Top Videos Cruel intentions The TV show mixes drama and mystery in a modern take on the 1999 film of the same name, and some movies and TV shows make for excellent companion watching thanks to their similar themes and storylines. Based on the 1782 novel Dangerous connections and the 1999 Roger Kumble film, Cruel intentions follows wealthy half-siblings Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess). When an anti-Greek movement threatens to wipe out all fraternities and sororities, Caroline targets the vice president's daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), who is entering college.
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 to Delta Phi.and if Lucien succeeds in 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 president, Blaise (John Harlan Kim), is using the new president, Scott (Khobe Clarke), to cover up the fraternity's embezzlement of funds.
What follows are different games of manipulation, deception and power dynamics, and the main characters showing their true colors, with some of them being truly ruthless. Although Cruel intentions made major changes to the 1999 film, they share the same tone and central themes, and there are other TV shows and films with similar themes, schemes, and characters, albeit with different tones, styles, and levels of success.
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I 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 brought Cruel intentions back to life, Prime Video did it with I know what you did last summer in 2021. The show took the premise of the 1997 film and Lois Duncan's 1973 novel of the same name and gave it a modern twist. Instead of killing an unknown man, the group runs over the twin sister of one of themBut there's a twist to his identity and other secrets waiting to be revealed. I know what you did last summer was created by Sara Goodman, who also developed Cruel intentions alongside Phoebe Fisher.
As such, and despite their different histories, I know what you did last summer and Cruel intentions have the same narrative and visual styleand its characters are, for the most part, privileged teenagers who act according to what benefits them most. I know what you did last summer leans more towards mystery and horror, while Cruel intentions is all about drama and suspense (again, in a field more dramatic than horror), but both show the cruel side of privileged, manipulative teenagers who only care about themselves.
I know what you did last summer was canceled after just one season.
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Tell me lies
Tell Me Lies is released in 2022 on Hulu
Tell me lies is 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, as there is also the mystery of the death of Lucy's roommate Macy (Lily McInery) and Stephen's involvement in this.
As the title suggests, Tell me lies is about how one lie can unleash a wild web of lies, deceit and hatewhich is also a theme found in Cruel intentions. Yet even though the lies and the secrets Cruel intentions didn't lead to tragic events (or, at least, not in its first season), Tell me lies it goes beyond limits and shows how far selfishness, lies and toxicity can go in different types of relationships.
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Cruel summer
Cruel Summer was released in 2021 in free format
Cruel summer is an anthology teen drama series created by Bert V. Royal. The first season focuses on two teenagers and the consequences of one disappearing and the other taking their place. Season 2 is about two teenagers who form a strong friendship that ends up falling apart after their romantic interest is murdered. Cruel summer is about mystery and suspense, with a missing person case in one season and a murder in another, but both cases are fueled by the lies of its main characters.
As Cruel intentions and the programs mentioned above, Cruel summerThe stories are driven by the lies and secrets of its main charactershowever, unlike Caroline and Lucien's stories, these lead to tragic and even more complicated situations. What it does Cruel summer What's worth 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 summer was canceled after two seasons.
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Wild Things
Wild Things was released in 1998
Wild Things is an erotic thriller directed by John McNaughton. Wild Things follows 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 progresses, shocking secrets are revealed involving Suzie, Kelly, Sam and Sgt. Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon). Despite having a 64% score from critics in Rotten tomatoes, Wild Things It is now considered the heyday of sexual-themed thrillers in the 1990s.
Suzie and Kelly go to disturbing extremes in a complex plan that also involves betrayal and murder.
Wild Things mixes 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 basically what Caroline and Lucien love to do. However, unlike their half-siblings, Suzie and Kelly go to disturbing extremes in a complex plan that also involves betrayal and murder, showing that you can't trust anyone, not even your closest friends.
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Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct was released in 1992
Basic Instinct is a neo-noir erotic thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven. Basic Instinct follows 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 remains under investigation. Basic Instinct has been quite controversial for several reasons, but was also praised for its representation of sexuality in mainstream cinemaas well as for its film noir narrative.
As Cruel intentions (both the movie and the TV show) and Wild Things, the main character in Basic Instinct uses sex to manipulate other people and get what you wantas well as changing the narrative to one that benefits her. There are many secrets in Basic Instinct which are eventually revealed, and even after meeting them, the ending will leave the audience questioning what they saw and know.
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Elite
Elite was released in 2018 on Netflix
Elite is a Spanish teen drama series created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona. Over eight seasons, Elite follows the rich and privileged students of Las Encinasan elite high school, as well as some working-class students on scholarships. In the midst of their unstable social lives and romances, each season of Elite features a murderwhich in most seasons is the trigger for the entire story. Elite addresses topics such as classism, substance use disorder, parental neglect, homosexuality, power dynamics, and more.
Elite has a lot in common with Cruel intentions TV Show: Both have rich, spoiled, selfish main characters, both shows freely address sex, and the characters harbor many dark secrets that, if revealed, could ruin their lives. Teenagers in Elite end up involved in much more serious things than Caroline and Lucien, thus pushing the limits much more than Cruel intentions.
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Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars was released in 2010 in free format
Pretty Little Liars is a teen mystery drama TV series developed by I. Marlene King and based on the novel series of the same name by Sara Shepard. Pretty Little Liars follows four best friends – Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchell), Hanna (Ashley Benson) and Spencer (Troian Bellisario) – whose group leader, Alison (Sasha Pieterse), goes missing. A year later, the group begins receiving messages from a mysterious person known as “A”, who knows their secrets, lies and mistakes, so it is up to them to find out who “A” is.
Despite its plot flaws and some controversial storylines Pretty Little Liars is one of the most popular TV shows of the decadefurther proving that there is a huge audience for teen mystery dramas. What moves the characters Pretty Little Liars It's all the secrets they keep, and while they're not ruthless like those in Cruel intentionstheir lies further entangle their stories and those around them.
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Heathers
Heathers was released in 1988
Heathers is a black comedy teen film directed by Michael Lehmann. Heathers follows Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), a member of the school's most popular group of girls named “Heather.” Tired of how abusive the Heathers are to her, Veronica becomes fascinated by mysterious new student Jason Dean (Christian Slater), who has a mutual hatred for the tyranny of the Heather clique. What follows is a wild series of events with murders, explosions and some confusing moments..
Both feature cruel and abusive teenagers, some of whom devise sinister plans that could lead to tragic events.
Heathers is now considered one of the best dark comedies and coming-of-age films of all time, with praise for its performances and tone. Unlike the rest of the movies and TV shows on this list, Heathers It's more of a comedy, but it suits Cruel intentions in the sense that they both have cruel and abusive teenagers, some of whom hatch sinister plans that could lead to tragic events.
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gossip Girl
Gossip Girl was released in 2007 on the CW
gossip Girl is a teen drama series developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. gossip Girl takes audiences to Manhattan's Upper East Side to follow a group of wealthy, privileged students attending a prestigious high school. The group is led by 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 is one of the best teen dramas of the 2000s, and although its ending was controversial, it is still a very popular show. Once again, is a TV show that follows rich, spoiled teenagersalthough 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.
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Cruel intentions
Cruel Intentions was released in 1999
Of course, the best movie to watch after Prime Video Cruel intentions TV Show is the 1999 film of the same name. Cruel intentions follows wealthy stepbrothers Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe), who enjoy sex and playing with other people. Wanting a challenge like getting any woman she wants, Kathryn makes a bet with Sebastian: if he seduces and has sex with the new director's daughter, Annette (Reese Witherspoon), she will have sex with him, but if he fails, she wins her beloved old car.
Additionally, Kathryn wants revenge on new student Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair), who is dating her ex-boyfriend, and she uses Sebastian for that too. Cruel intentions goes much deeper into true cruelty and ruthlessness on Kathryn and Sebastian (mostly Kathryn) than the TV show, and has a greater emphasis on the seduction and sexual parts of the characters, their personalities and agendas.
Cruel intentions
Two ambitious half-brothers from a prestigious Washington, D.C. college will stop at nothing to maintain their social standing. After a scandal threatens their control, they resort to extreme tactics, including seducing the vice president's daughter, to safeguard their reputation and influence.
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November 21, 2024
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