7.7/10836 votes#1 - Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/20/2021
Taking place over 3 summers in the 90s when a popular teen goes missing, and a seemingly unrelated girl transforms from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America.
Director: Max Winkler
Writer: Bert V. Royal
7.8/10708 votes#2 - A Smashing Good Time
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/20/2021
It’s time for the annual Skylin Garden Club Party! Year after year after year, the residents of Skylin struggle with the truth around what happened to Kate, keeping their secrets buried and maintaining appearances.
Director: Bill Purple
Writer: Bert V. Royal
7.3/10632 votes#3 - Off with a Bang
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/27/2021
Victim or villain? Jeanette continues to add fuel to the fire as her reckless behavior causes her friends and family to question her even more.
Director: Kellie Cyrus
Writer: Bert V. Royal
7.4/10578 votes#4 - You Don't Hunt, You Don't Eat
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/4/2021
Kate, reeling from the lawsuit, prepares her defense and finds friendship in an unlikely source. The annual Wallis hunting trip becomes the setting for an important first meeting.
Director: Laura Nisbet Peters
Writer: Imogen Binnie
7.3/10537 votes#5 - As the Carny Gods Intended
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/11/2021
Jeannette and Kate cross paths at the Skylin High takeover of the County Fair, where one is desperate to prove herself and the other to lose herself.
Director: Daniel Willis
Writer: Tia Napolitano
7.4/10524 votes#6 - An Ocean in Me
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 5/18/2021
A new deposition threatens Jeanette’s case. A discovery causes Cindy’s suspicions about her own daughter to reach new heights as her relationship with Greg becomes further strained.
Director: Kellie Cyrus
Writer: Brian Otaño
7.6/10519 votes#7 - Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 5/25/2021
Kate struggles with a family secret she’s been holding on to. Joy tries to convince Kate to go on “The Marsha Bailey Show.” Mallory has a birthday surprise.
Director: Alexis Ostrander
Writer: Savannah Ward
7.4/10508 votes#8 - Proof
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 6/1/2021
On the first day of school, everyone learns that the drama of the summer is anything but over and that some people will pay more for the consequences of Jeanette and Kate's deception than others.
Director: Daniel Willis
Writer: Addison McQuigg
8.6/10628 votes#9 - A Secret of My Own
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 6/8/2021
Kate's closely held secrets and fragmented memories of her time in Martin's captivity are brought to the surface.
Director: Alexis Ostrander
Writer: Matt Antonelli
8.4/10745 votes#10 - Hostile Witness
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 6/15/2021
Kate and Jeanette's worlds collide as the court date arrives, finally forcing the two young women to answer the question on everyone's mind, but the answer comes with a price that not everyone can pay.
Director: Bill Purple
Writer: Bert V. Royal
The Best Episodes of Cruel Summer Season 1
Every episode of Cruel Summer Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Cruel Summer Season 1!
Taking place over three summers - 1993, 1994, 1995 - in a small Texas town, a beautiful popular teen, Kate, is abducted and, seemingly unrelated,...
Genres:DramaMystery
Network:Freeform
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner" is the best rated episode of "Cruel Summer" season 1. It scored 7.7/10 based on 836 votes. Directed by Max Winkler and written by Bert V. Royal, it aired on 4/20/2021. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "A Smashing Good Time".