Freeform has ordered a new thriller pilot from executive producers Jessica Biel, Bert V. Royal and Michelle Purple titled “Last Summer,” the cable channel said on Wednesday.
Here’s the description for the one-hour drama:
“Last Summer” is an unconventional thriller that takes place over three summers–’93, ’94, ’95–in a small Texas town when a beautiful popular teen, Kate, is abducted and, seemingly unrelated, a girl, Jeanette, goes from being a sweet, awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town and, by ’95, the most despised person in America. Each episode is told from the POV of one of the two main girls (Jeanette and Kate), which will have the viewers loyalties constantly shifting as more information is revealed.
“Last Summer” is written and executive produced by Royal (“Easy A,” “Recovery Road”). Iron Ocean Productions’ Biel and Purple (“The Sinner,” “Limetown”) will also executive produce, as will Winkler (“Jungleland,” “Flower”), who will also direct. The series hails from eOne.
“At Freeform, we are constantly looking to tell bold stories that drive cultural conversation–‘Last Summer’ will do just that,” Lauren Corrao, Freeform’s executive vice president of original programming and development, said. “Bert’s incredible character detail and unique voice coupled with Max’s distinctive vision is sure to leave our viewers on the edge of their seats. We are also incredibly honored to have Jessica and Michelle’s female-forward prowess contributing to this uniquely layered show.”
“I’m so happy to be back at Freeform with an amazing team of eOne, Max, Michelle and Jessica by my side,” Royal said. “We’re really excited to tell this story that we hope will spark some interesting conversations about how our society can upend a person’s life and send them to the hell of infamy before–and sometimes even, despite–the facts.”