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 will premiere on May 9th, 2024, with a special two-episode debut. Episodes will air weekly through June 20th.
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.[3]
- Chandler Kinney as Tabby Hayworth, an aspiring director and horror movie buff. Like the other Little Liars, Tabby’s hiding a secret.[4]
- 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.[5]
- 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'.[5]
- 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.[4]
- Mallory Bechtel[6] as:
- Karen Beasley, Millwood High’s reigning queen of mean and an antagonist to the Little Liars.[6] (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.[7]
- Elena Goode as Marjorie Olivar, Noa's mom who works as a nurse at Millwood General.[7]
- Eric Johnson[6] as Sheriff Beasley, the domineering patriarch of the Beasley family.[6] (Season 1)
- Alex Aiono as Shawn Noble, Noa’s supportive boyfriend and one of the most popular jocks at Millwood High.[6]
- Lea Salonga as Elodie Honrada, Mouse's mom who also has secrets to protect.[7]
- Jordan Gonzalez as Ash Romero, He is a handsome transgender student who takes a romantic interest in Mouse. (Season 2)
- 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)
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.[4] Later, on July 27, Bailee Madison was cast in a leading role, opposite Kinney and Reficco.[3] On August 18, 2021, Zaria and Malia Pyles were announced to have joined the cast in starring roles.[5]
On August 31, 2021, it was announced that Alex Aiono, Mallory Bechtel and Eric Johnson were cast as series regulars.[6] 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 will 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.
Music[]
The theme 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.
Broadcast[]
The series premiered all 10 of its episodes Thursdays on Max at 12AM PST/3AM EST. Beginning on July 28, 2022, the series debuted with a triple-episode. The following episodes were released every week, with episodes four and five having 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.
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.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10]
- This show is not a pure “reboot” of the original series, as it exists within the same universe and will begin 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.[11]
- 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 will not be 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.[12]. 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.[13]
- 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.
Promotional Videos[]
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References[]
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