6 Connections Between “Pretty Little Liars” And “PLL: Original Sin” You May Have Missed

When it comes to classic franchises that remain alive in the hearts of fans, "Pretty Little Liars" is undoubtedly near the top of the list. Its two spinoffs, 'Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists' and 'Ravenswood', were both canceled after one season, but this year HBO Max's latest reboot, 'Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin', promises thrills , chills and spills in its trailer ahead of its July 27 release. Five new liars – Imogen (Bailee Madison), Tabby (Chandler Kinney), Faran (Zaria), Noa (Maia Reficco) and Mouse (Malia Pyles) – are the targets of another anonymous criminal mastermind, apparently linked to each of their mothers who witnessed the suicide of their high school friend 22 years ago.

Even in the first three episodes, it's established that these characters have bigger life challenges than just surviving high school and tracking down a mysterious murderer. The show doesn't shy away from exploring teenage pregnancy, sexual harassment, drug use and lots of gore in a slasher-thriller world that Reficco described as "a complete reimagining of the existing universe" in his exclusive interview with POPSUGAR.

Co-executive producer Lindsay Calhoon Bring explained to TVLine how different the new iteration of "PLL" is from the original, in part thanks to it being aired on a streamer like HBO Max. “[It] widened the playing field and let things get more dangerous. It also gave us more freedom to push the violence, push the horror. In the same interview, co-executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said that although he and Bring are fans of "Pretty Little Liars", they wanted to "establish our town and our girls without being in the shadow of this original franchise. and iconic."

Viewers are quick to form complex theories about the fate of the new Liars, but even though 'PLL: Original Sin' is a major departure from 'Pretty Little Liars', there are still plenty of