. Two teenage girls, Jeanette and Kate, are at the center. Kate goes missing and suddenly, Jeanette is the new queen bee. But plot twist- Kate comes back and points fingers at Jeanette. The show dives into class struggles, identity crises and trauma. It bounces around different years like a bad game of hopscotch.

Meet the characters from Cruel Summer

Kate Wallis

Oh man, Kate is that impossible, sunlit center of every scene — glossy smile, perfect hair, the kind of girl who makes you squint like the sun. She’s both magnetic and infuriatingly guarded; you can tell she’s practiced a million versions of herself and none of them quite fit. She’s styled and strategic, but also weirdly nostalgic for the kind of small-town normal no one actually had, and yes she definitely collects vintage sunglasses even though she says she doesn’t care about looks. Somehow fragile and formidable at once — like a porcelain vase that hates being touched but will punch you if you do.

Mallory Higgins

Mallory is the soft-voiced, nervous type who you underestimate and then—wait—watch her change the whole game, like quietly relentless. She has the anxious smile and the urgent, awkward kindness; also she’ll hang a motivational sticky note in a place nobody ever sees because she forgets she put it there. She’s painfully earnest but not stupid, and there’s this simmering backbone that surprises people (and sometimes herself). I swear she’s both the friend you want to hug and the wildcard who makes you question everything — which is exactly why she’s so compelling.

Martin Harris

Martin is the quietly slick adult who owns the scarves and the half-smile and probably a mysterious airport lounge membership. He’s charming in a corporate-benevolent kind of way, like someone who volunteers at the gala and knows how to deflect a question with a compliment. There’s a moral fog around him — generous on the surface, complicated underneath — and he keeps an old Polaroid in his wallet for reasons he’ll never fully explain. He seems stable until you notice the cracks, and then suddenly everything he says sounds like it has a shadow.

Jeanette

Jeanette is the friend who’s always got snacks and a plan and a little tremor of desperation in her laugh — ambitious but also secretly insecure, which makes her equal parts relatable and maddening. She flirts with popularity like it’s a hobby; sometimes she’s all bright jokes, other times she’s quiet and plotting (not in a sinister way, more like a spreadsheet). Loves a good hydrating mist and is inexplicably terrible at remembering birthdays, even for people she is obsessed with. She’s the sort of person you gossip about and then immediately want to invite to your sleepover.

Jamie Henson

Jamie is the slightly nerdy, earnest boy-next-door who definitely notices details nobody else does — the girl who waves at 3 a.m., the dent on a bicycle, etc. He’s loyal in a way that’s almost stubborn: protects, worries, fails spectacularly, tries again; very human. He’s both adorably awkward and sometimes oddly insightful, like he’s read too many coming-of-age books and learned how to do empathy from them. Also, he probably keeps mixtapes? No, wait, playlists. Either way he’s sentimental and baffling and I adore him.

Ben Hallowell

Ben has that easy, approachable vibe — the kind of guy you’d bring to a family dinner and your grandma would immediately like. He’s soft-spoken but not weak; actually has opinions (quietly fierce ones), and you catch him making tiny, unexpectedly brave choices. He seems like a steady anchor but also has this reckless impulse sometimes, which is both attractive and a headache. He loves old rock songs, wears hoodies too many months of the year, and somehow makes questionable decisions with absolute sincerity.

Joy Wallis

Joy is the mom who smiles like she’s giving a speech at brunch — polished, earnest, and slightly on edge, the kind of woman who codes how her family looks to the world. She’s warm but performative in a way that’s almost heartbreaking; tries to be the glue, which means she sometimes bends too far. She bakes, fusses over the casserole dish she swears is family heirloom (maybe it’s not), and has a quiet pride that borders on stubbornness. You can see her trying to be everything at once and failing gorgeously; it’s tragic and heroic.

Rod Wallis

Rod is the classic dad who loves order and has opinions about mowing patterns and civic responsibility, he’s loud about rules but secretly nostalgic for teenage chaos. He’s the kind of patriarch who will insist on a firm handshake and then cry at a movie he swore he hated — contradictions, I tell you. He’s practical to a fault and thinks problems are just things you fix, which is helpful and also extremely limiting when feelings are involved. He can be infuriatingly stubborn but sometimes he’ll do something wildly soft and you’re like, huh, did I misread him? Maybe.

Derek

Derek is the low-key, slightly mysterious guy who shows up with an inconvenient truth and a messy haircut, like he might be trying to be a spy or just found a book about being brooding. He’s not flashy, more of a smudged-edges kind of presence, and he speaks in observations that make you pause, sometimes out loud. There’s a tiny danger to him — not overt, more like the kind of person who might laugh at the wrong time — and that keeps things interesting. Also, he’s suspiciously into documentary filmmaking or at least has a camera and a lot of opinions about evidence.

Cindy Turner

Cindy is the mom-next-door with a no-nonsense tone and a surprising fondness for reality TV, which she watches while pretending it’s sociological research. She’s practical, blunt, and quick to offer advice you didn’t ask for, and she’ll show up with casseroles and also a pointed question about your life plan. She’s loving in her own slightly clumsy way — gives hugs that are firm and almost apologetic — and she remembers the weirdest details about people (like that they hate cilantro). Somehow fiercely loyal, often confused, and endlessly watchable.