‘Cruel Summer’ season 3 set with Olivia Holt to return

Olivia Holt returns as Kate Wallis as Hulu and Freeform develops ‘Cruel Summer’ season 3 with new showrunners.

Freeform and Hulu are quietly developing Cruel Summer season 3 with Olivia Holt set to return as Kate Wallis and to serve as an executive producer. The move marks a clear pivot back toward the elements that made the first season a breakout hit, as the show’s second outing experimented with a new cast and storyline that did not land in the same way with critics or a wider audience.

Sources say Cori Uchida and Adam Lash have boarded as showrunners and executive producers, joining Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple as returning executive producers through Iron Ocean. Lionsgate TV is named as the studio attached to the project, which suggests the series is being positioned for a careful development phase rather than a rushed relaunch.

The first season, which debuted in 2021, became Freeform’s most-watched series thanks to its layered timelines and the tense mystery between Kate and Jeanette. The second season shifted to an anthology format with new characters and timelines and was followed by the network cancelling the series in late 2023. Despite that cancellation, the show has maintained a committed streaming audience and an active fan base that has kept calls for more stories alive.

Fan reaction to the Season 3 news has been immediate and mixed across social platforms. Many viewers celebrated clips and posts announcing Holt’s return and argued that bringing back a central performer could restore the tonal and emotional core that made Season 1 resonate. Others urged patience and asked the creative team to avoid repeating the anthology experiment without a clearer creative vision. Trade outlets have quickly circulated the initial report and added production context, while studio and network representatives have declined to comment publicly as development continues.

Olivia Holt’s expanded role behind the camera is likely to be closely watched by industry observers and fans alike. Her involvement as an executive producer offers an opportunity to anchor the third season in character work and to resolve lingering threads from the first run. With scripts, staffing and casting still in early stages there is no announced premiere date, but the combination of a returning lead and experienced showrunners suggests the intent is to reframe the series rather than to repeat the approach that followed Season 2. Further updates should arrive as the project firms up and the studio confirms scheduling and creative details.