Let’s be real for a second. When Amazon announced they were making an I Know What You Did Last Summer show, most of us had the same knee-jerk reaction: why? The 1997 movie is a certified slasher classic. It gave us Jennifer Love Hewitt’s iconic "What are you waiting for?!" scream and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s legendary chase scene. It was a moment in time. Trying to capture that lightning in a bottle again—especially in a serialized, eight-episode format—was always going to be an uphill battle against nostalgia.
But it happened anyway.
Released in late 2021, the series took the basic DNA of Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel and the Kevin Williamson screenplay and tried to "Euphoria-fy" it. It swapped out the rainy North Carolina docks for the sunny, drug-fueled cliffs of Oahu, Hawaii. It traded the fisherman’s hook for a more abstract, psychological brand of digital haunting. And then, after just one season, it vanished. Canceled.
The story of this show isn’t just about a reboot that didn't land. It’s a fascinating look at how modern streaming tries to modernize IP and, quite frankly, how it sometimes loses the plot in the process.
The Problem With the I Know What You Did Last Summer Show
The biggest hurdle was the premise itself. In a 100-minute movie, "we hit someone with a car and hid the body" is a tight, terrifying hook. In an eight-hour TV show, that secret has to be stretched thin. Really thin. To make it work, showrunner Sara Goodman (who worked on Gossip Girl and Preacher) had to add layers of soap opera drama that arguably suffocated the horror.
We weren't just dealing with a hit-and-run. We were dealing with cults, secret twins, parental suicide, and a web of TikTok-era narcissism that made almost every character objectively unlikeable.
That’s a bold choice.
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Usually, in a slasher, you want to root for the "Final Girl." In the I Know What You Did Last Summer show, the protagonist, Lennon—or rather, Allison pretending to be Lennon (it’s complicated)—was just as messy and morally compromised as the people dying around her. It’s hard to feel the stakes of a "whodunnit" when you're kind of okay with any of them being the next victim.
A Twist Too Far?
The "Twin Twist" is where the show really split the audience. In the first episode, we find out that the person the group hit with the car wasn't a stranger. It was Lennon, the "cool" twin. The survivor was Allison, the "weird" twin, who then spent the rest of the season pretending to be her dead sister to avoid prison.
Honestly? It's a wild swing. It’s the kind of high-octane melodrama that belongs on The CW, but it felt jarring against the gritty, R-rated gore the show was trying to sell. It created a weird tonal whiplash. One minute you're watching a brutal, inventive kill involving a honey-coated victim and a swarm of bees, and the next you're watching a slow-burn family drama about a father helping his daughter maintain a fraudulent identity.
The Cast Worked Harder Than the Script
We have to give credit where it's due. Madison Iseman, who played both twins, carried the entire weight of the production on her shoulders. Playing two distinct characters who are constantly gaslighting each other—sometimes in the same scene—is a massive undertaking. She did it well.
The rest of the cast, including Brianne Tju and Ezekiel Goodman, brought a lot of energy to characters that were often written as caricatures of Gen Z tropes. Tju, in particular, was a standout. She’s a "scream queen" in her own right, and she managed to make her influencer character, Margot, feel like a human being even when the plot was doing her no favors.
But good acting can only fix so much.
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The pacing felt off from the jump. Because it was a streaming show, it felt the need to "deconstruct" the genre. But sometimes, people just want a guy in a slicker with a sharp object. By the time the I Know What You Did Last Summer show finally revealed the killer’s identity, many viewers had already checked out or moved on to the next binge-watch.
Why the Ratings (and the Fans) Fled
When you look at the data from 2021 and 2022, the show struggled to maintain a consistent "buzz" score. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sits with a critic score in the 40s and an even lower audience score.
Why?
- Pacing Issues: There were too many episodes where nothing happened to advance the mystery.
- The Killer's Motive: Without spoiling too much for those who might still watch it, the eventual reveal felt a bit... random. It lacked the "of course!" logic that makes a great mystery.
- Lack of Atmosphere: Hawaii is beautiful, but it’s not scary. The original film used the fog and the isolation of a fishing village to create a sense of dread. The show felt too bright, too polished.
It’s also worth noting that the show came out during a period of "reboot fatigue." We were getting new Scream movies, a Chucky series, and a Halloween trilogy all at once. The competition for the horror fan’s attention was brutal.
Comparing the Show to the 1973 Novel
Most people don't realize that the original book by Lois Duncan wasn't a slasher at all. There was no killing. It was a suspense novel about guilt and anonymous notes. Duncan actually famously hated the 1997 movie because it turned her story into a bloodbath.
Interestingly, the I Know What You Did Last Summer show tried to bridge the gap between the book and the movie. It kept the gore but leaned into the psychological torment. But in trying to please both the book purists and the movie fans, it ended up in a middle ground that felt a bit hollow. It didn't have the suspense of the book or the visceral thrills of the movie.
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The Legacy of a Canceled Series
Amazon Studios officially pulled the plug in January 2022. It joined the long list of "one and done" streaming projects that couldn't find a foothold.
Is it worth a watch now?
If you’re a completionist for the franchise, sure. There are some genuinely cool kills. The cinematography is high-end. But if you're looking for a definitive version of this story, this isn't it. The show is a time capsule of 2021 television: obsessed with social media, heavy on the "prestige" lighting, and maybe a little too embarrassed to just be a fun horror show.
It’s a lesson for future creators. You can’t just buy a name like I Know What You Did Last Summer and expect the audience to show up. You have to give them a reason to stay. You have to respect the "rules" of the world you're building, even if you're trying to subvert them.
How to Approach the Franchise Today
If you actually want to experience the best of what this story has to offer, your best bet is a "back to basics" approach. Don't start with the series.
- Read the Lois Duncan Book: It’s a masterclass in YA suspense. It’s short, sharp, and actually pretty chilling in its depiction of teenage guilt.
- Rewatch the 1997 Film: It holds up surprisingly well. The score by John Debney is fantastic, and the cast has incredible chemistry.
- Skip "I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer": That’s the third movie in the original trilogy. It’s... not good. Trust me on this one.
- Watch the Show with Low Expectations: Treat it as a standalone teen drama that just happens to share a title with a famous movie. It’s much more enjoyable that way.
The I Know What You Did Last Summer show will likely be remembered as a missed opportunity. It had the budget, the cast, and the platform. It just lacked the heart—and the hook—that made the original story a legend in the first place. Sometimes, the secrets we bury are better off staying buried. Or at least, they don't need eight hours of television to be explained.