Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists is an American crime thriller mystery drama television series created by I. Marlene King. The series is a sequel to "Pretty Little Liars" and was loosely based on the 2014 novel "The Perfectionists" by Sara Shepard. The show premiered on Freeform on March 20, 2019 and concluded on May 22, 2019. It is the second spin-off series of "Pretty Little Liars" and the third series in the "Pretty Little Liars" franchise. The series features a leading trio, headed by Sofia Carson as Ava Jalali, Sydney Park as Caitlin Park -Lewis, and Eli Brown as Dylan Walker. Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish also stars as series regular, reprising their roles from "Pretty Little Liars" as Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal. In September 2019, the series was canceled after one season. Plot. In a town of Beacon Heights, Washington, where everything seems perfect, from their top-tier college to their overachieving residents and the stress of needing to be perfect leads to the town's first murder. Production. Development. In November 2014, I. Marlene King was announced to adapt a screenplay for Sara Shepard's novel series "The Perfectionists", as the  television series. It was later reworked as a sequel of the television show "Pretty Little Liars". On September 25, 2017, Freeform ordered a pilot for the series titled "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists" and the second spin-off series following "Ravenswood". On May 14, 2018, the network picked up the series for a 10-episode season, set to air in 2019. I. Marlene King wrote and Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum directed the first two episodes, which are titled "Pilot" and "Sex, Lies and Alibis". On February 5, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on March 20, 2019. On  September 27, 2019, Freeform canceled the series after one season. Casting. On September 25, 2017, Freeform announced that Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish had been cast to reprise their roles from mother series "Pretty Little Liars" as Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal, respectively. On January 29, 2018, it was announced that Sofia Carson had been cast in the role of Ava, one of the series' protagonists. On March 9, 2018, "Deadline Hollywood" reported that Kelly Rutherford would be playing Claire Hotchkiss. It was also announced that Sydney Park as Caitlin Park-Lewis, Eli Brown as Dylan Walker, Noah Gray-Cabey  as Mason Gregory and Klea Scott as Dana Booker. "General Hospital" star Hayley Erin was cast in a "mysterious, unnamed role", which later proved to be Taylor Hotchkiss. Filming. On January 23, 2018, it was announced that the series would be filmed in Portland, Oregon. King confirmed on Twitter that filming would start in March 2018. Production started on February 27, 2018, with a table read for the pilot. Filming for the pilot started on March 12, 2018, and wrapped in the last week of the same month. Filming for the first season began on October 17, 2018 and wrapped  on January 23, 2019. Music. On May 19, 2018, Michael Suby was announced to compose the series, having previously scored both "Pretty Little Liars" and "Ravenswood". A version of The Pierces' song "Secret", from "Pretty Little Liars" was performed by Denmark + Winter, serving as the series' theme song. It was released by WaterTower Music on March 22, 2019. It is featured music from musical group Vitamin String Quartet for each of the series episodes including Coldplay's "Clocks" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and "Just Dance". Release. Marketing. A tie-in book edition was based on the series , features the both combined characters are set in the "Pretty Little Liars" universe. The book was written by Sara Shepard, and released by HarperCollins on May 28, 2019. Reception. Critical response. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.87/10. The site's consensus reads: "Visually intriguing and deliciously provocative, "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists" effectively pays homage to its soapy forebear".