“Cruel Summer,” the latest offering from actress-turned-producer Jessica Biel, is taking Freeform by storm! The Hollywood Reporter notes that the premiere of the ‘90s-set psychological thriller ranks as the network’s “most watched series debut ever.” With a fluid timeline and narrative, killer retro soundtrack and gripping central mystery, it is no surprise audiences are flocking to watch.
The engrossing story begins on June 21, 1993, the 15th birthday of self-proclaimed “nerdy” high schooler Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia). As the dynamic timeline flips and flops between 1993, 1994 and 1995, we see Jeanette transform – first into the most popular girl in town after the former queen bee, Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), goes missing and Jeanette seemingly and seamlessly takes her place, and then into the most hated woman in the world upon Kate’s return almost a year later when it is revealed that Jeanette knew of her whereabouts but told no one.
Portrayed from the points of view of both leading ladies, “Cruel Summer,” which airs Tuesday nights on Freeform and is available for streaming the following day via Hulu, is a dizzying ride of endless twists, turns and shifting sympathies.
Set in the fictional small town of Skylin, Texas, the production was actually lensed throughout Dallas and its environs. A few of the local spots used include The Charles E. Struwe Building at 617 W. State St. in Garland, which plays Skylin Realty, where Jeanette’s father, Greg Turner (Michael Landes), works. The Interskate Roller Rink at 1408 S. State Hwy 121 in Lewisville is where both Jeanette and Kate spend their birthdays in episodes one and seven, respectively. Also in Lewisville is the Music City Mall at 2401 S. Stemmons Fwy, which appears numerous times on the series. And the Turner family’s ranch-style residence can be found at 13735 Sprucewood Cir. in Dallas’ Far North neighborhood.
The real star of the show, though, is the picturesque Colonial where Kate is held captive by Skylin High Assistant Principal Martin Harris (Blake Lee). Said to be at 324 Huntington Rd., in truth the sprawling estate can be found at 6306 Deloache Ave. in Dallas’ affluent Preston Hollow area. Built in 1938, the impressive pad features four bedrooms and five baths in a sprawling 6,745 square feet.
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Image Credit: Zillow Though the exterior of the residence, which was last listed for sale in 2019, is quite classic and traditional, the interior is largely a mix of old meets new – a fitting backdrop for the 90s-set “Cruel Summer.” Behind the handsome brick-clad façade sit numerous luxe spaces, including formal living and dining rooms, the latter with wainscotting and crown molding, the former with a fireplace, and both tinged with a light blue.
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Image Credit: Zillow The updated combination kitchen/den offers beamed ceilings, cabinetry galore, a large island with bar seating and a stone fireplace.
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Image Credit: Zillow Upstairs, the spacious owners’ suite comes with an adjoining library (which appears to have been vacuumed to within an inch of its life for the 2019 listing photos) complete with a wet bar, a tiled fireplace and floor-to-ceiling oak paneling and built-ins.
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Image Credit: Opendoor The immense main bath boasts a steam shower, a central Jacuzzi tub, marble and travertine accents and both separate vanities and commodes.
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Image Credit: Zillow The stunning master closet is one for the record books! Custom-built, the massive chamber is bigger than most apartments with the amenities to match including hardwood flooring, cedar woodwork, skylights, multiple ceiling fans and window seating. It is there that Kate tries on Martin’s shirt in episode nine, “A Secret of My Own.”
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Image Credit: Zillow The home’s real showpiece, though, is the soaring great room. Designed by architect Richard Drummond Davis, the grand two-story space is capped by vaulted ceilings that tower 30 feet above the French-Brown hardwood flooring below. The adjoining walls are cloaked in stately oak paneling, with French doors and a cast stone fireplace lining one side of the room and a walk-in bar with a Sub-Zero fridge and freezer stationed at an opposite corner. An entertainer’s dream, the handsome enclave looks more like a hotel lobby or luxe ski lodge than a room in a private home.
The pad, which sits far back from the road on a grassy 0.46-acre lot, was listed for sale in June 2019 by Ebby Halliday Realtors for $1,950,000. The price was then cut $100,000 in September before the listing was ultimately removed the following month. If the MLS images are any indication, the residence was vacant during its time on the market, making it a convenient spot for the filming of “Cruel Summer,” which got underway in early November of that year.
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Image Credit: Zillow The property has been at the forefront of the series starting with the premiere episode, titled “Happy Birthday, Jeanette Turner.” It is at the attractive home that Jeanette and her friends check off the first item on their summer vacation bucket list – playing hide and seek in an empty house. At the time, the pad had just been sold to Assistant Principal Harris by Jeanette’s realtor father, which is how the teens managed to procure entry. As we come to learn, the dwelling is also where Kate is later held captive for the better part of a year by Mr. Harris.
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Image Credit: Zillow The actual interior of the residence also appears on the show. Holt and Lee spent a lot of time there during the filming, especially while shooting “A Secret of My Own,” virtually all of which takes place at the property. As Olivia told TVLine, “It was wild. Blake and I, technically, lived in that house. We pretty much camped out there. Our base camp was about 20 minutes away from that location, so we kind of set up camp [at the house]. We ate lunch there, we brought our yoga mats and hung out in a room and just sort of decompressed during our time off. But it was a lot. It felt like shooting a little mini movie, in a way.”
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Image Credit: Zillow Interestingly, since “A Secret of My Own” mainly took place at the residence, filming of the episode was carried out in chronological order, which is highly unusual in television production. Holt explained to TVLine, “Because we were in one location, we were able to shoot everything in the same timeline that you’re seeing it.”
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Image Credit: Freeform While many areas of the home were utilized on the series including the kitchen, owners’ suite, living and dining rooms, the mirrored basement that becomes Kate’s prison was just a set – and not a very happy one, at that. As Holt told Collider, “The basement set was not a really inviting, friendly set. It was actually very terrifying. I think everybody on our crew felt that. When they saw on the call sheet that we were gonna be filming in the basement that day, everybody’s energy was a little bit different.”
The home’s actual basement sounds like a much more serene spot. As the listing notes, the 1,187-square-foot space, which can be utilized as “a bedroom, game room or exercise room,” has a “walk-in wine cellar, spa bath and cedar closet,” definitely not amenities Kate had access to during her horrific ordeal.
Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.