The Pretty Little Liars Big Gay Reboot Cancelled by Max

For the second time in my life, I am mourning the end of Pretty Little Liars. The 2022 spinoff, whose first season was called Original Sin and whose second season was called Summer School, has not been renewed by Max. I’m really sad about it, because the show was great; it was campy and spooky and FUN. And it was also very gay. Queer tech genius Mouse and her trans boyfriend were joined by Noa and her juvie-ex-turned-current-girlfriend Jen. The Liars had a whole Pride party. It was wonderful.

Original Sin/Summer School was a fun upgrade from the original. It was set in the same universe, but with a more diverse group of girls, and a more straightforward premise for their tormenters. In fact, both seasons had separate mysteries that were wrapped up by the end of the season, making them both self-contained little stories that were very satisfying on their own, while still being linked to each other. There were nods and callbacks to the original (e.g. one Liar was going to give her baby up for adoption to Ezra and Aria, but ultimately decided she got bad vibes from Ezra and adopted her out to a gay couple instead), and even a few cameos, like the old Liars’ therapist Dr. Sullivan, played by Annabeth Gish. While other PLL spinoffs have tried and failed to capture the spirit of the original, I felt like this one had really nailed it. It didn’t take itself too seriously, while still having stakes and real horror elements. It had references and motifs from classic horror movies, and was just an all-around good time.

I will not pretend to understand what goes into deciding whether a show will be renewed or not, because both seasons have a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. And as far as I could tell, most of the show used practical effects vs special effects, so it didn’t seem wildly expensive to shoot. And I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist and say that the show got canceled once it got gayer, but it’s not NOT true. The “Cancel Your Gays” trend has been going on for the past few years, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s what struck this show, too. I JUST wrote an obituary for Orphan Black: Echoes, and now this? I feel personally attacked.

Whatever the reason, I’ll miss these new Liars — their antics and their friendship. That’s what I loved most about this reboot: No matter what was going on, it was them vs the world. Any inter-group tension was quickly solved with clear communication; they weren’t blaming each other or lashing out. They were a tight-knit group of friends, bonded for life, and they were going to face the world together. I would have happily watched them through the end of their high school career, but alas, we’re just going to have to imagine they banded together and survived whatever was thrown at them next.

See you in a few years when A inevitably starts tormenting a new set of teens.

An A-Tag Of Our Own

+ Rosie O’Donnell is apparently friends with the Menéndez brothers? And she doesn’t approve of Ryan Murphy’s show about them

+ And I don’t approve of Ryan Murphy just in general but Michaela Jaé Rodriguez looked great at the premiere

+ When asked about whether she agreed that Agatha All Along is the gayest Marvel joint yet, Aubrey Plaza said “it better be” because that’s why she signed on; and based on the first two episodes, she’s quite right

+ Did you know Chappell Roan composed the score for a thriller short? Because I sure didn’t

+ The All Things Go festival, which will feature artists like Janelle Monáe, Chappell Roan, and Reneé Rapp, is embracing their nickname: “Gaychella”

+ Hong Kong’s first high-profile trans singer is being outspoken about his journey and hopes to inspire others

+ London is opening an LGBTQ+ movie theater named after Dorothy Arzner who was the first woman to direct a Hollywood “talkie” and also a lesbian

+ Raven-Symoné and Demi Lovato sat down for a chat about growing up as Disney kids for Demi’s upcoming documentary Child Star

+ Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor have two separate houses but do essentially live together, just back and forth between their two houses

+ Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan will be showing up on SNL this season

+ In documentary Unfightable, trans MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin fights for her right to, well, fight

+ Laverne Cox came through with a standout performance in the Netflix movie Uglies

+ And a bit of bonus news because I’m not actually sure any of these actors are queer in real life, but Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have all PLAYED queer and are dear to my queer heart so I wanted you to know they’re going to be in a thriller together

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