Euphoria has already been named the most tweeted-about show of the 2020s with only one season of its two seasons actually airing within the decade. Their air date, Sunday, has even been dubbed “Euphoria Sundays” among fans and observers on social media. Stranger Things was practically trending all summer this past year. Riverdale and its bonkers twist and turns trend when every episode airs. The Bachelor franchise. Succession. Outer Banks. The list goes on. Well, now this not would be possible without Pretty Little Liars, the most social show not just of the 2010s, but ever to air on TV.
Pretty Little Liars was a thrilling mystery with unbelievable plot twists. It was delicious, intriguing and addictive. This show came on the cusp of the creation of social media. The cast was encouraged to create accounts on the platforms to interact with fans and promote the show, although they didn’t really know what that meant. During the early days of Twitter and Instagram, PLL was one of the first new shows (at the time) to be talked about heavily online. This kind of show also had the added benefit of being interactive, forcing its viewers to come up with theories and put the pieces together on their own hoping their theory would come to fruition. That idea, coupled with the creation of social media made PLL a force to be reckoned with on the TV landscape.
There was nothing like it at the time. It was probably one of the last TV shows that people had to watch live because of how prominent the themes of secrets and lies were in the show. This show was also highly spoilable, to the point where the Warner Brothers lot, where their soundstage was, would shut down stage tours when the show shot their finales. This show was so interactive with fans that entire marketing campaigns were designed around fan theories and Instagram accounts like The PLL Sherlock, created to dissect every detail about the show from movies referenced like Alison’s love for Breakfast At Tiffany’s to songs used like Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” (PLL clearly had an affinity for Hollywood, and who could blame them? Remember their film noir episode “Shadow Play”? Plus, what’s not to like about Golden Age glamour?).
Every commercial break ended with some revelation or plot twist, which made us all immediately go to Twitter during each commercial break and express our shock to fellow fans. #PrettyLittleLiars trended on Twitter like clockwork every Tuesday night, and sometimes for days after the episode, along with other PLL-related hashtags (it became nicknamed the #PLLArmy). Tuning into Twitter between episode acts was almost as thrilling as the show itself. And the show wasn’t just trending nationally, but also worldwide. When it was revealed that (SPOILER) Toby was on the A-Team, it was such a big plot twist that it trended for days after the episode came out. We found out during the “We Love You To Death” special that some fans literally missed school the next day because they were so heartbroken.
The PLL Army was so dedicated that when the show ended, it felt like fans had to go through the seven stages of grief, even if they could re-watch it. It broke records on Twitter before records were even set and before people even knew that was possible. It also made it easier for the cast and fans to connect. Fans made fan-edit videos and the cast watches them. Fans have watch parties where they make PLL-themed foods and decorations. It’s interactive in ways past TV shows haven’t been. The fans can tell the writers firsthand what they want, and if they can give it to them, they do. This was the first show to have an interaction that was big and impactful.
Now, it’s important to acknowledge that this show is about cyberbullying at its mostly psychologically disturbing and extreme, and yet that hasn’t stopped fans from being cruel to the cast and each other online, with the message often going right over their heads. However, the Liars show that with strength within yourself and for the people around you, what those bullies say are only words, they aren’t facts or the truth. They are ugly little lies.
Anyways, the point is that without PLL, Stan Twitter probably wouldn’t be as rapid as it is today. Shows become certifiable hits just because there is talk on social media, good or bad. Without conversations about PLL online during its first season, there probably wouldn’t have been a second, and that goes for many other shows since, probably making the TV landscape more competitive, and therefore more prestigious than ever before. Now, the debate on whether Stan Twitter is a good thing or a bad thing for Hollywood, creatives, fans and network executives is another article. Either way, this quick-paced response from fans on social media is all thanks to Pretty Little Liars.