“Cruel Summer” kicked off in April 2021 on Freeform and Hulu. Set in 1990s, it follows three teen girls- Jeanette, Kate and Mallory- whose lives spiral after a mysterious disappearance. With a plot that jumps around more than a cat on a hot tin roof, it tackles friendship, betrayal and choices gone wrong. It is suspenseful, it is compelling and it is basically a must-watch for anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Or just likes watching people make terrible life choices.

Meet the characters from Cruel Summer

Kate Wallis

Okay, Kate is the quintessential popular girl but like… so much more than a cheerleader stereotype, she’s magnetic and kind of merciless in the best/worst way. She has this sparkling grin that makes people forgive things they shouldn’t, and honestly she probably has a drawer full of lip glosses and unsent apology notes. She’ll act like she hates being the center of attention (she does, sort of) but will absolutely orchestrate a dramatic moment if the mood calls for it. There’s vulnerability under the designer sweaters — you can see it in the way she fiddles with her hair when she’s lying — and that’s what makes her messy and human and impossible to forget.

Mallory Higgins

Mallory is the friend who notices everything but pretends she doesn’t, quiet at first and then suddenly very fierce, like an adorable little thunderstorm. She’s the kind of person who has a comfort snack in her backpack (goldfish? maybe cookies? I can’t remember) and a brutally honest text thread saved on her phone. Claims no one can make her blush, then turns three shades red if you call her by a childhood nickname — it’s weirdly charming. She’s loyal in a weirdly stubborn way, the kind of friend who will show up at 2 a.m. with a hoodie and an opinion.

Martin Harris

Martin reads like the small-town adult who’s trying to do the right thing but keeps tripping over the complicated parts of people, you know? He’s practical, sometimes dry, and kind of an accidental dad-figure, but also has weird little hobbies — like model airplanes or keeping receipts? — that make him unexpectedly soft. He can be stubborn as hell (don’t get him started on rules) but there’s a genuine, kind impulse underneath all the gruffness. Sometimes he’ll do something that looks very un-Marty and then act like it was nothing, which just makes you like him more and also wonder what he’s hiding.

Jeanette

Jeanette is the heart-on-her-sleeve kind of person who plans and plans and then falls apart in the most dramatic, human way possible — and you’re like, same. She’s ambitious and earnest and has this soft, hopeful thing about her that makes people want to protect her, though she fights that like a champ. She doodles in margins, keeps secret playlists, and memorizes lines from movies like it’s a religion, and also cries to bad commercials, which is oddly endearing. There’s this fierce streak where she surprises everyone by standing up for what she believes in, even when it’s awkward or stupid, and that’s basically the best part.

Jamie Henson

Jamie gives very “boy next door who might also be an undercover poet” — awkward in the cutest way, ridiculously loyal, and kind of a hopeless romantic but also very practical. He’ll fix your bike at 3 p.m., show up with bad coffee, and say the exact thing that makes you laugh and then immediately regret it. For all his quiet energy, he has a low-key stubbornness and a weird talent for remembering tiny details about people (their dog’s name, the thing they snort-laugh at). He acts like he can’t handle stress but under pressure becomes a weirdly steady human anchor — confusing but reliable.

Ben Hallowell

Ben reads like the classic jock but with actual depth, the kind who will get mad fast and then feel worse about it later, you know? He’s protective to a fault, sometimes makes impulsive choices, and probably has a mixtape of angsty 90s rock he listens to when he’s broody. He looks like he’d be a terrible secret-keeper but will surprise you by being the only one to keep one, which is both sweet and suspicious. Also, tiny detail: he bakes terrible cupcakes that he insists are gourmet, and he somehow always invites you to taste-test them.

Joy Wallis

Joy is the mom who rules with rules and pancakes, fiercely proud and a little worn at the edges but still sparkly in weird ways. She has those old sitcom-mom one-liners and then will switch to being unexpectedly tender, like apologizing in the next breath after scolding you. She’s got a soft spot for small-town rituals (bingo night? church bake sales?) and secretly listens to pop radio at 2 a.m., humming along like no one’s watching. She’s protective to the bone and slightly terrifying when motivated, but also makes the best snacks in the house, which softens everything.

Rod Wallis

Rod is the kind of patriarch who thinks he’s just being practical and responsible but also kind of controls everything with a spreadsheet in his head. He’ll fix your lawnmower and lecture you about consequences in the same breath, and he’s incredibly proud in a quiet, slightly gruff way. There’s a sentimental side (photos, old campaign buttons, a ridiculous fondness for high school trophies) that sneaks out when no one’s looking, which is both sweet and heartbreaking. Also, he tells slightly embarrassing “back in my day” stories that make everyone roll their eyes but secretly laugh, because he’s human and kind of lovable even when he’s infuriating.

Derek

Derek is charm in human form — breezy, impulsive, the kind of person who arrives late and somehow makes it memorable, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. He plays guitar, tells stories like they’re cinematic trailers, and flirts with everything alive, but oddly will stand rock-solid in the one moment that matters. He seems unreliable on paper (lost keys, late texts), yet he shows up when it counts, which is frustratingly attractive. Little useless facts: he can juggle three oranges and hates pineapple on pizza but will eat yours if you’re hungry.

Cindy Turner

Cindy is the tough, fiercely protective mom-energy who bites sarcasm like it’s candy and then softens in the most unexpected ways. She’s practical, exhausted, funny in a dry way, and has a little emergency snack stash that she guards like a dragon — gummy bears, maybe? — for crises large and small. She’ll tell you the blunt truth and then make you soup five minutes later, which is chaotic but kind of beautiful. Also, she keeps a notebook with lists (appointments, grudges, grocery items) and sometimes misplaces it and then blames everyone else, which is peak human.