Parents' Guide to

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Glossy, soapy, sexy revamp will thrill fans of original.

TV Freeform Drama 2019
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Zreea
Zreea Adult
April 10, 2019
age 14+

Murder and over the top thrills

Excellent pacing with fun moments of over the top thrills and tension/drama. Expect a bit of dark humour and characters with depth and internal turmoil. High budget cinematography and sound track, good acting, and an intriguing plot-line. Far better than many tv shows/mysteries on air. I fell behind for a couple of weeks and found myself binging to catch up... I have no doubt that if the entire season was out I would spend a couple of days eating popcorn and watching this show. Then probably going back to catch the things I missed the first time. I am currently counting down the hours until the next episode... I know what I will be doing tonight. :-)
Mimi143
Mimi143 Adult
April 4, 2019
age 7+

Terrible

Pretty Little Liars is my top 5 shows of all time I have watch it countless amount of times I’m extremely disappointed that they turned it into this they should have left it alone where it was I couldn’t even get by the 1st episode without falling asleep or getting up to do something bc I was so bored I thought I try the 2nd episode but it was another waste of time if u like boring pointless and trying to be relevant again crappy shows then this is for u I’m done with it tho - ur terrible for ruining the original series by putting this load of pointless crap cancel the show do us all a favor!
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What's the Story?

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: THE PERFECTIONISTS moves the Pretty Little Liars action from Rosewood, PA, to Beacon Heights, an idyllic and well-heeled college town with a perfect surface that hides (of course!) dark secrets. Fresh from a failed relationship, Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) is new in town, starting as a TA at the upscale Beacon Heights University. She's shocked to find out that Mona (Janel Parrish), the main villain of the original Pretty Little Liars, has extricated herself from certain ... complications, and is behind Alison's new position. But that little wrinkle is nothing compared to mysteries Alison finds at school, where Ava (Sofia Carson), Caitlin (Sydney Park), and Dylan (Eli Park) all revolve around the malevolent-seeming rich boy Nolan (Chris Mason), whose family has a strange connection with the university. When students start winding up dead, it'll take everything Alison has to solve the mystery -- without getting sucked in herself.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (17 ):

This revamp ably recaptures the glossy suspense soap opera tone of the original, linking the action to what's gone before while introducing a raft of compelling new characters. As in the first series, closet skeletons abound in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists: secret romances, secret pasts, secret identities, secret plans. Plot developments generally occur when someone overhears something they shouldn't, or glimpses something mysterious out of a window. And there's no college get-together too casual for a skin-tight dress and a pair of five-inch heels.

But despite the lived-in genre conventions, there are smart storytellers spinning a web here. Whereas the mysteries of the first series mainly turned on the machinations of madly vengeful Mona, this follow-up sees your Mona and raises the stakes by revealing a strange surveillance system that's watching everyone and everything at Beacon University, manned by dark forces and intent on some dark business. Adding a Big Bad on top of the sordid things people do to each other on these types of teen soaps? Positively inspired. Guilty pleasure, here we come.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about bullying. What instances of bullying exist in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists? What different forms can bullying take? Is any one form more or less harmful than another? What role does technology play in bullying now?

  • Teens: Do you think this series paints an accurate portrait of college life? Are the characters' troubles relatable to you? Why or why not? What kinds of stereotypes does this show reinforce or challenge? How does what you see of college life on TV or in movies influence your own life? Parents: Talk to teens about the role models and messages in shows like this.

  • How do your relationships with your friends compare to those of the main characters? Are there things you'll discuss with your friends but not your parents? To whom would you turn if you were in a dangerous situation? How could the main characters have handled their situations differently?

TV Details

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