Hulu’s “Gossip Girl Meets Twin Peaks” Mystery Franchise Was So Good, It Got 4 Shows

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A teen TV series that successfully combined the mysterious vibe of Twin Peaks with the social drama of Gossip Girl created four spin-offs, but surprisingly hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves, even years later. It’s tough to make good teen shows – not just because the actors quickly outgrow their characters. Shows like My So-Called Life, Freaks and Geeks, and the Netflix series Everything Sucks – all well-regarded – demonstrate that even critically acclaimed teen dramas often struggle to connect with a large audience.

While some teen shows, like the martial arts drama Cobra Kai, become hits, many others don’t make it past their first season. Even shows that last for several seasons, such as Euphoria and Riverdale, aren’t necessarily true teen dramas. They often receive negative reviews and shift away from stories that appeal to teenage audiences, making it questionable whether they truly fit the genre by the end of their run.

It’s rare for a show to appeal to teens and also receive praise from critics for many seasons, as seen with the popular ‘90s series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That’s why it’s surprising that Pretty Little Liars, a huge teen franchise from the 2010s, has largely been forgotten so soon after ending in 2017. The show ran for seven seasons and 160 episodes, and even launched three spin-off series, but it doesn’t seem to get the recognition it deserves.

Pretty Little Liars Lasted 160 Episodes And Spawned 3 Spinoffs

The TV show Pretty Little Liars, inspired by the novels of Sara Shepard (author of The Lying Game), centers on four former friends who share a troubling secret. Aria Montgomery (played by Lucy Hale), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), and Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) are brought back together when their friend – and sometimes tormentor – Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) mysteriously vanishes.

After Alison vanished, her once-close group of friends divided into separate social circles. A year later, they’re forced back together when they start receiving threatening messages from someone calling themselves ‘A.’ This mysterious figure knows their secrets and demands they follow orders. The series combines the suspense of a small-town murder mystery, like Twin Peaks, with the high school drama of Gossip Girl, but ‘A’ is a far more dangerous version of the Gossip Girl character.

Given its captivating storyline and talented actors, it’s no wonder Pretty Little Liars became so popular. But the extent of its success is still remarkable. While other shows had attempted to blend a mystery element—similar to Agatha Christie—with the typical teen drama of romance and friendship issues, Pretty Little Liars stood out. It was so successful that it led to a spin-off series, Ravenwood, while still on the air, and another, The Perfectionists, two years after the original show ended.

As a huge fan, I was so excited when Pretty Little Liars came back in 2022 as Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin – and it wasn’t afraid to get dark and scary! It was a totally different vibe from the original, but it kept the same story going, and people loved it enough for a second season, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, in 2023. Sadly, that one didn’t last, but looking back, I think Pretty Little Liars doesn’t get nearly enough credit for how important it was. It really kicked off this whole trend of twisty, suspenseful teen dramas that we still see today, and it was amazing to watch it all unfold.

Pretty Little Liars Started One Of The Most Popular TV Trends In Decades

Before Pretty Little Liars, it wasn’t common to see teen mystery shows brought to life on television. Veronica Mars was a well-regarded show that cleverly combined detective stories with teen drama, but it only gained a dedicated, smaller fanbase. Pretty Little Liars, however, became a huge mainstream hit, and that quickly caught the attention of television producers.

Shows like Riverdale, Cruel Summer, One of Us Is Lying, 13 Reasons Why, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, The Society, Elite, We Were Liars, Bet, Goosebumps, and the upcoming Scooby-Doo: Origins all took inspiration from the live-action young adult mystery format of Pretty Little Liars. These shows put their own unique twists on the concept, with some being more realistic and others leaning into over-the-top drama. Eventually, many of them added elements of horror and fantasy to their storylines.

Despite its initial success, the formula that made Pretty Little Liars popular—combining quick-moving teen romance with a complex mystery—eventually led to its downfall. The original series ended in 2017, at a time when shows like Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why were gaining popularity, and fans were unhappy with how the central mystery was resolved. While Pretty Little Liars did return to television soon after, this didn’t ultimately help the franchise.

The Pretty Little Liars Franchise Was Rebooted Too Soon

Premiering in 2022, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin arrived just five years after the first series ended, but it received a mixed reaction. Compared to the original, it was significantly darker, more violent, and leaned heavily into the horror genre, which confused many longtime fans. Because none of the original actors returned, there wasn’t much interest in this new take on the show, which aired on HBOMax.

The new Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin was darker and more similar to horror movies like Fear Street and the Slasher series than the original Pretty Little Liars show. Because of this change in style, even though the reboot lasted for two seasons, it didn’t fully appeal to fans who enjoyed the original teen mystery series.

The lukewarm response to the recent spinoff and finale means it will likely be a long time before anyone attempts to bring Pretty Little Liars back to television. Despite being a hugely popular and impactful teen drama for the past twenty years, the show ended not with a grand finale, but with a quiet cancellation and a disappointing conclusion.

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2026-06-01 21:29