Pretty Little Liars Sequel Will Return This Spring
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School returns to MAX this spring. Here is an exciting first look at what’s in store for the teen drama sequel.
Originally titled Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, the sequel to the popular 2010 teen mystery series centers around high schoolers in Millwood, Pennsylvania, terrorized by the mysterious “A” as they work to solve a crime and the roles their mothers play in the tragedy.
Now, the girls confront more terror in the aftermath of the first season. Taking place in the summer, the liars face challenges from a new villain, Bloody Rose, in the series’ second season.
The series stars Bailee Madison, Maia Reficco, Chandler Kinney, Malia Pyles, Zaria, and Mallory Bechtel. Ava Capri, Antonio Cipriano, and Noah Alexander Gerry will join the cast for the new installment.
To match the new environment, the creators changed the name of the sequel to Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. Co-creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa first announced the new title in a post on Instagram in October 2022.
Aguirre-Sacasa and fellow co-creator Lindsay Calhoon spoke to Cosmopolitan about what viewers can expect from the second installment. “It’s almost a direct pickup from the end of season 1,” Aguirre-Sacasa revealed. “We pick up Christmas morning with Imogen and Tabby unwrapping Christmas gifts with Tabby’s mom and getting a panicked phone call,” he explained.
Furthermore, Calhoon elaborated on the changes coming this season. “The scares are a bit bigger, and badder and bolder,” she remarked. The second installment of the series draws inspiration from famous horror sequels.
“One thing we’re having with is that this is a slasher sequel. So we reference part twos throughout. There’s a big set piece in episode five that’s really inspired by Friday the 13th Part 2. When we pick up right where the first season left off is Halloween II,” Aguirre-Sacasa expressed. “I’d also say Scream 2 is a fun one! Our phone calls are Scream 2,” Calhoon added.
Aguirre-Sacasa also noted, “Because most of our season is set during summer—besides taking inspiration from our favorite slashers—we wanted it to feel a little more apocalyptic, like something like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or even Midsommar.”
The summer introduces a new antagonist for the main characters. Calhoon and Aguirre-Sacasa discussed what role Bloody Rose plays in the thriller series. “We do have a new a new villain who possibly is connected to Archie Waters, as we’ll learn early on in episode 1,” Calhoon shared. “This horror villain is going to test every one of the girls and they’ll go on their own personal journey,” she continued. Aguirre-Sacasa commented on the choice to introduce a female villain, stating, “Our villain is a female figure of horror, which is something we really wanted to explore in our female-centered horror show.”
Other interesting additions to the series include a “horror church” and SpookySpaghetti.com, a spin-off of the horror story website Creepypasta. Calhoon elaborated, “Mouse is the most involved with SpookySpaghetti. She’s the most obsessed with reading lore about Archie Waters and becomes really ingrained in the site.”
Faran is likewise drawn into a new world in the upcoming season. Overcoming her trauma from ballet, she faces new challenges as a lifeguard. Aguirre-Sacasa described the choice, sharing, “We wanted to do something that was sort of the polar opposite of ballet… And what if one of our PLLs is the only female lifeguard amidst a sea of male lifeguards? How will they haze her? Will she have to prove herself? Will there be sparks between Farran and one of these lifeguards?”
As for the plotlines for the rest of the characters, Aguirre-Sacasa revealed, “One of the things we’re so excited about is introducing new characters and new love interests. It feels very summery to have summer flings and summer romances.”
Newcomer Capri’s character, Jen, shares a story arc with Noa, with viewers discovering the two have met in the past. Imogen takes up a summer job at an ice cream shop, where she meets love interest Johnny portrayed by Cipriano. Additionally, Gerry’s character Christian meets Tabby at the Orpheum and is described as “the charming, fun, sweet cinephile that so matches Tabby’s energy.”
Regarding Christian, Aguirre-Sacasa explained, “When we were developing a love interest for Tabby, we really wanted someone who had similar interests and could kind of go toe-to-toe with her on horror movie references and her love of making movies.”
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School will be released this spring. Until its release, viewers can watch the first season of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on MAX.
