The Cruel Intentions TV Remake: Everything You Need To Know

The 1999 cult classic romantic drama thriller Cruel Intentions got a brand-new remake on the small screen, and Amazon Prime Video put a fresh spin on the romantic thriller. Loosely based on the 18th century French novel Dangerous Liaisons, the story concerns a pair of wealthy step-siblings who have carefully crafted their social life while attending college. Things take a dark turn when a hazing incident threatens their standing, and they’ll do anything to keep their status. Much like the original film, the TV remake aimed to tear down social structures with a thrilling and modern take.

In an era of TV remakes of movies, Cruel Intentions seemed like a logical project, and shows about colleges have never failed to intrigue viewers. Interestingly, the Cruel Intentions TV remake isn’t the first stab at a franchise, and the 1999 box office hit spawned two straight-to-video sequels in the early 2000s. Though those sequels paled in comparison to the original, they proved that the concept has a timeless quality that makes the TV remake all the more logical and necessary. Amazon Prime Video is no stranger to romantic thrillers, and Cruel Intentions is yet another prestige series for the streamer.

The Cruel Intentions TV Remake Critical Reception

Critics Pan Prime Video’s Take On Cruel Intentions

With TV remakes of hit films always a gamble, it seems as if Prime Video’s take on Cruel Intentions was a bust. Early critical reception to the show has been overwhelmingly negative, with the streaming exclusive mustering a paltry 37% score on Metacritic. The consensus is that Cruel Intentions fails to deliver the same intriguing sexiness that made the 1999 original so enjoyable, and everything is generally bland. The Guardian deemed the remake as “generic” while Variety went as far as to call it “stale” and “unsexy.”

Screen Rant delivered a similar review, tearing down the project for its stilted writing and poor handling of such interesting characters. While Prime Video clearly has a plan for a larger series, the poor critical reception isn’t a good sign for more seasons of Cruel Intentions.

The Cruel Intentions TV Remake Cast

A New Cast Of Cruel College Students

Though the cast of Cruel Intentions is made up of entirely new faces, it does feature a returning actor from the original film in a new role. Sean Patrick Thomas had one of his earliest film roles in the 1999 original as Ronald, and he appears in the series as a completely different character, Professor Chadwick. As for the new cast, Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess star as Caroline and Lucius, respectively, a pair of step-siblings who aspire to climb the social ladder in college.

Savannah Lee Smith plays Annie Grover, the daughter of the Vice President of the United States who is falsely seduced by Caroline and Lucius. Caroline’s mother, Claudia, is played by Laura Benanti, and Jon Tenney was tapped to play U.S. Congressman Russell. Khobe Clarke’s Scott, Sara Silva’s CeCe, and John Harlan Kim’s Blaise make up various classmates of Caroline and Lucius, and round out the supporting cast.

Actor	Cruel Intentions Role
Sarah Catherine Hook	Caroline
Zac Burgess	Lucius
Savannah Lee Smith	Annie Grover
Khobe Clarke	Scott
Brooke Lena Johnson	Beatrice
Sara Silva	CeCe
John Harlan Kim	Blaise
Sean Patrick Thomas	Professor Chadwick
Jon Tenney	Congressman Russell
Claire Forlani	Claudia
Nikki Crawford	Mrs. Grover
Zeke Goodman	Brian Blandsman

The Cruel Intentions TV Remake Trailer

Watch The Full Trailer Below

In anticipation of the show’s premiere in November, Amazon Prime Video has dropped a full trailer for Cruel Intentions. Highlighting the connection between the original film and the remake, the trailer is punctuated with a cover of ’90s classic “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. The trailer introduces Lucius and Caroline as they concoct their plan to seduce Annie Grover (the daughter of the U.S. Vice President). They do this to keep the sororities and fraternities from getting closed down, but their plan isn’t as simple as it seems. The sexual drama escalates into a campus-wide battle for social supremacy.

The Cruel Intentions TV Remake Ending & Spoilers

Some Major Changes From The Movie’s Ending

Though many expected the TV remake to follow the movie’s structure exactly, the ending of Cruel Intentions threw a few curveballs at the viewer. Not only did the remake diverge greatly from the original ending, it completely recontextualized what came before in terms of its characters. The entire purpose of changing the ending, besides the surprise factor, is clearly to leave the door open for more storytelling in the future.

The Cruel Intentions TV Remake Season 2 Set Up

The Door Was Left Wide Open For Season 2

The shocking twist ending of Cruel Intentions may not have been enough to save it from a critical standpoint, but it was clearly meant to set up a second season. By leaving all the show’s threads untied, a sophomore outing is not only easy to fit in, but logical as well. Where the 1999 movie wrapped things up nicely, Cruel Intentions the TV show seemed determined to leave questions to be solved in future episodes.

Two ambitious step-siblings at a prestigious Washington, D.C. college will stop at nothing to keep their social standing. After a hazing scandal threatens their control, they resort to extreme tactics, including seducing the vice president’s daughter, to safeguard their reputation and influence.

Cast

Sarah Catherine Hook , Zac Burgess , Sara Silva , Khobe Clarke , John Harlan Kim , Brooke Lena Johnson , Sean Patrick Thomas , Savannah Lee Smith

Character(s)

Caroline , Lucien , CeCe , Scott , Blaise , Beatrice , Professor Chadwick

Release Date

November 21, 2024

Seasons

1

Network

Prime Video

Producers

Pavun Shetty , Neal H. Moritz , Roger Kumble , Sara Goodman

Expand