The revival of the Pretty Little Liars franchise brought with it a new approach with a different story, yet while Pretty Little Liars: Summer School seemingly laid the groundwork perfectly for another season, the sequel story is not forthcoming. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin premiered on Max in 2022, completely revamping the show by introducing new characters, a new setting, and a darker tone. As an unknown assailant by the name of “A“ targets a new group of liars, they uncover a tragedy from the town’s past 20 years ago linked to their mothers. The 2024 series Pretty Little Liars: Summer School continued this thrilling chapter in the saga.
Reboots are often risky in this new era of streaming television, but what made both seasons of Original Sin and Summer School stand out was their authenticity, boldness, and ability to live up to the original’s legacy as a new groundbreaking teen slasher show. The reboot introduces characters that are relatable, flawed, and likable, as well as characters that are not so likable while still feeling redeemable. As a result, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Summer School were worthy continuations of the original series. This makes Pretty Little Liars: Summer School‘s cancelation and uncertain future feel all the more frustrating.
PLL: Summer School’s Ending Was The Perfect Setup For Another Season
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School ends with the girls encountering two new threats, one by the name of “Bloody Rose“, and the new “A“, with a hidden personal agenda against one of the liars. The shocking conclusion clearly sets up another season after Archie Waters, the original “A“, returns and murders the liar’s therapist, Dr. Sullivan. This was not her first appearance in the Pretty Little Liars franchise, but her character’s exit is the perfect season 3 premise for the liars to solve another Millwood murder. Although Archie Waters has escaped, ready to stalk the liars once again, the ending also teases another threat.
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’s finale raises questions from another scene about whether the liars will encounter a group of villains, similar to the “A Team” from the original series. The finale teased five mysterious strangers wearing plastic, doll-like masks resembling the girls’ faces, implying Tabby’s vision for her new film or new villains ready to stir up trouble. All of these unresolved plot threads are tantalizing teases that audiences deserve to see resolved and provide a clear indication that a third Pretty Little Liars spinoff season could have continued the successful revamp trend.
The Spin-Off Not Only Referenced The Original, But Honored The Horror Genre
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Summer School introduced a new story with a bolder and darker approach, fitting into the slasher category. The Pretty Little Liars spin-off honors horror with homages and references to different iconic films, including many references and one-liners from film nerd Tabby. In Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, each liar is given a test from Bloody Rose, forced to prove their worth as a final girl, a popular trope in horror films. Imogen, Tabby, Faran, Noa, and Mouse earn their final girl titles through complicated tests, beating Bloody Rose at her own games.
This homage to horror helped elevate Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, turning it into something more than a rehash of the original series. While there were plenty of callbacks, such as Imogen and Tabby’s road trip to Rosewood, staying at The Radley, the cineliterate approach to storytelling represented a maturation of previous Pretty Little Liars stories. It would have been fascinating to see how this would have continued in a third season – raising the prospect that another spinoff could have made the show even stronger.
