Pretty Little Liars is a dramatic teen TV series that aired from 2010 through 2017. The series is set in a fictional town called Rosewood and follows a group of friends who become the target of an anonymous figure who seems to know all their deepest, darkest secrets. These friends have to try to find the identity of this person while keeping themselves and those close to them safe.
While the series was on and after it ended, the series spawned two different spin-off series: Ravenswood and The Perfectionists. Even though Pretty Little Liars lasted for seven seasons, neither of the spin-off shows lasted more than a single season. Could a Pretty Little Liars spin-off series ever be successful? Maybe, but in order to make that happen, the creators need to look back on the reasons that two spin-offs already failed.
To see 5 ways a Pretty Little Liars spin-off could work and 5 reasons two failed, keep reading!
Make It Work: Leave The Old Characters
One of the main things that tied Pretty Little Liars to each of its spin-offs is the fact that they brought back characters we already knew and loved. Caleb appeared in Ravenswood while Alison and Mona were brought to The Perfectionists.
Although that’s a good way to draw in visitors, the spin-off would be better if the old characters from Pretty Little Liars were left behind. Unless the series is going to be completely focused on that character, which neither of the spin-offs were, it just doesn’t make sense to cram a character from the old series into a spin-off.
They Failed: The Story Has Already Been Told
This is something that Pretty Little Liars fans definitely won’t want to consider, but it’s possible that The Perfectionists failed in part because the story of Pretty Little Liars has already been told. Although Ravenswood doesn’t really apply here because it was on at the same time as PLL, we have to be honest and admit that Alison and Mona’s life post-Rosewood just isn’t that interesting to a lot of people.
We already know what happened to these characters and how their story ended. We know who A.D. was, why they were tormenting the Liars, and why Alison had to go into hiding. What story is left to tell there?
Make It Work: Bring Back Past Mysteries
Instead of making the spin-off a brand new story that just relates back to PLL somehow, a fun and interesting way to bring fans back in and make a spin-off series work would be to bring back older mysteries from the show that haven’t been answered yet.
Remember that Halloween episode where Alison told a story about a pair of twins? And then one of them came to visit Ashley Marin on Halloween? The story was clearly just an Easter egg-style reference to Alison having a twin in the novel series, but bringing back an unsolved mystery from the series to create a spin-off that explains its ties to the show would be interesting. Seriously, we need to know why Ashley reacted so strangely to seeing that girl!
They Failed: It Was A Long Halloween Episode
Although bringing back a mystery like Alison’s Halloween episode might make for a good spin-off, it’s also possible to go way too far with that. Ravenswood premiered as part of one of Pretty Little Liars’ infamous Halloween specials and, to be honest, it felt like one.
Although the Halloween specials were fun and creepy, they don’t exactly make for a whole series. Ravenswood very much felt like it was just a drawn-out Pretty Little Liars Halloween special rather than a show of its own, which is one of the reasons that it failed.
Make It Work: Make It A Prequel
The Perfectionists showed that Pretty Little Liars fans are apparently not interested in Mona and Alison’s lives after the series ended. The series really brought the story to a close for basically all of the characters and their inclusion in The Perfectionists didn’t feel necessary.
If the creators really want to keep old characters for a spin-off series, the best way to do that would be to make a prequel series. Instead of showing us what happened to these characters after they left Rosewood behind, show us what happened to them before Alison disappeared.
They Failed: Bringing Up Old Drama
When it was announced that Alison and Mona would both be appearing in The Perfectionists, many people were intrigued. People were wondering how these two were going to handle being in the same spin-off series together! Would Mona be up to her old tricks or would they get along?
Once the series premiered and we saw what their relationship after leaving Rosewood was like, it was a little anticlimactic for many fans. Although it was nice for fans of Mona and Alison to see their favorite characters again, the way that they referenced their past drama felt totally unrelated to the series and out of place.
Make It Work: Keep It Familiar
Both Ravenswood and The Perfectionists were based in different cities than Pretty Little Liars. Ravenswood was set in a city by the same name and it was a pretty creepy city that the Liars traveled to a few times for different reasons throughout the show.
If the creators wanted to make a spin-off series work, setting it either in Rosewood, Ravenswood, or another city that we’re already familiar with from Pretty Little Liars would definitely be a good idea.
They Failed: The Connection Wasn’t There
Even though The Perfectionists was based on a novel series by the same name that was written by Sara Shepard, just like Pretty Little Liars, the connection between the two series just didn’t feel like it was really there.
The Perfectionists book series has the same mysterious vibes and young adult genre as Pretty Little Liars, but having a couple things in common doesn’t necessarily mean that the plotlines are really connected. Putting Alison and Mona in the series was really the only connection that made it a spin-off series.
Make It Work: A More Unique Mystery
When Pretty Little Liars started, the mystery of Alison’s disappearance and death was the main storyline. Alison had been missing for a year and her body was recently found, leading the Liars to try to figure out who killed her and what she had been up to in her free time prior to her disappearance.
The Perfectionists is set in another fictional town where, like Rosewood, everything seems totally perfect, but there are some dark secrets hidden under the surface. When a murder occurs, these secrets start to come to light. Sound familiar? If the Pretty Little Liars creators want a successful spin-off, we’re definitely going to need more than a murder mystery.
They Failed: Post-PLL Reveals
Mona and Alison may have been the only Pretty Little Liars characters to really appear in The Perfectionists, but they brought some Rosewood gossip with them. After the series began airing, many fans were excited to hear that there were some major post-PLL bombs dropped about some of their favorite characters, like what Ezria was up to and why Emily wasn’t in the show.
News about Emily and Alison’s relationship being rocky and some texts between Alison and Aria were nice, but The Perfectionists was supposed to be a spin-off series, not a sequel! Leave those characters in the past if they’re not involved with the spin-off.
Next: Pretty Little Liars: 10 Of The Worst Things “A” Ever Did
