Summary
- Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists was canceled after one season, much to the disappointment of fans, despite generally good reviews.
- The cancellation could be attributed to Freeform's shift towards focusing on shows that targeted similar demographics but centered more on everyday people and their regular dramas.
- The spinoff didn't garner enough viewership, with ratings averaging under 300,000 views per episode, compared to the original Pretty Little Liars which reached nearly 2 million viewers per episode in its final season.
The show Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists lasted only one season, so what happened? When the original Pretty Little Liars ended after seven seasons, Freeform announced the spin-off, leaving PLL fans hopeful that The Perfectionists would help fill the void. However, Freeform abruptly canceled the series after just ten episodes, angering fans in the process and making many wonder what led to the cancellation when the reviews of The Perfectionists were generally good.
Followed by Pretty Little Liars: Ravenswood in 2014, The Perfectionists was the second PLL spinoff to last only one season. Pretty Little Liars showrunner I. Marlene King wrote The Perfectionists pilot episode and signed on as an executive producer. The show was planned as a stand-alone series based in the Pretty Little Liars universe. The spinoff starred Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis and Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwaal from the original Pretty Little Liars, along with several new characters. The Perfectionists centered on Alison and Mona after leaving Rosewood High behind to work at Beacon Heights University, where another murder mystery soon follows.
The Reason Why Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Was Canceled
There are a few possible explanations for why Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists was canceled despite the positive reception. In some ways, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists was even better than the original show. The original Pretty Little Liars served an integral role in transitioning ABC Family’s rebranding to Freeform. But ultimately, as the network evolved, Freeform started to focus its efforts on shows that targeted similar demographics as PLL, but ones that centered more on everyday people and the regular, day-to-day dramas of life.
When Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists ended up canceled in 2019, shows like The Bold Type and Grown-ish had become some Freeform staples for that demographic. This is one reason why the network may have chosen not to renew the spinoff for season 2: the thriller series simply didn't suit the brand at the time. If Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists had been more popular, the show still might have been saved. As it turned out, The Perfectionists simply didn’t garner enough of a following early on. This is most likely the main reason why Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists ended up canceled after the first season.
Comparing the numbers to PPL viewership, it’s easy to see that the following just wasn’t there: According to stats via The Hollywood Reporter, viewership ratings for Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists averaged under 300,000 views the night it aired. In comparison, the final season of Pretty Little Liars reached nearly 2 million viewers per episode — and that was after viewership had dropped off from higher ratings during earlier seasons.
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Had Positive Reviews
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists garnered good reviews, and given the original Pretty Little Liars fan base, many assumed that the show would be renewed for a second season. After all, The Perfectionists had the benefit of a lived-in world and relied on the mystery setup of its parent show to lure viewers back in. Instead, Freeform canceled the spin-off after only a ten-episode first season; it was very short-lived despite the expectation of The Perfectionists going longer than it did. The abrupt ending shocked viewers, prompting outrage among fans who were left with a lot of questions about what happened to original characters Ali and Mona.
Despite the good reviews, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists might have never stood a chance thanks to comparisons to the original series. It might seem unfair to compare the two shows because Pretty Little Liars had the benefit of growing its audience over time. There's also the fact that live viewership had been steadily declining over the last several years and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists would arguably never draw in the same viewership numbers as its predecessor did. Some fans may have been burned out from watching Pretty Little Liars as well; depending on how they felt about the series finale,
Pretty Little Liars Continues On Through Another Spinoff
However, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin gave fans a reason to celebrate. Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa signed on to lead the reboot with a whole new cast of characters in a brand-new setting: the town of Millwood. While it won't give closure to Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists fans, it did allow them to latch onto a new series in the same world. It also didn't have to worry about a regular TV network like Freeform to determine its survival. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin went straight to Max as an original series.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin stars Sharon Leal, Elena Goode, and Lea Salonga, all of whom play mothers to the series' main characters, and who all have secrets of their own from the past. While fans can't track viewership numbers as they did with Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, Original Sin drew in a new audience on streaming that could allow it to succeed in a way that The Perfectionists didn't. This all seemed to work as well. Like Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, the new show received great reviews. Unlike that show, Original Sin actually picked up a second-season renewal.
