Cruel Summer Filming Location – Where is the Teen Drama Filmed?

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Cruel Summer Filming Location - Where was the Teen Drama Filmed?

The new Freeform show Cruel Summer is making rounds lately and its filming location is a topic of curiosity on the internet. Where is the teen drama filmed?

By now, we’ve established that Cruel Summer isn’t based on a true story (thank goodness) and that the fictional town of Skylin, Texas, is not real. Of course, this raises the issue of where Cruel Summer was filmed.

Despite the fact that the town isn’t present in the real world, the series was shot in Texas. Cruel Summer was filmed in Dallas over the course of six months. The show’s Texas-related references, such as Kate Wallis‘ affection for Whataburger, inspired both Texas Monthly and the Dallas Observer.

Olivia Holt toured the chain “many times” during shooting, as per the Observer, and the fast-food bar’s car park became a gathering spot for the cast.

As a matter of fact, some Dallas monuments were used as backdrops for the show. One Nostalgia Tavern, which Angela Prescott runs in the series, is, in fact, one of the town’s oldest bars. The bar was the appropriate spot for the vintage Cruel Summer, thanks to the souvenirs from the 1980s and 1990s that covered the walls.

Cruel Summer Filming Location – Details About Dallas, Texas!

Cruel Summer is filmed in Dallas, Texas.

Cruel Summer is filmed in Dallas, Texas.
Image Source: Decider

Cruel Summer, created by Bert V. Royal and executive produced by Jessica Biel, is an unorthodox mystery suspense show that explores the intertwined stories of two teenage Texas girls over the course of three years, with one of them becoming abducted and the other becoming famous as a result.

The show combines nostalgia and suspense to create an entertaining watch. It is a faithful portrayal of tiny town teenage life in the 1990s. We’ve got all the details if you’re curious about the filming location of Cruel Summer.

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As mentioned earlier, Cruel Summer is set in the fictitious smallish town of Skylin, Texas, but was shot primarily in Dallas, Texas. The series’s pilot was shot in November 2019, and it got renewed for a second season in January 2020. (Check out similar shows here!)

The subsequent episodes’ principal photography took place in late 2020. Jayson Crothers, recognized for his spectacular camera work and acting as the cinematographer for the action television drama Chicago Fire, directed the vintage mystery.

Let’s have a quick glance at the filming location that provides the retro ’90s background for Cruel Summer.

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The fictitious tiny town of Skylin, where the proceedings of the show occur over three years, is recreated using several sites in and around Dallas, Texas.

The series’s 1990s timeframe was depicted by using residential and business areas in the city that had not been substantially modernized. The on-location shooting was also done in long-standing outlets like bars and restaurants that have been there since the 1990s or have a similar look.

South Side Studios in south Dallas served as the location for the show’s studio shooting. The production companies are situated at 2901 S Lamar Street, over a mile away from downtown Dallas, in the fashionable Cedars area.

Some of season one’s scenes were also shot at the One Nostalgia Tavern, an eccentric neighborhood bar stationed at 6521 Abrams Road in Dallas’ Lake Highlands region.

The AllGood Cafe in Dallas’ Deep Ellum community is another iconic Dallas venue that has been used for filming. Deep Ellum is one of Dallas’ most popular amusement and concert destinations, and the restaurant is based at 2934 Main Street.

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The show’s authentic retro and strikingly Texan look is enhanced by choosing the filming location at these sites, which are both iconic and long-standing regional gatherings.

Is Cruel Summer Getting Season 2?

Cruel Summer, a Freeform suspense series, has kept fans pretty intrigued throughout and now they want to know if there will be more following the end of season one.

Olivia Holt, Froy Gutierrez, Chiara Aurelia, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, Michael Landes, Brooklyn Sudano, and others star in the series, which debuted in April 2021.

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The synopsis for the premiere read,

Taking place over three 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.

Per Deadline, Olivia said:

It really shines a light on the complex part of being a teenager and trying to figure out who you are and the midst of a million things that are going on

Apart from the mystery, Cruel Summer depicts every facet of adolescence, including both friendship and romantic drama.

During an April 2021 interview with TV Guide, Olivia stated:

Something that really drew me in was the female representation of the two female leads to the female creatives behind this project.

The actress added,

I definitely think that we need more of that. I know that when I was a kid I didn’t really see a lot of that on screen. I’m very grateful to be a part of this.

The issue of whether or not Freeform viewers should expect more from these characters in the future is still up in the air as the plot continues to be stitched together and new episodes air. Regardless of the unanswered questions, one thing is certain: viewers are adoring the series.

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Following the premiere, Deadline reported Cruel Summer was the network’s most-watched multi-platform opener ever. With the series’s continued popularity, more surprises from the fictitious Skylin, Texas may be on the way, but only time can tell!

Visit House & Whips for more interesting filming location stories of your favorite shows!