Freeform
The teen thriller “Cruel Summer” is back for its sophomore season on Monday, June 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch the show live or on-demand on DirecTV Stream or FuboTV, which both include Lifetime and A&E and come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’ve cut cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch “Cruel Summer” online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of Freeform and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch “Cruel Summer” live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most shows on-demand within three days (and sometimes longer) of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” Freeform is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “Cruel Summer” live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of Freeform and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch “Cruel Summer” live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of Freeform and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch “Cruel Summer” live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which includes most shows after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
‘Cruel Summer’ Season 2 Preview
“Cruel Summer” is an anthology series and as such, its second season will be a completely different story from its first. The first season focused on two teenage girls in the mid-1990s and the repercussions on everyone’s lives after one of the girls disappeared and the other one seemingly took her place.
Season two is about the “the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship,” according to the Freeform press release.
It continues:
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.
The new cast is as follows:
Sadie Stanley will star as Megan Landry, a computer coder and honor student from a blue-collar family. Once Megan meets Isabella, she begins to live in the moment and embrace her true self. When events take a tragic turn, her long-held dreams are dashed, and she is left wondering who she can trust.
Eloise Payet portrays the alluring and enigmatic Isabella, the daughter of foreign diplomats, who is spending a year as an exchange student with the Landry family. She quickly shakes up life in this small town, but her charm can’t hide the truth about her past or the real reason she came to live with the Landrys forever.
Griffin Gluck plays Luke Chambers, Megan’s lifelong best friend from a prominent family. Over time, Luke finds himself at a crossroads as he tries to establish his own place in the world, separate from the expectations of his powerful father.
KaDee Strickland stars as Debbie, Megan’s hardworking single mom who thinks hosting Isabella will open Megan’s eyes to a bigger world than their small town.
Lisa Yamada is Parker, a popular musician who becomes more cynical as the world takes a dark turn around her.
Sean Blakemore will play Sheriff Myer, an old-fashioned law-and-order type, under pressure to solve the first major crime in Chatham.
Paul Adelstein will recur as Steve Chambers, Luke’s high-profile dad, whose influence in town is far-reaching.
The premiere episode is called “Welcome to Chatham” and its description reads, “In Summer 1999, small-town computer genius Megan resents the arrival of outgoing and mysterious foreign exchange student Isabella. Little does she know how her life will change by Summer 2000.”
“Cruel Summer” premieres its second season on Monday, June 5 at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on Freeform.