| Surviving Summer | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Teen drama |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Country of origin | Australia/Germany |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Stuart Menzies |
| Producer | Joanna Werner |
| Production company | Werner Film Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | 3 June 2022 – present |
Surviving Summer is an Australian teen drama television series that premiered on June 3, 2022, on Netflix. The first season consists of 10 episodes. In November 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 15, 2023.[1][2]
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.
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.[3][4] 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 sister taking summer into old family friends.[5] Filming occurred in a number of places in Victoria's Surf Coast: Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Wye River, Lorne, Cumberland River and Bell's Beach.[5] It consisted of two units working concurrently: one filming the drama and a separate unit shooting the surfing.[6]
A trailer for the series was released on 17 May 2022.[7]
On 18 November 2022 the series was renewed for a second season.[1] A trailer for the second season was released on 17 August 2023.[2]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Exile" | Ben Chessell | Josh Mapleston | June 3, 2022 | 101 |
| Wild child Summer tries to settle into sleepy Shorehaven and meets young surfer Ari, who's on the mend from a serious injury but ready to compete. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Big Plans" | Ben Chessell | Josh Mapleston | June 3, 2022 | 102 |
| At the beach, Summer gets in the way of Sheridan Morehouse, an Anchor Cove surfer, who breaks Summer’s skateboard in return. At the Shorehaven Pro Juniors Finals, Marlon holds Ari back from a wave by tugging on his surfboard leash. Poppy’s brother, Prawnie, agrees to give Summer a lift to the airport so she can fly back to New York. Ari confronts Marlon and the two physically fight on the beach, before being broken up by Manu, who emphasises the importance of community to Ari. Poppy beats Anchor Cove surfer, Lily Tran, in her heat. While Summer and Marlon go jetskiing, Ari runs into Bodhi, and the two go diving. While diving, Ari has a panic attack and remembers the accident. Back at the competition, Sheridan beats both Poppy and Bodhi. In a flashback to his accident, Ari relives jumping off Stairway, while Marlon feints and does not jump with him as planned. Ari has another panic attack before his heat, and Summer goes to calm him down, missing her ride from Prawnie to the airport. Marlon surfs and comes in second after Griff, an Anchor Cove surfer. Summer takes Sheridan’s board and rolls her car over it, breaking it in vengeance for her skateboard. Margot calls Summer after discovering the credit card charge for the plane ticket, and tells Summer that she can be happy in Australia. Summer obliges and goes to eat dinner with the Gibsons. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Training Day" | Ben Chessell | Magda Wozniak & Josh Mapleston | June 3, 2022 | 103 |
| Poppy teaches beginner classes at the Tetanui Surf School and clashes with Summer, who is teaching Honey to skateboard. While out teaching on the ocean, Poppy sees Summer, unsuccessfully trying to surf, and goes to help her. Summer tells Poppy she regrets calling Poppy a bad teacher, and Poppy confides in Summer about missing her mother, who recently passed from lymphoma. Later, Summer helps film Poppy’s surfing. Summer also tries to convince the Gibsons to allow Ari to compete, telling them she wants to compete in the Jackson Bay competition, despite not being experienced enough. While reviewing the footage of her surfing, Poppy hears Manu in the background describing their mother as optimistic for believing that Poppy could be a world champion. She confronts him, telling him that she is out of practice because she is busy always teaching classes at the family surf school. Ari and Thommo go surfing, but Ari is unable to convince his dad to let him surf in the competition. Summer wants to go surfing, but is advised not to, as the surf is too strong. Summer ignores her, and goes out to surf, but finds herself out of her depth. Poppy comes to help and gets her back to shore. Later, Ari apologises for not attending Poppy’s mum’s funeral and boosts her confidence by revealing that in order to improve his technique, Manu has given him tapes of Poppy’s surfing. Later, Summer goes out surfing again, and Poppy and Ari accompany her. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Shame" | Charlotte George | Keir Wilkins | June 3, 2022 | 104 |
| The crew heads to Jackson Bay for a major competition. Summer stirs up drama with a revealing game that brings Ari and Marlon's friendship to the brink. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Keep the Sponsors Happy" | Ben Chessell | Gemma Crofts & Josh Mapleston | June 3, 2022 | 105 |
| Bodhi might catch her big break with a new sponsor - if Marlon doesn't ruin her shot. Poppy and Ari share a moment after a late-night training session. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "No Pressure" | Sian Davies | Keir Wilkins | June 3, 2022 | 106 |
| Ari and Bodhi try to hold their own against surfing pros - and among VIPs at a party. Summer helps Ari with his secret but wants him to seek real help. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "For Laynah" | Sian Davies | Kristy Fisher | June 3, 2022 | 107 |
| Poppy, with her mother's memory in mind, serves as the team captain during an event against rival surf clubs, Marlon starts to weigh his options. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Stairway" | Sian Davies | Josh Mapleston | June 3, 2022 | 108 |
| Marlon wants to impress his new pals by surfing a notorious break, and Ari joins him. Summer gets desperate after getting an update about her stay. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Go" | Sian Davies | Keir Wilkins | June 3, 2022 | 109 |
| Poppy mingles with a rival surfer. Ari and Summer sneak into the Jarrah Island competition together. Marlon must decide where his loyalty lies. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Stay" | Sian Davies | Josh Mapleston & Keir Wilkins | June 3, 2022 | 110 |
| Margot arrives to bring Summer home, while the crew tries to qualify for the state team. Bodhi gets in trouble during her heat. Ari makes a choice. | ||||||
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logie Awards | 2023 | Surviving Summer | Most Outstanding Children's Program | Pending | [8] |
