The revival of thePretty Little Liarsfranchise brought with it a new approach with a different story, yet whilePretty Little Liars: Summer Schoolseemingly laid the groundwork perfectly for another season, the sequel story is not forthcoming.Pretty Little Liars: Original Sinpremiered on Max in 2022, completely revamping the show by introducing new characters, a new setting, and a darker tone. As anunknown 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 seriesPretty Little Liars: Summer Schoolcontinued this thrilling chapter in the saga.
Reboots are often risky in this new era of streaming television, but what made both seasons ofOriginal SinandSummer Schoolstand 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 SinandSummer Schoolwere worthy continuations of the original series. This makesPretty Little Liars: Summer School’s cancelation and uncertain futurefeel all the more frustrating.
PLL: Summer School’s Ending Was The Perfect Setup For Another Season
Pretty Little Liars: Summer Schoolends 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 thePretty Little Liarsfranchise, 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’sfinale raises questionsfrom 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 thirdPretty Little Liarsspinoff 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 SinandSummer Schoolintroduced a new story with a bolder and darker approach, fitting into the slasher category. ThePretty Little Liarsspin-off honors horror with homages and references to different iconic films, including many references and one-liners from film nerd Tabby. InPretty 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.
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Ending Explained
The Pretty Little Liars: Summer School finale unmasked Bloody Rose, but the truth behind her identity was more complicated than previously thought.
This homage to horror helped elevatePretty 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 previousPretty Little Liarsstories. 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.
