Set in the fictional Rosewood, Pennsylvania, the plot follows five best friends whose secrets are consistently threatened by the anonymous "A", who begins harassing them after the disappearance of their clique leader.

Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Sasha Pieterse, and Janel Parrish lead the ensemble cast, alongside Holly Marie Combs, Ian Harding, Bianca Lawson, Laura Leighton, Chad Lowe, Nia Peeples, Tyler Blackburn, and Andrea Parker.

It had the second-highest rating of any cable television series that aired that night but received a lukewarm reception from both critics and audiences.

[7] Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, Hanna Marin and Spencer Hastings are four former best friends who reunite one year after the disappearance of their clique leader, Alison DiLaurentis, and begin receiving threatening messages from a mysterious person who identifies themself as "A" and is aware of the mistakes, lies and secrets they have collected before and after their clique fell apart.

The Pretty Little Liars series of novels was first published in October 2006 and comprises 18 books, divided into four arcs and companion stories.

[13] The project was given to author Sara Shepard by book packaging company Alloy Entertainment following the conception of the idea of a "Desperate Housewives for teens".

Shepard was chosen due to her having grown up in a town similar to the fictional Rosewood, where the series take place, and her online presence.

[15][better source needed] A pilot for ABC Family was announced in June 2008,[14] with I. Marlene King serving as the series' developer and showrunner.

The fifth season was commissioned in March 2013, alongside the announcement of the spin-off series Ravenswood,[24] and consisted of 25 episodes, including a Christmas-themed one.

Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario and Ian Harding were respectively cast as Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings and Ezra Fitz in November.

In April, Chad Lowe replaced Denisof in the role of Byron,[45] while Holly Marie Combs joined the cast as Aria's mother, Ella.

[67][68] Pretty Little Liars premiered on June 8, 2010, in the United States, becoming ABC Family's highest-rated series debut on record across the network's target demographics.

[103] It was announced on June 10, 2014, that Pretty Little Liars was renewed for two seasons, making the show ABC Family's longest running original hit series.

[35] Pretty Little Liars was called one of the most spectacular new shows of summer 2010 thanks to heavy promotion by ABC Family, including "spicy promos and hot posters".

[107] The show's official Facebook and Twitter accounts also promoted special fan features, including a "Pretty Little Lie Detector".

[121] The New York Daily News gave the show a positive review, commenting that it "makes most popular vampire romances look anemic", while concluding, "Pretty Little Liars could go in several directions, including mundane teen clichés.

"[123] The New York Post gave the show three out of five stars, stating, "OK, so we've established that there is no socially redeeming value in this series and that your kids shouldn't watch it if they are too young and impressionable.

"[124] The Los Angeles Times wrote that the series is "one of those shows that manages to mildly, and perhaps unintentionally, spoof its genre while fully participating in it, and that's not a bad thing at all.

"[125] Entertainment Weekly had a less favorable review, giving the show a letter grade of "D−", saying, "Imagine the pitch for Liars: It's I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Gossip Girl, but like not so subtle."

that it feels like the only thing missing is a visit from the ghosts of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr."[126] The Hollywood Reporter compared the show to those on The CW and noted, "Sure, there's a lot here that sustains more eye-rolling than interested stares, but a little patience might be warranted.

The performances of the ensemble cast, particularly Bellisario, Benson, Hale, Mitchell, Parrish and Pieterse, received widespread critical acclaim.

It stars Nicole Gale Anderson, Tyler Blackburn, Steven Cabral, Brett Dier, Britne Oldford and Merritt Patterson.

The series also stars Sofia Carson, Sydney Park, Eli Brown, Hayley Erin, Graeme Thomas King and Kelly Rutherford.

[182] On September 2, 2020, it was announced that a new series is in development at Warner Bros., with Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa taking over as showrunner from I. Marlene King.

Although called the series a "reboot", but was later confirmed to be taking place within the existing universe of the franchise and will introduce new characters and storylines.

[185] In July 2021, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, and Bailee Madison were cast in lead roles, joined by Zaria and Malia Pyles the following month.

[186][187][188] Pretty Dirty Secrets is a web series, which taking place between the events of the third-season episodes "The Lady Killer" and "This Is a Dark Ride".

Titled Tatlı Küçük Yalancılar (Sweet Little Liars), it was produced by Warner Bros International Television Production.

Serving as an adaption of the original series of the same name, it stars Yuki Kato, Anya Geraldine, Eyka Farhana/Caitlin Halderman, Valerie Thomas, and Shindy Huang as college students whose clique once falls apart after their leader goes mysteriously missing the night of their high school graduation in the fictional town of Amerta, Bali.