Characters

Aria Montgomery
Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) moves back to Rosewood with her mother Ella, father Byron, and younger brother Mike after an extended absence in Europe following Allison's disappearance.

Aria begins a romance with a man who turns out to be her new English teacher, Ezra Fitz. She immediately receives a message from "A" taunting her about the secret romance. Aria and Ezra struggle with the forbidden nature of their relationship as Aria is tormented by keeping the secret of her father's past affair from her mother. As she decides what to do with the information, she finds that "A" has beaten her to it in a tell-all letter to Ella.

Hanna Marin
Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson) has taken Alison's place as the most popular girl at Rosewood in Alison's absence. Previously chubby, Hanna became slimmer after Alison's disappearance, and now shoplifts for attention from her absent father. Rejected by her boyfriend, a distraught Hanna crashes his car into a tree, later working at a burn clinic to pay off her debt. In the mid-season finale Hanna is hit by a car as she runs to tell the girls who "A" is.

Emily Fields
Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell) is a competitive swimmer. She befriends Maya St. Germain, the new resident of Alison's former home. Maya introduces Emily to marijuana, and the girls grow closer. A message from "A" reveals Emily to be curious about her sexuality, and hints that she had kissed Alison in the past or had been in a relationship with Alison. Emily's mother invites Maya to stay for a while, and she and Emily share a room and a bed. Emily's boyfriend becomes possessive and almost forces her to have sex with him, but she is saved by Toby. Emily breaks up with her boyfriend and kisses Maya in a photo booth at a party; someone steals the photograph and makes copies. Emily goes with Toby to Homecoming, much to the shock of her friends, who believe Toby is dangerous. Emily begins to feel the same way, but Toby brings her to the hospital after she is knocked out trying to flee from him. Emily eventually pursues a relationship with Maya after Toby runs away. During the mid-season 1 premiere she reveals to her father that she is gay.

Spencer Hastings
Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) lives with her family's expectations looming over her head.

Spencer's newly-engaged and condescending sister Melissa moves into the guest house which Spencer had been fixing up for herself. Spencer finds herself increasingly attracted to her sister's fiancé Wren, whom "A" warns Spencer not to kiss or "A" will tell. Spencer and Wren do kiss and are caught by Melissa, who insists that Wren move out. Spencer starts dating a worker at the country club to which her family belongs, and later hides from her friends the news that her mother has breast cancer.

Alison DiLaurentis
Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) was the former leader of Rosewood's premiere clique. Ruling the group with an iron fist, the vicious but charismatic Alison had gone missing during a slumber party; a year later, her disappearance was still unsolved. When Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily begin receiving threatening messages from "A" reminding them of their darkest secrets, they suspect that "A" is Alison, in whom they had all confided. But Alison's body is soon discovered buried in her former backyard. It is revealed that Alison may have had a relationship with Melissa's new husband Ian.

Acquaintances of Aria Montgomery
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Aria Montgomery, one of the protagonists of the series.

Ella Montgomery
Ella Montgomery (Holly Marie Combs) is Aria's stay-at-home mother. Ella unknowingly befriends Byron's former mistress, a student named Meredith. The relationship between Byron and Ella is strained after Ella reads a letter from "A" revealing Byron's affair.

Byron Montgomery
Byron Montgomery (Chad Lowe) is a history professor. Aria is aware that her father had cheated on Ella a year before; Byron regrets the affair, and Aria struggles with keeping the secret from her mother to protect her. Ella unknowingly befriends Byron's former mistress, a student named Meredith. The relationship between Byron and Ella is strained after Ella reads a letter from "A" revealing Byron's affair.

Mike Montgomery
Mike Montgomery (Cody Christian) is Aria's younger brother who has some anger issues. He doesn't want to admit that he knows about his father's affair and when his mother finds out, Mike completely goes into an anger spiral.

Ezra Fitz
Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) is the new English teacher in Rosewood who becomes romantically involved with Aria the day before she appears in his class. They try to resist their attraction, but fail. Their relationship is discovered by Noel Khan who writes 'I See You' on the windshield of Ezra's car and he is later blackmailed by Noel for a better grade in the class.

Noel Kahn
Noel Kahn (Brant Daugherty) plays the guitar and is one of Sean's friends and Aria's crush before Ezra. After Ezra leaves Aria, Noel steps in to comfort her. Hanna and Sean decide to go on a double date with Noel and Aria, where Noel tells her that he has feelings for her and that he will keep his options open. Finally, he asks Aria out on a date, and she accepts. When Hanna's memory is recollected after she is in an accident, she tells the girls that she believes Noel is the mysterious "A".

Meredith Sorenson
Meredith Sorenson (Amanda Schull) was the mistress of Byron Montgomery. Aria and Alison witnessed Meredith and Byron kissing passionatly in Byron's car. Byron and Meredith started living together after Byron and Ella decided to divorce.

Acquaintances of Hanna Marin
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Hanna Marin, one of the protagonists of the series.

Ashley Marin
Ashley Marin (Laura Leighton) is Hanna's workaholic mother, who is raising her daughter on her own. Abandoned by Hanna's father, Ashley recognizes Hanna's wild behavior as a cry for attention. Warning her daughter that any indiscretion in their small town can humiliate them, Ashley avoids Hanna being charged for shoplifting by sleeping with the arresting officer. Even though Hanna's father and she are no longer together, Ashley longs to get him back. When Ashley finds that she and Hanna are in debt she steals money from a client at the bank she works for telling Hanna that she is going to replace it by the end of the year; the money is later stolen by "A" at a party at Hanna's house thrown by Mona.

Tom Marin
Tom Marin (Roark Critchlow) is Hanna's father. Similar to Aria's situation, he is divorced from Hanna's mother.

Sean Ackard
Sean Ackard (Chuck Hittinger) was originally Hanna's crush before Alison disappeared, back when Hanna was still, "Hefty Hanna". They began dating sometime after her disappearance. Hanna's anger and embarrassment at Sean's refusal to have sex drives her to steal his car and ultimately crash it. Sean forgives Hanna and reveals that he is a member of the virginity club RLW, "Real Love Waits." Hanna and Sean get back together, but nothing is ever the same with them.

Lucas Gottesman
Lucas Gottesman (Brendan Robinson) is a social outcast who begins to form a friendship with Hanna, for whom he secretly had feelings for until they were revealed while he was visiting Hanna in the hospital after her accident. Lucas tells Hanna that it was him who destroyed one of the memorials dedicated to Ali as a result of anger of all the things Ali had done to him in junior high.

Mona Vanderwaal
Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish) is a former social outcast who longed to be accepted into Alison's group. In the year since Alison's disappearance, Mona has transformed herself into a popular social leader alongside Hanna. Mona is also afraid when Hanna suddenly acts strange, and insists that she stop before they both become unpopular again. Hanna will always still be friends with Mona, but now is best friends with Aria, Emily, and Spencer, who all went their separate ways after Alison's disappearance.

Darren Wilden
Darren Wilden (Bryce Johnson) is the detective investigating Ali's murder, who continually questions the girls and takes advantage of Hanna's mother.

Acquaintances of Spencer Hastings
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Spencer Hastings, one of the protagonists of the series.

Peter Hastings
Peter Hastings (Nolan North) is Spencer and Melissa's father who is all about winning, and being the best. The picture perfect life, with the not so picture perfect daughter.

Veronica Hastings
Veronica Hastings (Lesley Fera) is Spencer's and Melissa's mother.

Melissa Hastings
Melissa Hastings Thomas (Torrey DeVitto) is Spencer's older sister, who was engaged to Wren. Melissa is the family's "perfect child", and treats Spencer cruelly. When she catches Wren kissing Spencer, she demands he move out. When her previous boyfriend, Ian, returns, she is reluctant to see him, but they end up happily eloping in the winter premiere "Moments Later".

Ian Thomas
Ian Thomas (Ryan Merriman) is Melissa Hastings's former boyfriend, who had kissed Spencer. He elopes with Melissa in the mid-season 2 premiere. He also cheated on Melissa with Alison, when she was still alive.

Wren Kim
Wren Kim (Julian Morris) is engaged to Melissa until he develops feelings for Spencer. Melissa calls off the engagement and kicks Wren out when she catches him kissing Spencer. He then apologizes to Spencer for making a mess with her and Melissa, and tells Spencer that he wishes that he met her first.

Alex Santiago
Alex Santiago (Diego Boneta) is Spencer's new love interest, who works at her family's country club. Spencer asks Alex to homecoming but ignores him most of the night, and Alex leaves early after Melissa tells him that Spencer only invited him to anger their father.

Acquaintances of Emily Fields
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Emily Fields, one of the protagonists of the series.

Pam Fields
Pam Fields (Nia Peeples) is Emily's mother, who has a hard time accepting Maya and Emily's relationship.

Colonel Fields
Colonel Fields (Eric Steinberg) is Emily's father.

Toby Cavanaugh
Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen) is Jenna's stepbrother. Ali and Jenna had planned getting rid of Toby with a firework to the treehouse, but they were having sexual relations at the time, so it ended up blinding Jenna; he knows the girls were behind it, but took the blame when Ali threatened to reveal that he was having sexual relations with Jenna. He is interested in Emily and attempts to get closer to her, saving her from near-rape by her boyfriend Ben. When Toby transfers into Emily's chemistry class so he can be close to her, her friends come to think of him as a "creepy stalker." At the time of homecoming, Emily gets a text from her friends saying Toby was Ali's murderer. She runs away, injuring herself and Toby. Toby drives her to the hospital, leaving immediately afterwards. The police find his wrecked motorcycle.In the August 10, 2010 summer finale episode "Keep Your Friends Close", Toby is unfairly arrested for Alison's murder.

Ben Coogan
Ben Coogan (Steven Krueger) is Emily's boyfriend at the beginning of Season 1. She begins to avoid him as she develops feelings for Maya.

Maya St. Germain
Maya St. Germain (Bianca Lawson) is Emily's girlfriend. Her family moves into Alison's old house, and she and Emily bond. They soon begin to develop romantic feelings for each other. They kiss at a party, but Emily starts to push Maya away and connects with Toby Cavanaugh. After homecoming, Emily realizes that she wants to have a relationship with Maya, despite what others think.

Acquaintances of Alison DiLaurentis
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Alison DiLaurentis, one of the protagonists of the series.

Jason DiLaurentis
Jason DiLaurentis (Parker Bagley) is Alison's brother who is somewhat creepy, and keeps secrets.

Jenna Marshall
Jenna Marshall (Tammin Sursok) is the younger stepsister of Toby, Jenna lost her sight due to a prank played by Alison, intended for Toby. The girls suspect Jenna to be the mysterious "A." During season 1 she was revealed to have a sexual relationship with Toby prior to losing her sight. Toby is her step brother.