I. Marlene King’s Liars was one of the most successful series among teens and young adults in the 2010s, mainly to bring to the table something that was targeting that demographic at the time: a mystery. Liars follows Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily, four friends whose lives are turned upside down when the fifth member of the group, Alison, disappears without a trace. To make matters worse, a year after her disappearance, the girls begin to receive mysterious messages from a figure called “A”, who threatens to reveal all their secrets. This series starring Troian Bellisario, Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse, and it lasted for seven seasons, ending with an unexpected twist in 2017.
Through Liars‘ popularity, two spin-offs of the series, Ravenswood and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, were produced. Unfortunately, neither had such a good reception as expected, so they were canceled after just one season. However, a fourth production seems to have arrived to change the fate of the franchise, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring, this series presents a new storyline with a brand new cast of characters, led by Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Zaria, Malia Pyles and Maia Refico. With its first season completed, and a second already confirmed, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has positioned itself as a hit, per Rotten tomatoes, similar to the original series. Here’s a look at the similarities and differences between both series.
Friends, but not so long
One of the striking similarities between the two series is that they feature five teenage friends. However, their friendships are very different. In Liars, Aria, Emily, Hanna, Spencer and Alison share a long-lasting friendship. Even though their relationships may have been a bit superficial and centered around Alison and her wishes, by the time “A” was introduced, all four of them already had their own histories together, which continued to solidify from then on. In Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin things are different: the main characters are just classmates. Their bond begins to develop after “A” appears, but it isn’t long before they become best friends. Another common thing between the shows is that “A”‘s intervention strengthens their bonds.
“A” is bloodier than ever
In the first series of 2010, several people assumed the identity of “A” over the seasons: first Mona Vanderwaal, then Charlotte DiLaurentis, and finally Alex Drake. And while they were all pretty cruel to the main characters, their threats were mostly harmless, only meant to scare them. It is also true that they performed dangerous and even illegal actions, but this was not so often in the show. Also, each of the people working as “A” had different intentions. However, the 2022 series shows us from the very first episode that “A” will do anything to avenge the death of Angela Waters. Over the episodes, the audience has witnessed his actions, which range from kidnappings to murdering minors. Moreover, this new version of “A” does not hide in the shadows, as was the case in the original series, but rather enjoys stalking the characters up close and chasing them with his terrifying and intimidating presence.
A punishment that crosses generations
While the main characters of Liars They may not have been bad, but they weren’t innocent either: under Alison’s direction, they did a lot of bad things that caused other people suffering. “A” knew this and so she punished them. Now in Original sin, the girls are innocent, but they are also punished with “A”. And there lies one of the biggest differences between the shows, something that makes Pretty Little Liars: Original SinThe perspective is even more intriguing: the main characters are punished for their mothers’ past actions. So Imogen, Tabby, Faran, Mouse and Noa must solve the mystery behind Angela Waters’ death and deal with the reality that their mothers were bullies at school to break free from “A”.
Revelations that don’t last too long
Mystery is a common element in both Pretty Little Liars series, although the producers deal with it in very different ways. The first series was known for extending the reveals as much as possible. In fact, it wasn’t until the end of the second season that they found out who the person behind “A” was. Unlike, Original sin decided to twist things around a bit and, at the end of the first season, revealed the real identity of “A”: Marshall Clanton, principal of Millwood High School. Of course, he didn’t do it alone: his son Archie, Angela Waters’ twin brother, was in charge of all the physical chores, hiding behind his terrifying mask. In addition to revealing who “A” was, the series also revealed the motives behind his actions and solved the mystery behind Angela Waters’ death. Now that this information is out, we’ll have to wait and see what mysteries the main characters have in store in the upcoming season.
A shared Pretty Little Liars universe
What made fans really happy is that both series are set in the same universe: Rosewood and Millwood, the cities in Liars and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, are very close to each other. And that’s not all: over the course of the spin-off’s first season, characters and locations from the first series have been mentioned. If the main characters’ visit to Eddie Lamb, the nurse at the well-known Radley Sanitarium now converted into the Radley Hotel wasn’t exciting enough, towards the end of the season Imogen revealed a piece of information that surprised fans: She had Aria and Ezra chosen as adoptive parents for her baby. In an interview, Hale discussed a possible comeback to the franchise.
Dive into horror and many movie references
This is perhaps one of the most noticeable differences between the shows, along with the rendering of “A”. While Liars had elements of the horror genre and got scary at times, it was mainly a suspenseful drama series. The new show, on the other hand, is a slasher drama that borrows elements from classic horror and productions such as screamor even contemporary series like scream queen, which constantly keep the audience on the edge of their seats. It contains all the elements a slasher should have, from jump scares to gory kills. At the same time, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin refers to many horror movies, especially through Tabby, the aspiring filmmaker who, in addition to praising those productions, is very critical of some aspects of them.