Originally, the idea for Pretty Little Liars was described as “Desperate Housewives” for teens.
The series creator Marlene King based the concept from the popular series of novels authored by Sara Shepard.
The mystery teen drama seriespremiered on June 8, 2010 on ABC Family.
The kick off premiere became the network’s highest-rated series debut in history. After the initial order of 10 episodes, the network ordered additional 12 episodes from season one.
These episodes began airing on January 3, 2011. One week after, ABC Family renewed the series for a second season, which will premier on June 14, 2011.
The plot is set at Rosewood, a perfect and modest town. However, beneath the calmness lie so many secrets that have to be unraveled. The series follows the characters of Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Spencer Hastings (Trioan Bellisario), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson) and Emily Fienlds (Shay Mitchell). These four estranged friends is only about to loosen their darkest secrets. All is well until Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) who’s considered the Queen Bee of the group, disappeared in mystery. The clique falls apart until Alison’s body is found buried within the gates of her own home. The estranged group is suddenly brought back together as by fate or by circumstance. But their lives are never just as normal as it once was. Even before Alison’s funeral, the girls began to receive horrifying messages from “A”, saying and threatening things only Alison would ever know. “A” splurges secrets from the past and present to the people closest to the girls. The mysterious sender demands the girls to do silly things otherwise their most kept secrets are bound to be unleashed. Alas, these girls are wrapped with secrets that could potentially screw their lives.
Aria’s secret is her romance with the attractive Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding), who turns out to be her English teacher. The two struggle to keep their relationship as Aria tries to keep the forbidden affair of his father from her mother. Later, she finds out that “A” has confessed everything to Ella (Hollu Morie Combs), Aria’s mother. The revelation and discovery result to the breakdown of their family. Spencer’s secrets involve her relationship to a couple of guys that are linked to her sister. She kissed her sister Melissa’s (Torrey DeVitto) boyfriend, Ian (Ryan Merriman). Spencer also ended up hooking with her sister’s ex-fiancé, Wren (Julian Morris). Emily is a clandestine lesbian with an attraction for her friend, Maya (Bianca Lawson). A message from “A” hints her to be curious about her sexuality. Previously chubby Hannah is now slimmer and turns out to be the most popular girl at Rosewood after Alison’s disappearance, now a shoplifter.
Could or couldn’t “A” be Alison? “A” seems to know all the darkest secrets in town. The girls continue their quest to discover the real identity of the mysterious sender. The estrange friends are now back together again, but will they still be forever friends once the cats are out of the bags?