“Cruel Summer” is a fresh take on the popular girl stereotype. Set in the ’90s in the fictional town of Skylin, Texas, the teen drama focuses on the disappearance of the popular girl in high school who was mysteriously replaced in the A-List by a girl who had been a social outcast. A year later, the popular girl was found and a court battle ensues between the two females. The mystery behind this twisty thriller is enhanced by the decision to tell the story in a non-sequitur manner. Cruel Summer unfolds over a triple timeline that covers 1993, 1994 and 1995. The show manipulates the viewer’s perception by making them torn between who to believe and what the truth even looks like.
