Prime Video’sCruel IntentionsTV show mixes drama and mystery in a modern version of the 1999 movie of the same name, and some movies and TV shows make for an excellent companion watch thanks to their similar themes and stories. Based on the 1782 novelLes Liaisons dangereusesand Roger Kumble’s 1999 movie,Cruel Intentionsfollows wealthy step-siblings Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess). When an anti-Greek movement threatens to end all fraternities and sororities, Caroline targets the vice-President’s daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), who is joining her university.
Caroline knows that, if Annie joins her sorority, Delta Phi, it will be safe, but she needs Lucien’s help. They make a deal:Lucien has to seduce Annie and sleep with her so they can lure her into Delta Phi, and if Lucien achieves this, Caroline will finally sleep with him, but if he fails, Caroline will take his car. Meanwhile, at Lucien’s fraternity, Alpha Gamma, its social chair, Blaise (John Harlan Kim), is using the new President, Scott (Khobe Clarke), to cover his embezzling of fraternity funds.
Cruel Intentions Season 1 Ending Explained: Caroline & Blaise’s Real Plans
The Cruel Intentions TV show has a very different ending from the 1999 movie, with Caroline and Blaise’s plans being at the front and center.
What follows are different games of manipulation, deceit, and power dynamics, and the main characters showing their true colors, with some of them being truly ruthless. AlthoughCruel Intentionsmade big changes to the 1999 movie, they share the same tone and core themes, and there are other TV shows and movies with similar themes, schemes, and characters, though with different tones, styles, and levels of success.
10I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer Was Released In 2021 On Prime Video
Following the same trend that broughtCruel Intentionsback to life, Prime Video did so withI Know What You Did Last Summerin 2021. The show took the premise of the 1997 movie and Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel of the same name and gave it a modern spin. Instead of killing an unknown man,the group runs over the twin sister of one of them, but there’s a twist in her identity and other secrets waiting to be unveiled.I Know What You Did Last Summerwas created by Sara Goodman, who also developedCruel Intentionsalongside Phoebe Fisher.
Zeke Goodman plays Dylan inI Know What You Did Last Summerand Blandsman inCruel Intentions.
As such, and despite their different stories,I Know What You Did Last SummerandCruel Intentionshave the same narrative and visual style, and their characters are mostly privileged teens who act according to what will benefit them the most.I Know What You Did Last Summerleans more toward mystery and horror, whileCruel Intentionsis all about drama and suspense (again, in a more drama field than horror), but both show the ruthless side of privileged, manipulative teens who only care about themselves.
I Know What You Did Last Summerwas canceled after just one season.
9Tell Me Lies
Tell Me Lies Was Released In 2022 On Hulu
Tell Me Liesis a drama TV series created by Meaghan Oppenheimer and based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Carola Lovering. It’s the story of Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White) and their toxic romance over the course of eight years – but it’s not just about their relationship, asthere’s also the mystery of the death of Lucy’s roommate, Macy(Lily McInery), and Stephen’s involvement in it.
25 Best TV Shows Like Hulu’s Tell Me Lies
From Scandal and Big Little Lies to You, Roadkill, The Affair, and more, discover the best shows to watch alongside Hulu’s drama series Tell Me Lies.
As the title suggests,Tell Me Liesis all about how one lie can unleash a wild web of lies, deceit, and hate, which is also a theme found inCruel Intentions. However, while the lies and secrets inCruel Intentionsdidn’t lead to tragic events (or, at least, not in its first season),Tell Me Liespushes boundaries and shows how far selfishness, lies, and toxicity in different types of relationships can go.
8Cruel Summer
Cruel Summer Was Released In 2021 On Freeform
Cruel Summeris an anthology teen drama seriescreated by Bert V. Royal. The first season focuses on two teenage girls and the aftermath of the disappearance of one and the other taking her place. Season 2 is about two teenagers who form a strong friendship that ends up crashing after the murder of their romantic interest.Cruel Summeris about mystery and thriller, with a missing person’s case in one season and a murder in another, but both cases are fueled by the lies of their main characters.
10 Teen Mystery Shows To Watch If You Love Cruel Summer
These 10 TV series share similarities with Cruel Summer, making them the perfect pick for people who love teen mystery TV shows.
LikeCruel Intentionsand the above-mentioned shows,Cruel Summer’s stories are driven by the lies and secrets of its main characters, though, unlike Caroline and Lucien’s stories, these lead to tragic and even more entangled situations. What makesCruel Summerworth checking out is its anthology format, with each season telling a complete and different story, so there’s no continuity to worry about – however,Cruel Summerwas canceled after two seasons.
7Wild Things
Wild Things Was Released In 1998
Wild Thingsis an erotic thriller directed by John McNaughton.Wild Thingsfollows Suzie (Neve Campbell) and Kelly (Denise Richards), two high school students who accuse their guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon), of sexually assaulting them. However, as the investigation develops, shocking secrets are unveiled involving Suzie, Kelly, Sam, and Sgt. Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon). Despite having a 64% critics score onRotten Tomatoes,Wild Thingsis now regarded as the peak in sex-themed thrillers in the 1990s.
Suzie and Kelly go to disturbing lengths in a complex plan that also involves betrayal and murder.
Wild Thingsmixes drama, suspense, and crime in a story where the characters have no problem using sex as a weapon to get what they want – which is pretty much what Caroline and Lucien love to do. However, unlike the step-siblings, Suzie and Kelly go to disturbing lengths in a complex plan that also involves betrayal and murder, showing you may’t really trust anyone, not even your closest friends.
6Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct Was Released In 1992
Basic Instinctis a neo-noir erotic thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven.Basic Instinctfollows detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who investigates the murder of a rock star. This leads him to meet crime novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), with whom he ends up having an intense affair while she continues to be under investigation.Basic Instincthas been quite controversialfor various reasons, butit has also been praised for its depiction of sexuality in mainstream cinema, as well as for its film noir narrative.
LikeCruel Intentions(both the movie and the TV show) andWild Things,the main character inBasic Instinctuses sex to manipulate others and get what she wants, as well as changing the narrative to one that benefits her. There are many secrets inBasic Instinctthat are eventually unveiled, and even after learning about them, the ending will leave the audience questioning what they saw and know.
5Elite
Elite Was Released In 2018 On Netflix
Eliteis a Spanish teen drama series created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona. Throughout eight seasons,Elitefollows the wealthy and privileged students at Las Encinas, an elite high school, as well as a couple of working-class students on a scholarship. Amid their social lives and unstable romances,each season ofElitefeatures a murder, which in most seasons is the trigger for the whole story.Eliteaddresses topics like classism, substance use disorder, parental neglect, homosexuality, power dynamics, and more.
15 Best Shows Like Netflix’s Elite
Those who have enjoyed the Netflix series Elite will be glad to know that there are a number of other, similar series to watch next.
Elitehas a lot in common with theCruel IntentionsTV show: both have wealthy, spoiled, and selfish main characters, both shows freely address sex, and the characters keep way too many dark secrets that, if unveiled, could ruin their lives. The teens inEliteend up involved in much more serious stuff than Caroline and Lucien, thus pushing boundaries a lot more thanCruel Intentions.
4Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars Was Released In 2010 On Freeform
Pretty Little Liarsis a mystery teen drama TV series developed by I. Marlene King and based on Sara Shepard’s novel series of the same name.Pretty Little Liarsfollows four best friends – Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchell), Hanna (Ashley Benson), and Spencer (Troian Bellisario) – whose group leader, Alison (Sasha Pieterse), disappears. A year later, the group begins to receive messages from a mysterious person known as “A”, who is aware of their secrets, lies, and mistakes, so it’s up to them to discover who “A” is.
Every “A” Reveal In Pretty Little Liars, Ranked Worst To Best
Every “A” and A-Team member in Pretty Little Liars shapes the narrative, but not all the “A” reveals are equally successful and enjoyable.
Despite its plot holes and some controversial storylines,Pretty Little Liarsis one of the most popular TV shows of the decade, further proving that there’s a big audience for teen mystery dramas. What drives the characters inPretty Little Liarsare all the secrets they keep, and though they’re not ruthless like those inCruel Intentions, their lies further entangle their stories and those around them.
3Heathers
Heathers Was Released In 1988
Heathersis a teen black comedy movie directed by Michael Lehmann.Heathersfollows Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), a member of the most popular clique at school formed by girls named “Heather.” Tired of how abusive the Heathers are to her, Veronica becomes fascinated with new and mysterious student Jason Dean (Christian Slater), who has a mutual hatred for the tyranny in the Heathers clique.What follows is a wild series of events with murder, explosions, and some confusing moments.
Both have ruthless and abusive teenagers, of whom some come up with sinister plans that can lead to tragic events.
Heathersis now regarded as one of the best dark comedies and coming-of-age movies of all time, with praise for its performances and tone. Unlike the rest of the movies and TV shows on this list,Heathersis more of a comedy, yet it’s fitting withCruel Intentionsin the sense that both have ruthless and abusive teenagers, of whom some come up with sinister plans that can lead to tragic events.
2Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl Was Released In 2007 On The CW
Gossip Girlis a teen drama TV series developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar.Gossip Girltakes the audience to Manhattan’s Upper East Side to follow a group of privileged and wealthy students attending a prestigious high school. The group is led by on-and-off best friends Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), and their personal lives are often exposed by the mysterious blogger known as “Gossip Girl.”
Gossip Girl Series Ending Explained: Her Identity Reveal & What Happens In The Time Jump
Gossip Girl ended after six seasons with the reveal of the title character’s identity and a time jump, which came with a lot of controversy.
Gossip Girlis one of the best teen dramas of the 2000s, and even though its finale was controversial, it’s still a very popular show. Once more,it’s a TV show following wealthy and spoiled teenagers, though in this case, it’s not so much how ruthless some of them can be but how their private lives and scandals are exposed, and how they deal with this exposure at different points in their lives.
1Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions Was Released In 1999
Of course, the best movie to watch after Prime Video’sCruel IntentionsTV show is the 1999 movie of the same name.Cruel Intentionsfollows wealthy step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe), who enjoy sex and playing with other people. Wanting a challenge as he can get any woman he wants, Kathryn makes a bet with Sebastian: if he seduces and has sex with the new headmaster’s daughter, Annette (Reese Witherspoon), she will have sex with him, but if he fails, she gets his beloved vintage car.
Cruel Intentions Remake’s Confirmed Sarah Michelle Gellar Movie Connection Hurts The TV Show
Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions TV show and the 1999 movie do have an important connection, but it creates a huge problem for the Merteuil family.
On top of that, Kathryn wants revenge against new student Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair), who is dating her ex-boyfriend, and she uses Sebastian for this as well.Cruel Intentionsgoes a lot deeper into the actual cruelty and mercilessnessin Kathryn and Sebastian (mostly Kathryn) than the TV show does, and has a greater emphasis on the seduction and sex parts of the characters, their personalities, and plans.
Cruel Intentions
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.
