Top 10 Differences Between Pretty Little Liars & PLL: Original Sin

“Pretty Little Liars” was set in the affluent fictional town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania. It may have seemed like a lovely place to raise a family, but as we learned, the picturesque suburbs held many dark secrets. “Original Sin” takes place in Millwood, a more blue collar, working class community, which co-creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa described as a “rust belt town down on its luck.” But this new location still has plenty of its own secrets, and just like Rosewood, everyone is always in everyone’s business. Oh, and there tends to be multiple suspicious deaths in both towns.

With a new show comes a whole new generation of characters. First up is Imogen Adams, a pregnant teen living with her single mother. There’s also Tabitha “Tabby” Haworthe, Millwood’s biggest film buff who works at the local movie theater. Minnie Honrada, nicknamed Mouse, meanwhile, is the group’s quiet, tech-y member. Then we have Noa Olivar, an athlete who’s had a serious run in with the law and is now rocking an ankle monitor. And Faran Bryant is a ballerina held to the highest standard by her strict instructor. We’d also be remiss not to mention Karen Beasley, who's only a little less vicious than Alison DiLaurentis. Her twin sister Kelly shares some of her attitude, but seems to be the nicer of the two!

Unlike the OG Liars, this new set of characters didn’t start out as friends. In “PLL,” Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna, and Alison were all BFFs until Alison went missing and the remaining four went their separate ways. Aria went to Iceland with her family for some time, while the others just drifted apart. It’s A’s cryptic message at Alison’s funeral that brings them back together. In “Original Sin,” Imogen knows Tabby, and is staying with her and her mom after tragedy strikes. But the two get acquainted with Noa, Mouse, and Faran in detention, a la “The Breakfast Club.” They’ve all had their own encounters with Millwood High’s resident mean girl Karen and hatch a plan to get revenge.

“Pretty Little Liars” showrunner I. Marlene King also developed two short-lived spin-offs. First, it was “Ravenswood,” the supernatural drama starring Tyler Blackburn as Caleb Rivers and a new cast of characters. Two years after the “PLL” series finale, Freeform premiered “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists,” a new mystery set in Beacon Heights, Washington. Sasha Pieterse returned as Alison DiLaurentis, with Janel Parrish reprising her role as Mona Vanderwaal. Though King is an executive producer on “Original Sin”, the latest installment in the PLL Universe is in new hands. “Original Sin” was developed by “Riverdale” creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, along with Lindsay Calhoon Bring. Both worked on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

While “PLL” was a teen melodrama-mystery-thriller, the show certainly had its dark moments. The Halloween specials were some of the creepiest, and any episodes involving dolls — of which there were a lot — were definitely disturbing. Remember A’s underground dollhouse? And that’s saying nothing of all of the deaths throughout the series. But “Original Sin” is significantly darker, and dives head first into the horror genre. We’re talking full-on slasher. Just the teaser trailer gave us chills, and the first episode immediately sets the tone for the series, beginning with not one but two gruesome deaths. The series pays homage to genre classics like “Carrie,” and the horror-obsessed Tabby even references “Jawbreaker,” one of the darkest teen comedies ever.

“PLL” fans remember hearing “Secret” by The Pierces every week, the addictive theme song that plays over the opening credits. Well, “Original Sin” brought it back, but this time, it’s even more haunting. The perfectly creepy remix plays as we get a glimpse of the new A’s terrifying lair. Destroying film, slicing polaroids, shredding “missing” flyers — this villain seriously has it out for the girls. The voyeuristic nature is nothing new, but just seeing these credits lets us know that this A is way more violent than the ones we’ve known before.

Speaking of A, “Original Sin” decided to say goodbye to black hoodies and red coats for a more Michael Myers-Jason Voorhees vibe. This iteration of the tormentor has a more intimidating look. And unlike, A, Big A, or Uber A, they lurk around wanting the Liars to see them. It’s all very “Halloween”, with them standing somewhere, radiating serial killer energy, and then disappearing as soon as someone looks away. Gone are the days of a mysterious evil mastermind, usually dressed rather fashionably, while tormenting teenage girls. “Original Sin”’s A straight up stalks the girls and appears to them as a very real boogeyman. The showrunners said this series would spotlight “suspense and horror,” and they’ve certainly delivered.

The “PLL” parents had plenty of their own drama going on, what with all the affairs and secret children. But they were still pretty absent most of the time, whether they were on a business trip, caught up in a scandal, or drinking wine then getting trapped in a basement. “Original Sin,” however, makes the moms an integral part of the story. We see flashbacks to their teenage selves in 1999, on the fateful night that started it all. Imogen’s mom Davie is the first to receive an unwelcome reminder of the past and the tragic result kicks off the events for their offspring. The other Millwood moms continue to keep secrets from their daughters, making figuring out the A mystery all the more difficult.

The first mystery in “PLL” was the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis, the intimidating teenage girl who basically ran the town of Rosewood. Then a body was found and thought to be hers, but it wasn’t. So then who is this girl? And when it comes to A, the questions are who, what, when, why, and how? The mysteries never end. Ultimately, the overall reason for the hell these girls went through stemmed from their own actions, past and present. In “Original Sin,” it’s the moms at the center of the grisly mystery. Were they involved in the death of Angela Waters? A seems to know, and appears to be seeking vengeance by tormenting their daughters. Nobody’s life is safe.

“Pretty Little Liars” premiered June 8, 2010, on ABC Family, which later became Freeform. Cable shows have more limitations when it comes to language, violence, and anything too mature, especially for a show targeted at teens. But with HBO Max, the “Original Sin” creators face less restrictions and have more creative freedom. This allows them to explore darker themes and imagery, have the characters use more explicit language, and really get into horror elements. “Original Sin” isn’t exactly “Euphoria,” but it’s more, well, mature than Freeform ever allowed “PLL” to be. Streaming seasons are also usually shorter than on cable. The original “Pretty Little Liars” had 20-25 episodes per season. “Original Sin” has 10. But as they say, less is more.