Surviving Summer (TV series) explained

Genre:	Teen drama
Creator:	Joanna Werner Josh Mapleston
Starring:	Sky Katz Kai Lewins Lilliana Bowrey Joao Gabriel Marinho Savannah La Rain
Country:	Australia/Germany
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	2
Num Episodes:	18
Executive Producer:	Stuart Menzies
Producer:	Joanna Werner
Company:	Werner Film Productions
Network:	Netflix
Last Aired:	present

Surviving Summer is an Australian teen drama television series that premiered on 3 June 2022 on Netflix. The first season consists of 10 episodes. In November 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on 15 September 2023.^[1]

Plot

Rebellious teenager Summer Torres is expelled from her high school in Brooklyn and sent to stay with the family of an old friend of her mother's in Australia, where she falls in with a clique of competitive surfers, and trouble causes in her footsteps.

Production

Development

The series is created by Joanna Werner and Josh Mapleston. Josh Mapleston, Magda Wozniak, Keir Wilkins, Gemma Crofts and Kirsty Fisher serve as writers. Ben Chessell serves as a director, with Sian Davies and Charlotte George also directing episodes in the first season. Joanna Werner and Stuart Menzies serve as executive producers.^{[2] [3]} The series was initially conceived as a Parent Trap concept with two female cousins, but a request from Netflix to have the series appeal to boys as well led to one of the characters to be changed to a boy, Ari and another change from it switching to Margot's sister taking Summer into old family friends. Filming occurred in a number of places in Victoria's Surf Coast: Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Wye River, Lorne, Cumberland River and Bell's Beach. It consisted of two units working concurrently: one filming the drama and a separate unit shooting the surfing.^[4]

On 18 November 2022 the series was renewed for a second season.

Cast

Main

• Sky Katz as Summer Torres, a rebellious teenager from Brooklyn, New York who is sent to live with family friends in the small town of Shorehaven on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia.^{[5] [6]}
• Kai Lewins as Ari Gibson, a young surfer who befriends Summer while recovering from a serious injury.^[5]
• Lilliana Bowrey as Poppy Tetanui^[5]
• Joao Gabriel Marinho as Marlon Sousa,^[5] a Brazilian emigree to Shorehaven^[4]
• Savannah La Rain as Bodhi Mercer^[5]
• Annabel Wolfe as Wren Radic, season 2^[5]
• Josh Macqueen as Baxter Radic, season 2^[5]

Recurring

• Chris Alosio as Manu Tetanui, Poppy's older brother and a surf coach^{[5] [6]}
• Dustin Clare and Adrienne Pickering as Ari's parents, Thommo and Abbie^{[5] [6]}
• Pacha Luque-Light as rival surfer Lily Tran^[5]
• Mitchell Hardaker as Griff Temple^[5]
• Charli Wookey as Sheridan Morehouse^[5]
• Kate Beahan as Margot Torres, Summer's mother^[5]
• Olympia Valance as Elo Radic, new coach season 2^[5]

Episodes

Season 2 (2023)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kelly. Vivienne. Netflix Commissions Season 2 of 'Surviving Summer'. 18 November 2022. Variety. 26 November 2022. 18 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221118063820/https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/surviving-summer-season-2-7424/. live.
2. Web site: Surf's up for new local Netflix drama Surviving Summer. TVTonight. David Knox. February 17, 2021. February 17, 2021. 17 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210217044955/https://tvtonight.com.au/2021/02/surfs-up-for-new-local-netflix-drama-surviving-summer.html. live.
3. Web site: 'Surviving Summer' YA Surfing Drama Shoots in Australia for Netflix and ZDF. Patrick Frater. February 16, 2021. May 17, 2022. Variety. 17 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220517201045/https://variety.com/2021/tv/asia/surviving-summer-surfing-series-shooting-in-australia-netflix-1234908402/amp/. live.
4. Web site: Enker . Debi . Could this Aussie surf drama be the next teen hit for Netflix? . Sydney Morning Herald . 11 June 2022 . 2022-06-08 . 10 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610043906/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/could-this-aussie-surf-drama-be-the-next-teen-hit-for-netflix-20220606-p5are5.html . live .
5. Web site: Surviving Summer on Netflix. Netflix.com.
6. Web site: How Dance Academy led to new teen surf series, Surviving Summer.. David Knox. TVTonight. May 31, 2022. May 31, 2022. 17 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017025041/https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/05/how-dance-academy-led-to-new-teen-surf-series-surviving-summer.html. live.
7. Web site: Knox . David . 19 June 2023 . TV Week Logie Awards 2023: nominees . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230625014228/https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/06/tv-week-logie-awards-2023-nominees.html . 25 June 2023 . 25 June 2022 . TV Tonight.