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Considering what we've seen of Gossip Girl and Twilight, movies and TV shows inspired by popular young adult novels aren't always the most stimulating forms of entertainment. Thus, it's understandable if you assume that Pretty Little Liars, the hit ABC Family series adapted from Sara Shepard's famous book series on the same name (and starring Shay Mitchell, Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, and Troian Bellisario) is no different. We can boldly say, however, that you've been missing out on two seasons of highly addictive cable television.
Before you scoff and rewatch the last few seasons of Breaking Bad, just answer a few simple questions. Do you like watching car chases and the scaling of tall buildings? Do you like murder mysteries? Do you have a libido? If you responded "Yes!" to one or all of the above, then you should give PLL, as it's called by its fans, as least one episode's worth of your time.
But if your positive responses weren't enough to convince you to check out tonight's highly anticipated season three premiere, here are ten more reasons why you should unashamedly jump on the PLL bandwagon. We'll keep some seats open for you.
Written by Tara Aquino (@t_akino)
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10. Because every episode is suspenseful and creepy.
At first glance, the series can be confused with a PSA about cyber bullying. But when one of the girls actually dies (with more being buried with her) and the others are getting death threats via text messages, you realize the show isn’t exactly an afternoon special.
Between the tech-savvy sociopaths, the eerily prophetic children, the eyeless dolls and the creepy old ladies, Pretty Little Liars is essentially a series of campfire stories with an elusive murder mystery as the core narrative thread.
9. Because Emily Fields scores more girls than you.
Shay Mitchell, who plays Emily Playing-the-Fields (OK, they don’t call her that), even admits in our "Hot Complex" interview that her character has “a revolving door of girls.” Although she doesn’t land garden-variety girlfriends—Maya (Bianca Lawson) made her smoke weed, Paige (Lindsay Shaw) tried to drown her, and Samara (Claire Holt) stole her from Paige—Emily can still be a reference point for dudes having trouble charming hot chicks.
8. Because the show doesn't skimp on its sexual situation.
Just because the show is on ABC Family doesn’t mean the characters are as foreign to making out as the bumpkins on The Virgin Diaries. All four of the girls have had their fair share of secret hook-ups: one girl housed her boyfriend in her basement, another girl inadvertently stole her sister’s fiance, another girl got busy at a bar with her would-be teacher and the last girl used the “sleepover” excuse to cuddle with her girlfriend. Pretty Little Liars is basically a premium cable show with clothes on.
7. Because the show references classic thrillers.
The show's producers know that it's not the first to introduce the horror-thriller genre. Thus, rather than pretentiously attempting to distinguish itself as a groundbreaking thriller, Pretty Little Liars recalls all of the conventions that get genre fans giddy and throws them refreshing and familiar tidbits from the spooky films they love. In the past two seasons, the show has aired scenes inspired by The Shining, Psycho, and Black Swan.
6. Because Spencer Hastings is a female Sherlock Holmes.
A knack for solving mysteries—check. Bossy tendencies and borderline OCD—check. An impeccable hat collection—check. Spencer Hastings, played by 26-year-old Troian Bellisario, is the foursome’s unfaltering lead pseudo-detective whom they trust to piece together the clues and dole out witty one-liners.
In fact, her rather adult humor, a cross between Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Veep and Sarah Silverman without the poop jokes, keeps the show from being so serious that the series itself becomes laughable.
5. Because you can keep up on the latest teen fashions.
Nowadays, most teen girls plan their daily outfits to appear years older; thus, it's alarmingly easy to confuse a 16-year-old at the mall for a 25-year-old department store employee. But, if you take heed of the Pretty Little Liars cast member's outfits, you can weed out the tweens from the 21-and-over crowd.
Here's what we learned to avoid: any girl dressed like the photo above, especially near a school, a movie theater and/or a shopping center.
4. Because Aria Montgomery is acceptably into older guys.
Aria Montgomery's storyline has the basic setup of a Lifetime movie: The teacher seduces his student, her disapproving parents find out and try to protect her, and, meanwhile, there’s a murderer on the loose in her small town.
However, Pretty Little Liars somehow managed to make the relationship between Aria, played by the (legal) 22-year-old Lucy Hale, and Mr. Fitz, her English teacher, not a cringe-worthy tale of improper student-teacher contact, but one of star-crossed love.
3. Because you can score points with your girlfriend.
You know how impressed you get when your girl knows that Metta World Peace is an actual person and offers to play Call of Duty with you? Well, consider liking the ABC Family series the female equivalent of that.
Just one reference to Vivian Darkbloom or another insidery PLL detail will erase those countless nights of fights about how you never pay attention to her and don’t care about what she likes. Plus, showing an avid interest in one of her favorite fictional characters has the same knee-weakening effect for her as you holding a kitten.
2. Because Hanna Marin has a criminal past.
Don’t let her pedicure, perfect make-up, and excessive eye-rolling mislead you; Hanna Marin (played by 22-year-old Ashley Benson) isn’t your typical rich girl. In fact, early in the series, her wealth was only a ruse supported by her penchant for five-finger discounts, a trait she picked up from her mom, who pocketed the savings of deceased old lady and erased Hanna’s smudged record by sleeping with the head detective.
1. Because it's fun trying to solve the mystery.
Sure, Pretty Little Liars sounds like it has a plot-line designed for a 12-year-old, but the show's most enjoyable element is the fact that nothing is as it appears to be. Parents could be criminal accomplices, dead bodies could get dug up outside seemingly perfect suburban homes, and friendly neighborhood cops are quite possibly bitter stalkers.
Imagine a contemporary, live-action game of Clue, with undeniably gorgeous suspects, that doesn’t quite let you win just when you think you have all the hints you need to unmask the murderer.
