HBO Max will introduce viewers to a new era of Pretty Little Liars with Pretty Little Liars Original Sin.
With the premiere date fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at everything there is to know.
Scroll down, TV Fanatics.
The Cast
While Ravenswood and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists featured some of the original stars, Original Sin will be branching off to tell a very different story.
That means there will be no returning stars.
The main cast includes Chandler Kinney as Tabby Haworthe, a horror movie buff and aspiring filmmaker.
Maia Reficco plays Noa Olivar, a high-school track star who was in juvenile detention.
Bailee Madison is on board as Imogen Adams, a teen mom who is a “true survivor.”
Could this mean she had a brush with A in the past? Consider us intrigued.
Zaria plays Faran Bryant, a ballerina with the ambition to make it out of the town for good.
Malia Pyles is Minnie Honrada, a young woman who survived childhood trauma.
The rest of the cast includes Alex Aiono as Shawn, Mallory Bechtel as Karen, and Eric Johnson as Sheriff Beasley.
What’s it About?
The official logline explains the story better than we could, so here goes…
“Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart,” it reads.
“Now, in present day, a disparate group of teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin committed by their parents two decades ago…as well as their own.”
The series certainly seems like it will be more Ravenswood than Pretty Little Liars, and the move to the world of streaming should allow for a darker series.
PLL: The Perfectionists essentially tried to emulate the original series with a college setting, and while there were some great twists and turns, it didn’t differ enough from its predecessor to chart its own path.
That probably explains why that show got canceled after one season.
The logline alone gives us the hope that this new chapter will offer something different.
Is It Set in the Same Universe as Pretty Little Liars?
The good news is that Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will take place in a universe in which the events of Rosewood and the other shows are very much canon.
“In the dark, coming-of-age, 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,” a press release from HBO Max reads.
The term “reboot” has been thrown around a lot for Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, but it’s nice to know this will take place in the same universe.
It’s too soon for a full-fledged reboot, and maybe the original liars will be mentioned as these young women set off on a deadly battle against A.
Then again, maybe this iteration of A took inspiration from the events of Rosewood.
Who knows what the writers have in store for us?
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said the following in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
“We love the idea that Rosewood exists. We reference it. There are Easter eggs throughout the season.”
Don’t expect any original stars to have roles in the new series.
Will it Air on Freeform?
Nope. Warner Bros. Discovery owns the rights to Pretty Little Liars, and this new series will be exclusively airing on HBO Max.
It’s similar to what happened with Gossip Girl.
“Roberto and Lindsay are expanding the Pretty Little Liars universe with more murder, mysteries and scandal, and we can’t wait,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, said in a statement when the series got picked up.
There’s a Teaser Trailer!
HBO Max dropped an official trailer for Pretty Little Liars Original Sin in June, when it was announced that the series would premiere on July 28, 2022.
The clip is nostalgic because it includes the iconic theme song of the original series.
It is more like a game of Clue in that it is packed with little snippets to keep fans pondering what is happening as we wait for the premiere.
There’s a police report for Noa, a missing person report for Minnie, and photos of the other liars destroyed.
We see A, and the villain looks darker than before. A is to PLL what Ghost Face is to Scream, so it’s a good idea to bring this stalker back.
How Many Episodes a Week?
The best news for fans is that we won’t be getting just one episode a week.
Three new episodes will be available on premiere day, with two new episodes each on August 4 and 11 and the final three episodes debuting on August 18.
That means it isn’t long to wait for people who want to binge the entire thing, assuming you manage to avoid spoilers.
If past shows are any indication, this show will have a massive presence on social media, so plan accordingly.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.