Pretty Little Liars ‘Perfectionists’ spinoff surprises fans

After season seven of the TV show “Pretty Little Liars” ended, we were devastated. Our Tuesday nights, once dedicated to the show, felt empty and we missed the insane plot twists director I. Marlene King threw at us.

So when the same director announced a spinoff called “Perfectionists” with two of the original lead characters, Alison DiLaurentis, played by Sasha Pieterse, and Mona Vanderwaal, played by Janel Parrish, we were hesitant but still excited. Our main concern was that the franchise would get ruined by an average spinoff, but at the same time, we missed the characters and knew we had to watch the show to find out ourselves.

The spinoff aired on March 20 and was well received by fans, earning 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Unlike “Pretty Little Liars,” the show is set in a college called Beacon Heights University in Portland, Ore. The show starts off much darker than “Pretty Little Liars,” as more mature conflicts, like murder, arise in the first few episodes. As well as the lead characters being in college and older, as opposed to “Pretty Little Liars,” where the characters were all in high school.

Along with Alison and Mona, the main characters are Ava Jalali, played by Sofia Carson; Sydney Park, played by Caitlin Park; and Dylan Walker, played by Eli Brown. All are students at the university. The plot revolves around their friend’s murder, which they are getting framed for.

At first, we were surprised by “Perfectionists” because we had low expectations since most spinoffs prove to be significantly worse than the actual show. To our delight, the plot was interesting and kept us hooked.

When elements of “Pretty Little Liars” were mentioned, we reminisced about the show. “Perfectionists” was just as unrealistic as “Pretty Little Liars,” and we found ourselves making jokes about the plot and the characters’ actions just like we did with the original show. We missed the original characters, but the spinoff gave the audience closure since it mentioned how these characters ended up.

The show’s ratings have been positive thus far and their fan base is strong as the majority of people watching the show were fans of “Pretty Little Liars.” The original show went through seven seasons with fans continuously supporting the show. This likely means the spinoff will likely go through at least a few of their own seasons.

So if you’re missing Alison and Mona’s scheming, “Perfectionists” is the perfect show to watch.