The seventh season of Clearwater was announced on October 24, 2016 as part of a two-season renewal. The season was comprised of 24 episodes and was split into two 12-episode blocks like the previous season. After originally set to premiere on May 7, 2017, the premiere was pushed back to May 21, 2017, although aired two days late on May 23, 2017.
This season follows the first half of the 2015-2016 school year, which will be the last year featured on the series. Every regular returned except for Olivia Jerl, who has been a member of the main cast since the first season. The main cast was revealed on March 25, 2017, before the finale of the previous season. The new recurring cast was revealed on May 1, 2017 along with the announcement that Liam Fithe would return in a recurring role, returning to the series in the third episode of the season. On May 12, 2017, Felicity Evans was added to the recurring cast after being a guest star previously.
Shortly after production of the season started, problems occurred which caused the season to stop production for several months starting on July 10, 2017. Production on Season 7 started again on October 10, 2017.
Topics included on this season include friend drama, suicide, returning of an ex, violence, child abuse, cocaine use, disease, blackmail, teen pregnancy, Adderall use, addiction, the custody system, trans bathroom rights, estranged parents, political rallies, mental health, and gender identity.
Summer is almost over, and after being away as a camp counselor for two months, Danielle is ready to bring the whole gang together again with a camping trip to celebrate the end of summer. But she doesn't realize just how much she missed and things are definitely not the same as when she left. Meanwhile, Wendy starts to feel insecure in her relationship when she sees how fun and crazy Candace and Micah's relationship is and starts to fear she might lose Chase. And Scott finds himself in hot water when he starts getting in danger of losing his apartment after he struggles making rent in his post-breakup state.
Eliza is still harboring intense guilt for Olivia's suicide and pushes for the school to set up a memorial for her, but finds out that many members of the community would rather sweep the incident under the rug. Meanwhile, Ethan is upset that all of his friends will be graduating without him at the end of the year and decides to try and fast pass to graduation. And Alicia deals with being a social pariah at school since telling everyone her rape was a lie and admitting to the hit-and-run and starts damage control.
Caylee has been having a very successful summer with her restaurant becoming massively popular, but she gets thrown for a whirlwind when Jeremy and Liam return to Clearwater. Meanwhile, Peyton moves out of the group home and back into Danielle's, showing Danielle just how messed up Peyton still is from what happened with Lily. And Mary-Beth decides to go back to college when her new boyfriend insults her education, but realizes just how hard it is for an older woman in society.
When a scout comes and wants to recruit Micah for a national team, he might risk it all when Candace is threatened. Meanwhile, Jamie returns from rehab and seems to be back to who she used to be, but is immediately thrown for a loop when she sees Jeremy is back. And Sophie finally returns to Clearwater High after excessive therapy for her agoraphobia, but realizes that things are not the same as they were before.
Wendy has to make a difficult decision regarding her relationship when she finds a secret in Chase's life that makes her want to go to the police. Meanwhile, Eric continues his escorting, but finds it difficult to balance with school. And Dex is encouraged to return to Clearwater, but will he be welcomed back?
Danielle wants to get to know Brady's friends and goes to a party at his college. When she is introduced to a whole new lifestyle, will she be influenced by it? Meanwhile, Julia has been forming a strong relationship with Hunt's daughter. But when his baby mama starts getting jealous, drama erupts. And Scott has been getting closer to his manager, but wonders if dating his boss is really a good idea.
Adrianna has an agenda she's about to push and worries if it blows up in her face, she might lose all of her friends. She also worries that maybe everything isn't right in her brain. Meanwhile, Lana is running out of time to file a lawsuit against Alicia for the accident and wonders if retribution will bring her any peace of mind. And Keith scores a new internship and wants to show that he's not just a clueless assistant, but might sabotage himself in the process.
Sophie wants to experience the world around her that she took for granted and with the help of new friend, Felicity, she might put herself into serious danger. Meanwhile, Sabrina has been pushing for Matt to introduce her to his family and starts to wonder if maybe she's not good enough for him. And Eric has a major decision to make in his relationship with Susan, but the decision might end up being made for him instead.
Dex returns to Clearwater after hearing about Eric being hospitalized and deals with a lot of unfinished business he's been avoiding. Meanwhile, Candace is offered a modeling job in LA and is elated about her dreams finally coming true. And Peyton starts to worry that Danielle might be snorting cocaine after she displays weird behavior, causing Danielle to rethink her recent decisions.
Brittany has finally built up her relationship with her father again and is excited to show off Ethan at her family reunion, but as problems in their relationship come to light, the weekend might fizzle out along with her relationship. Meanwhile, Moon is tired of being the only person in her family acknowledging the fact that their family is crumbling and realizes every issue stems from Jamie. And Peyton loses hope in her family when she turns 18, but they seem to be worrying about everything else but.
As homecoming approaches, Angel learns that Sophie is bringing her old friend Felicity as her date and immediately suspects something fishy is going on. Meanwhile, Tripp feels very left out when he's the only member of his friend group without a homecoming date, so Micah decides to play matchmaker. And Eliza wants to take Dex to homecoming as her date, but worries about telling Scott and wonders if Dex even has feelings for her anymore.
Homecoming is here, and the secrets start to spill left and right. Angel learns of Felicity's true plans and scrambles to keep her past hidden from her friends. Meanwhile, after learning a major secret about his date, Emily, Tripp wonders what that means about his sexuality and identity. And Eliza is ecstatic to be at her senior homecoming with Dex, but starts to realize his true feelings don't lie with her.
Things seem to be going well for Wendy and Jeff, but a looming concern might make Wendy go of the rails. Meanwhile, Caylee and Jeremy are both finding it hard to resist their former flames and make a pact to not fall back into bad habits. And with Eliza in the hospital, guilt starts to take over Dex over her assault, threatening his positive mental stasis.
After a video of her snorting cocaine was played in front of everyone at school, including Principal Hanson, Danielle finds her reign as school president about to be ripped away from her, but will this inspire her to change her life? Meanwhile, Scott is put into a very scary medical crisis after hearing some surprising news from Jake. And Keith sets out to help Moon break her long span of celibacy.
Ethan starts to become unhinged after more responsibilities are piled onto him, causing his friends to worry he might be becoming addicted to Adderall. Meanwhile, Micah starts to grow irritable and clingy after Candace reignites her friendship with Sophie, causing Candace to question their entire relationship. And Peyton finds herself in the middle of a vicious love triangle and is ready to play dirty after seeing how well it works for all of her friends.
Julia learns that Ashley filed a new custody agreement against Hunt and urges him to fight it, but soon learns the system might be working against him. Meanwhile, a tabloid magazine from her hometown writes an article about Lana being a washed-up has paralyzed has-been and along with Jake, sets out to prove them wrong. And Eric finds himself humbled by Scott's recent HIV scare and decides to stop escorting, but now finds his future unsure.
Things have been going really well for Tripp and Emily, but when she is outed as transgender and has to fight to use the right bathroom, will he stand up for her? Meanwhile, Sophie leads the charge against Breean as school president, and bonds with Willow in the process. And Jamie celebrates her six month anniversary for sobriety and sets the plan into motion to get her old life back.
Scott is thrown a major curveball when his mother reaches out to him to deliver some upsetting news, and also asks to be a part of his life again. Is he willing to forgive her for everything he's been through? Meanwhile, Keith has been going on dates with Charlie and can feel himself falling for him, but feels guilty leaving Moon lonely. And Danielle finds herself circling the drain when she has a harder time stopping her cocaine use than she thought.
When Donald Trump comes to Tampa, Clearwater goes into political chaos. Alicia plans a anti-Trump protest, but might have an ulterior motive. Meanwhile, Caylee struggles for control over her restaurant with Cassidy while also toying with her feelings for Liam. And Matt finds himself in hot water when he doesn't stand up for Sabrina.
Dex starts to think his mood stabilizers are to fault for his recent desire to hide away, and makes the risky decision to throw them away. Meanwhile, Angel and Eric continue to grow closer and she starts to wonder if she's developing feelings for her long-time friend. And Sophie has to decide if she can handle having a secret relationship when things will Willow escalate.
It's Thanksgiving in Clearwater, and with Liam's dinner party, there are bound to be familiar faces, love in the air, and drama galore. Peyton wonders if she truly belongs with the Hooper's anymore. Meanwhile, as Jamie is reunited with old friends, it makes her nostalgic about her days with Jeremy. Even though so much has happened between them, should they give it another shot? And Candace pushes for Wendy to tell her parents about her pregnancy.
Eliza is thrown into a whirlwind situation when Olivia shockingly returns to Clearwater looking for a major favor. How much is she willing to do for her former friend she thought was dead? Meanwhile, Moon starts using medical marijuana after her endometriosis returns and starts to feel hopeless for her future. And Tripp and Emily deal with the sexual nature of their relationship.
As the Christmas season approaches, spirits are high and changes are about to come. After going to a drag show together, Charlie sees Keith might be hiding some secrets. Meanwhile, Angel is willing to do whatever she can to keep Eric from taking Peyton to the Christmas Ball. And following their emotional night together, Scott has been spending more time with Dex, causing suspicion in Jake.
Keith has a decision to make when his secret life and real life finally meet. Will he show people who he really is? Meanwhile, Angel causes chaos at the Christmas Ball, driving her friends away once again and possibly causing more damage than she's able to handle. And Scott receives big news in the midst of his love triangle drama that might give him an entirely new outlook.
