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Unflinching gore, casual nudity and even the occasional C-bomb? Yes, there are definitely moments in HBO Max‘s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin that would have made the old “A” drop their knife just to clutch their pearls.
While the original series “got away with a lot on Freeform,” this new iteration — which debuts its first three episodes on Thursday — essentially exists without restrictions, resulting in a “creatively freeing” environment for its cast and crew.
“I love it when teens talk how teens talk,” executive producer Lindsay Calhoon Bring tells TVLine, adding that making a show for a streaming service “expanded the playground and let things get more dangerous. It also let us have more freedom to push the violence, to push the horror.”
In other words, whereas an episode of the original series could have doubled as a spooky shampoo commercial (that show had some great hair), Original Sin isn’t afraid to get a little less, well, pretty.
Even the characters’ backstories are messier than ever. Sure, no one’s making out with their teacher in the bathroom of a bar, but these girls have already lived colorful lives. Just ask Imogen (Bailee Madison), the pregnant high school pariah, or Noa (Maia Reficco), fresh out of juvie with the ankle monitor to prove it.
But as much as Original Sin stands alone as its own naughtier entity, it’s also very much part of the original Pretty Little Liars universe. It’s even set in a quaint Pennsylvania town, not unlike (or even far from) Rosewood and Ravenswood.
“Lindsay and I, as writers and creators, are fans [of the franchise],” executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa says. “We’re fanboys and fangirls. We love this stuff. We love when characters [from other shows] pop in, we love the crossover episodes.” At least at the beginning, however, the team “did want to really establish our town and our girls without being in the shadow of that original, iconic franchise.”
So, when should we expect to start seeing callbacks and Easter eggs from the original show? According to Aguirre-Sacasa, “Once you hit Episode 6, the Easter eggs — and more than Easter eggs — start coming fast and furiously.” Even better, he teases that these apparently references continue “up to literally the last moment of the last episode.”
Adds Bring, “Knowing that the fanbase of the original Pretty Little Liars is so strong, we wanted to make sure we gave some fan service to them. But we’re also our own story and our own thing, so we hope that will be exciting for them.”
Are you hoping for legit crossovers between the OG PLL and Original Sin? Drop a comment with your thoughts on HBO Max’s new series below.
Since this show is more horror-based I’d love to see them revisit Ravenswood.
I’m alarmed that this series is even a thing. The original series itself was awful on every level. The acting, the writing, and the flimsy premise all made for a horrible viewing experience. This needs to go away.
I loved the original but your opinion might be why they wanted to do this new show.
You know you don’t have to watch it, right?
No, it wasn’t. If you don’t like PLL, why did you even read this article, anyway?
I just want to know if one of the make girls on the original will make an appearance. Maybe Lucy Hale since she boasted the premiere.
Virtually noone cared about Pretty Little Liars anymore by the time it was ending. Noone cared about Ravenswood. Even less about The Perfectionists. Rebooting this franchise is a terrible idea
You have no idea how many people still love this franchise. Original Sin will be a hit show.
PLL went out with a whimper and both spin-offs were cancelled immediately. I’ll check the show out just like i did with everything else in the franchise but i’m pretty sure it’s going to flop
The perfectionists I love the most of all and wanted more
Hi when will it be available in the uk
(My Opinion on the all new
Pretty Little Liars Series)
I hope Alison, Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hanna are in it and also there boyfriends and parents and I would like to see all of their original school classmates it would make it so good with a old and new feel to it because it is a really good series and also it would make the new version look even better.
The reason I said new and old feel to it is because I think if in some way the new cast of girls that all make friends instantly I think what would make it even better is if in some way they found an old box hidden in a garden of a house with the pictures of Alison, Aria, Spencer, Hanna, Emily and once they found that old box of pic’s the new cast of girls that became friends instantly if they ran into trouble that they could to try and get in touch with them after tracking them down of course.
But I am thinking ahead if something like the was to happen in the series that is currently out.
Cause I am only guessing I have no clue yet I have not seen the new one yet
Because I will say this something along the lines of this was done in the original cast of the group of girls the made friends instantly in Pretty Little Liars
And it is what makes it so good as a series on Netflix.
P. S.
And another thing the original was my favourite series to watch on Netflix.
(My Opinion of what I think would make the new Pretty Little Liars even better)
I also was hoping it would continue on from where it ended because it ended kinda strange and you would have no way of knowing if that was the end of the cyber blackmailing messages sent from A because all the girls said in last season of Pretty Little Liars that they were not sure if it was really over even though they did some pretty bad things in self defence.
And also the fact some of those kinda people were arrested in the series because of it.
But only for the purpose of filming the show itself.
And another thing in it was when they were arrested when the police found out what they did Because they killed people but really it was in self defence because they had no other choice after what had happened to them when they got kidnapped in it by people who were supposed to be friends with the most of the girls.
So really as a fan of the series I think it would be better with a mix of the old cast of girls and the new cast of girls.
Yours Sincerely,
Eve Mason.
Did the wardrobe department invade the near by thrift store for cast ensemble?
Love Original sin… I hope it gets picked for a second season cause I hated when the perfectionist wasn’t… What can I say, I’m a sucker for any and every PLL franchise. This story line is intriguing and I hope to see more. Kudos to the writers and producers