Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is a spinoff of the Pretty Little Liars universe. Loosely based on the parent series, which in turn are based off the popular series of novels written by Sara Shepard, this marks the third spinoff after Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and Ravenswood. Production on the show began in August 2021 and ended in April 2022. The first three episodes premiered on Max on July 28, and the three-part season finale premiered on August 18, 2022.[1]
Created by Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa with Lindsay Calhoon Bring, a straight-to-series order was given on September 24th, 2020, at Max.[2] On September 7, 2022, the show was renewed for a second season and the tagline was rebranded to Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. The second season premiered on May 9th, 2024, with a special two-episode debut. Episodes aired weekly through June 20th.
On September 20, 2024, Teen Vogue reported that the series was cancelled after two seasons.[3] The cancelation was not due to low viewership or reception.[4]
Plot[]
"Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — finds themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago, as well as their own. In the dark, coming-of-rage, horror-tinged drama Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, we find ourselves miles away from Rosewood, but within the existing Pretty Little Liars universe — in a brand-new town, with a new generation of Little Liars."
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Bailee Madison as Imogen Adams, a true survivor. Imogen is a final girl. She will drive the mystery of uncovering “A” as she fights for her life and the lives of her friends.[5]
- Chandler Kinney as Tabby Haworthe, an aspiring director and horror movie buff. Like the other Little Liars, Tabby’s hiding a secret.[6]
- Zaria as Faran Bryant, a poised, disciplined ballerina with aspirations to make it out of Millwood. But ‘A’ isn’t the only villain in Faran’s life. In the world of ballet, it is death by a thousand micro-aggressions.[7]
- Malia Pyles as Mouse Honrada, the youngest of the Little Liars. Having survived a childhood trauma, Minnie spends most of her time in a virtual world, but she is more than capable of taking on the dark forces of Millwood — including ‘A'.[7]
- Maia Reficco as Noa Olivar, a striving, sardonic track star who’s working hard to get her life back to normal after a summer spent in juvenile detention.[6]
- Mallory Bechtel[8] as:
- Karen Beasley, Millwood High’s reigning queen of mean and an antagonist to the Little Liars.[8] (Season 1)
- Kelly Beasley, Karen's twin sister who tries everything in her power to keep peace.
- Sharon Leal as Sidney Haworthe, Tabby's mom who's hiding secrets of her own.[9]
- Alex Aiono as Shawn Noble, Noa’s supportive boyfriend and one of the most popular jocks at Millwood High.[8]
- Jordan Gonzalez as Ash Romero, He is a handsome transgender student who takes a romantic interest in Mouse. (Season 2, recurring Season 1)
- Elias Kacavas as Greg Mantzoukas, Karen's picture-perfect boyfriend by day. By night, they share a secretly tumultuous relationship echoing that of Karen’s own parents. (Season 2, recurring Season 1)
- Elena Goode as Marjorie Olivar, Noa's mom who works as a nurse at Millwood General.[9] (Season 1, recurring Season 2)
- Eric Johnson[8] as Sheriff Beasley, the domineering patriarch of the Beasley family.[8] (Season 1)
- Lea Salonga as Elodie Honrada, Mouse's mom who also has secrets to protect.[9] (Season 1, recurring Season 2)
Guest Starring[]
- Carly Pope and Ava DeMary as Davie Adams, Imogen’s mother, who was a bully in her high school years. Her past comes back to haunt her, leading to her suicide - and leaving her daughter behind to pick up the pieces.
- Jennifer Ferrin as Martha Beasley, the religious matriarch of the Beasley family, privately browbeaten by her husband, she does whatever she can to keep up appearances - until she grows tired of covering up the past and snaps.
- Zakiya Young and Kristian Mosley as Corey Bryant, an original sinner as well as Faran's mother, once her marriage to Zeke dissolved, Corey moved to Pittsburgh, working as a paralegal, though she tells everyone she's a lawyer.
- John Patrick Hayden as Sawyer Adams, Imogen’s estranged father and former partner of Davie.
- Kim Berrios Lin as Shirley Honrada, Elodie’s loving wife, the "fun mom" who is always there to lend a sympathetic ear to Mouse.
- Robert Stanton as Marshall Clanton, the principal of Millwood High School, and the father of Archie and Angela Waters. (Season 1)
- Gabriella Pizzolo as Angela Waters, the twin sister of Archie Waters, a lonely teen girl who was desperate to belong. She is bullied by her classmates, leading to the creation of the original sin, and ultimately, her death.
- Travis Patton as Archie Waters, the twin brother of Angela Waters, an outcast who was abused by his mother and hidden from the world. His sister was his best friend, and after her tragic death, he comes out of hiding to avenge his sister.
- Susan Barnes Walker, Jeanette Bonner and Abby Satty as Rose Waters, Angela and Archie’s unrelenting mother who lost her mind after losing her daughter.
- Ben Cook as Henry Nelson, an arrogant, yet deeply talented ballerino, Faran’s boyfriend.
- Carson Rowland as Chip Langsberry, Tabby’s former best friend and co-worker, who sexually assaulted her and Imogen, getting the latter pregnant before his murder.
- Benton Greene as Zeke Bryant, Faran’s adoring father who does his best to keep up with his daughters life.
- Lilla Crawford as Sandy Quinn, Millwood’s mean girl and Karen’s best friend.
- Kate Jennings Grant as Madame Giry, the dance teacher at Millwood High. A ballerina herself, she is exceedingly strict with her students, specifically Faran.
- Derek Klena as Wes, a handsome film school graduate and Tabby's boss at The Orpheum. He bonds with her over their love for film, but his intentions are anything but pure.
- Annabeth Gish and Nicole Fragala as Dr. Anne Sullivan, a therapist with a haunting past of her own. The girls are assigned as her patients after enduring extreme trauma at the hands of a masked serial killer. (Season 2)
- Charlie McElveen as Coach Rhodes, the handsome self-defense teacher and swim safety coach at Millwood High School who seems to favor Faran. (Season 2)
- Ava Capri as Jennifer Fox, an old friend of Noa’s from juvenile hall who resurfaces with her own drama. (Season 2)
- Noah Alexander Gerry as Christian Peele, a smart and charming New York City transplant with a penchant for horror and special effects. He gets a job at The Orpheum, becoming instantly drawn to Tabby. (Season 2)
- Antonio Cipriano as Johnny, a self-professed player who works alongside Imogen at Millwood’s Ice Creamery. (Season 2)
- Loretta Ables Sayre as Lola Honrada, Mouse’s beloved grandmother who is having trouble with her memory. (Season 2)
Production[]
Casting[]
On July 2, 2021, it was announced that Chandler Kinney and Maia Reficco were set to lead the new Pretty Little Liars television reboot. Their character descriptions and names were also released.[6] Later, on July 27, Bailee Madison was cast in a leading role, opposite Kinney and Reficco.[5] On August 18, 2021, Zaria and Malia Pyles were announced to have joined the cast in starring roles.[7]
On August 31, 2021, it was announced that Alex Aiono, Mallory Bechtel and Eric Johnson were cast as series regulars.[8] The next day, Carson Rowland, Jordan Gonzalez, Ben Cook, Elias Kacavas and Benton Greene were set to be recurring characters in the series. On September 27, it was revealed that the mom's to the main characters had been found and cast. Among those were: Lea Salonga, Sharon Leal and Elena Goode as series regulars and Carly Pope and Zakiya Young as recurring. They appear opposite stars Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Bailee Madison, Zaria, Malia Pyles, Alex Aiono, Mallory Bechtel and Eric Johnson.
On November 2, 2021, Derek Klena, Kate Jennings Grant, Robert Stanton, Jennifer Ferrin, Lilla Crawford, Brian Altemus, Cristala Carter, Anthony Ordonez and were announced to appear as recurring characters. On December 10, 2021, Ava DeMary, Kristen Maxwell and Gabriella Pizzolo were set as recurring cast of the reboot series, with two of those actresses playing teen versions of the new group of Little Liars’ parents.
Many of the recurring cast, and some of the main cast, from the first season did not reclaim their roles in the second season, which allowed for new cast members to enter the series. Annabeth Gish joined the series in a recurring role as Dr. Anne Sullivan, a role she held int the original Pretty Little Liars.[10] On March 6, 2024, Noah Alexander Gerry, Antonio Cipriano, Ava Capri, and Loretta Ables Sayre were cast in recurring roles.[11]
Music[]
The opening credit song chosen for PLL: Original Sin is a remixed version of Secret by The Pierces. The soundtrack for the series is a blend of classic 90s, early 2000s, and newly released songs from varying artists. The theme song was altered for the second seasons new "Summer School" vibe with a cover of Secret by Transviolet.
Promotion[]
Season 1[]
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin won a Bronze Honor in multi-platform presence and an Audience Honor in multi-platform presence at the 15th annual Shorty Awards for their promotional campaign by the Digital Media Management & Community.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin was heavily promoted by MAX (formerly HBO Max) using social media platforms. Part of this promotional campaign was bringing back the ability to text 'A'. launched the Community Mobile Number to 10,712 total subscribers where they shared 18 exclusive videos and more content. A new TikTok account was created to generate interest in the series. The Twitter premiere watch party accounted for 155K live viewers to the launch of TikTok bringing in 102.3K total followers and 1.2 million engagements.
On Community, they ended the campaign with over 10,500 subscribers. #PLLOriginalSin trended in the Entertainment Twitter and Drama TV categories making Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin the #3 most social series for two consecutive weeks, with a growth of nearly 43% across official PLL handles for a total of 28.4 million followers.[12] Engagement with Community was up 32.5% by the end with opt-out rates lower then 94%.[13]
In addition to social media, out of home promotional materials included several billboards, wallscapes, street furniture (i.e. park benches featuring a banner), transit (i.e. buses with the poster), kiosks, and digital billboards in New York and LA. This promotional run won Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Teaser Campaign a GOLD in the Graphis Poster Awards 2024[14] and a BRONZE in Clio Entertainment Awards 2022 for Best Horror Special Shoot Spot/Horror for the "Music Box Teaser".[15]
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin made a few brand partnerships prior to and around the premiere. This included a Sonix partnership for exclusive phone cases,[13] Lulus for clothing, tocaya modern Mexican, art of sucre, Milk Bar, Ardell, Boxy Charm, MoxieLash, sugarfina, Pizzanna, benefit, Poshmark, China Glaze (nail polish and press-ons), Glow Recpie, and Monet & Chandon. This earned a 37 million total social reach.[16] The media company behind Original Sin made deals with social media influencers such as Mike's Mic, a PLL commentator to create a YouTube video that recapped episodes 1-7. This landed him at #23 on YouTube's trending page with 521K+ impressions and 35K+ engagements.[13]
The most notable promotion of the series was the iconic Bloody Red Carpet, which featured the entire cast, members of the crew, press outlets, fans, and more. Mike's Mic was invited to to co-host a TikTok Live on HBO Max with the core five cast and led a Warner Brother Studio tour of original PLL sets. Dozens of fan accounts and pages were invited.[13] OG PLL star Lucy Hale hosted the event and major panel. The Bloody Red Carpet event brought 59.9 million social media impressions and 352.5 million press impressions.[16]
The pop culture and celebrity gossip site Deux Moi was also engaged for strategic content on social media. They also hosted an event sweepstakes at the Bloody Red Carpet event, which included an interview with the cast and attendees. Deux Moi alone shared 49 individual frames which earned 7.6M+ impressions and 17K+ engagements. The were tapped to do a pre-premiere gamification series, which included 21 total frames and an additional 4.1M+ impressions and 38K+ engagements.[13]
These efforts resulted in 142.1 million views, 6.2 million engagements, and 228.9 million impressions across all platforms. There was a follower increase of 1.2M for the core five five cast and 2.8M for all additional cast members.[13]
Broadcast[]
- See Also: Where to Watch
Season 1[]
Beginning on July 28, 2022, the series premiered every Thursday weekly on Max at 12AM PST/3AM EST. The first three episodes were released together followed by a weekly two-episode release until the three-episode finale on August 18, 2022. Episodes four and five aired the following week on August 4, 2022, and episodes six and seven having aired together on August 11, 2022. The season concluded with a three-episode finale on August 18, 2022, with the entire season being released in just under a month.
Season 2[]
The release schedule for the second season, aptly subtitled Pretty Little Liars: Summer School was slightly different then its freshman season. The two-episode premiere was released on May 9th, 2024, with the following seven episodes airing weekly through June 20th.
Critical Reception[]
Original Sin debuted with a 94% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which an average tomatometer, and an 81% average audience score. While some critics called the series predictable, contrived, and slower to catch attention than its predecessor, others praised the series for a refreshing take on horror. Additionally, critics seemed to agree that the series was inhalable, scary, and violent.[17]
Metacritic described the series by saying, "In the grand television tapestry of manipulative teen girls, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin isn’t revolutionary. But it is fun." The series had a score of 82 based on 5 critic reviews, though it received no user scores.[18]
The average IMDb rating for the series, after five episodes, was a 6.8/10 with over 1.7k ratings. It trended number 25 on the site.
Seasons[]
Awards and Nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | TV Scoop Awards | Favorite Reboot | Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin | Won |
Trivia[]
- Because of the nature of the series and its episode contents, a special hotline messaging system was set up for viewers to immediately contact a crisis hotline. Text 'Millwood' to 741741 for help.
- Development of the show was reported on September 3rd, 2020, by major news outlets prior to the series order later that month.[19]
- This show is not a pure “reboot” of the original series, as it exists within the same universe and begins a new story with new characters not taken from Sara Shepard's novels.
- Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Calhoon Bring made a statement regarding the series saying, “We’re such huge fans of what I. Marlene King and her iconic cast created, we knew that we had to treat the original series as #canon and do something different. So we’re leaning into the suspense and horror in this reboot, which hopefully will honor what the fans loved about the hit series while weaving in new, unexpected elements.”
- Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased the series using the hashtag, "#WhereIsAngelaWaters" while promoting the series, seemingly confirming the continuation of a missing person in the PLL universe. Other tags used were #kissandkill and #comingofRAGE.[20]
- Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max said, “Roberto and Lindsay are expanding the Pretty Little Liars universe with more murder, mysteries, and scandal, and we can’t wait."
- PLL showrunner I. Marlene King is not involved in the production, given she left Warner Bros. for 20th Century Fox in 2019. Due to her departure, she is not legally or contractually entitled to assume a role within the making of the series.
- King showed her support to original series executive producer Joseph Dougherty, who voiced his disapproval of the new show three years after the parent show ended.[21]. After the series order on September 25th, 2020, King tweeted her gratefulness to the fans of the original show for their continued support.
- After the release of the first teaser, King tweeted out her support for the show and the fans.[22]
- This is the second PLL spinoff or PLL-related television product to not be based directly off a Sara Shepard book, after 2014's Ravenswood.
- It marks the fourth show in the franchise, following the parent series, the aforementioned spinoff, and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Fifth too, if one were to count the web series Pretty Dirty Secrets as an official show.
- Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring sat down with Entertainment Weekly for a post-finale interview of the Season 2, where they said that their dream scenario would be for the show to have five seasons so that each of the PLLs would have one last episode in which they were the final girl.[23]
Promotional Videos[]
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References[]
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