Reboots can be hit or miss, especially as there have been so many. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin arriving at HBO Max only five years after Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars ended is not a very long time. However, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has made it work by ensuring that it does not feel like the same show being told again. Rather than opening on a mysterious disappearance, such as Pretty Little Liars did with the confusion surrounding Alison DiLaurentis, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin kicks things off with a far darker approach, already starting the show with a girl committing suicide at a party in 1999. Afterward, the series time-jumps to see the central five girls being on “A’s” hit list.
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Other than the main characters being targeted by “A,” many elements of the show have shown themselves to be different from the next chapter’s early episodes. Original Sin has taken on a horror approach, jumping into territory well-known in horror films. Making it separate from the original series gives itself the ability to grow and create a name for itself. These are not the same characters being played by different actresses. Nor is the same story being told. Instead, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin knows that while it can include easter eggs if it wants to, taking on its own path will only help the series as episodes continue.
Creating A Name For Itself
Warner Bros. Television
Even though Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars was an explosive success when it aired, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin does not make the mistake of trying to turn the new chapter into a duplicate. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin may take place in a small town in Pennsylvania, but the tone of the environment in Millwood feels far different from how Rosewood presents itself. The liars themselves also take on some much more different traits, interests, or circumstances. Imogen, Noa, Tabby, Faran, and Mouse are not carbon copies of Aria, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Alison. The new little liars are their own people with their own unique personalities and stories. “A” even comes across as a far different type of villain. While it took the Freeform drama some time to build from a creepy mystery to a far more disturbing series, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin understands its presence as a horror series out of the gate.
The series also takes the opportunity to make the mothers’ past essential to the story and how it affects what their daughters are going through in the present day. Taking the time to build new conflicts unlike those previously portrayed allows the show to stand on its own a little easier. The mothers can be just as exciting and withhold as many secrets as their daughters, rather than the parents being mostly oblivious to the struggles their daughters are going through.
Fewer Chances For Comparison
It is almost impossible for a reboot to exist and for fans or reviewers not to compare it to the original, especially when the audience can view both. However, by showing Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin plans to take the most basic storylines from the original, such as “A” stalking the girls, and leave the rest alone, it gives it a better shot of avoiding too many comparisons. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin even takes an enormous gamble, having one of its main characters, Imogen, pregnant when she is first introduced, creating another layer of stakes for her character.
Showing how the show intends to tell its own story and characters gives the audience more chances to separate the two shows. While fans of the original may search for easter eggs in the new chapter or try to figure out which tone of the story they prefer, Original Sin creates enough differences in its characters, setting, and storytelling that there are not as many opportunities to nitpick comparisons between the two shows.
A Different Tone Means New Opportunities
While Pretty Little Liars took on a more teen drama mixed with mystery and thriller tone, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin mixes teen drama with horror. Focusing on slasher horror gives “A” the ability to be violent in a different capacity. It allows the stakes to be raised in a separate way. The girls sense a more significant danger very early in the series, understanding that things in their lives are changing terrifyingly fast. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin can lean into classic horror movie tropes. Rather than going for subtle fear, the show can dive into significant threats and danger right from the start.
The change in tone and genre allows the show to put its characters through different emotions and journeys. There is an unlimited amount of ways Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin can use the horror genre to its advantage as the girls try to learn the truth about the past, dealing with “A,” and wondering who “A” really is. “A’s” motive can even stem from a more dangerous place than the motives portrayed in the other versions of “A” in the Freeform drama.
