Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and More

Warning: slight spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin season 1 ahead.

Get reAdy, because Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is officially coming back for season 2, officially titled Pretty Little Liars: Summer School — and Teen Vogue is excited to share some exclusive character posters of the PLL:SS cast.

If you watched season 1 of the Pretty Little Liars spinoff (and you should have) you're already familiar with our five final girls: Tabby, Noa, Imogen, Faran, and Mouse. But they've been through a lot since we last visited Millwood, Pennsylvania, and its time to release (some of) that trauma. Gone are the spooky fall vistas and winter coats of season 1, and in their place is pure summer energy. Think: swimming pools, bikinis, lemonade stands, sunshine, and oh, a new stalker threatening to ruin all the healing they've been attempting.

Dive into the exclusive character posters of the cast below, and afterward, get all the details for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.

The show's first season wrapped up in late summer 2022, and received critical acclaim for its horror visuals and tone, characterization, and casting. Horror outlet Bloody Disgusting even called Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin “one of the best horror TV shows of the past two decades.” On September 7, 2022, the show's momentum was built even higher as HBO Max announced that it would be renewing the drama series for a second season.

Co-creators and co-executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring shared a statement alongside the renewal announcement, expressing their excitement and gratitude for the fandom backing the show.

“We are beyond excited to continue telling stories with our amazing group of little liars — exploring their friendships, their romances, their secrets, and their status as scream queens supreme!” wrote Aguirre-Sacasa and Calhoon Bring. "Eternal thanks to the fans who have embraced this new horror version of Pretty Little Liars — which we’ll be continuing, of course… As Tabby would say, ‘There's a sequel in the offing!’”

“We are so proud of the incredible response both critically and from fans that Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has received," Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max, also wrote in a statement. "Viewers have embraced our new generation of Liars, and Roberto and Lindsay’s brilliantly dark, horror-fueled take on this iconic franchise. Along with Alloy and Warner Bros. Television, we are thrilled to continue the Pretty Little Liars legacy.”

Based on the YA novels written by Sara Shepard, the original mystery-thriller series Pretty Little Liars riveted audiences from 2010 to 2017 with its dark, twisty plot, and soapy drama, still ranking as the no. 1 series ever on Freeform, according to Deadline. Two spin-offs have been aired since the original series finale — 2013's supernatural Ravenswood and 2019's sequel series The Perfectionists —, but both shows lasted only one season. Now, Original Sin is the latest installment in the PLL Universe to expand.

→ New title, explained
→ Plot details
→ New and returning cast
→ New villain Bloody Rose
→ First-look photos
→ Release date
→ Trailers
→ Where to stream

On October 31, 2022, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa posted a vintage-themed horror poster to his Instagram account. In the poster, a blonde girl is seen sitting at a classroom desk with a cheerleader's megaphone stuffed in her mouth… aaand it seems like the girl is dead. Written on the chalkboard behind her is the Pretty Little Liars logo script with “Summer School” right below it in dripping blood.

“Happy Halloween! It may still be October, but it’s not too early to start thinking about summer vacation. Or in the case of Millwood High’s #prettylittleliars…#plloriginalsin #hbomax," wrote Aguirre-Sacasa with over a dozen cryptic emojis.

Are the emojis more hints to the upcoming season's new theme and title? Let's break it down: Aguirre-Sacasa posted the red letter A, a stack of books, fire, an axe, a soda cup, a cheeseburger, a knife, a bucket of popcorn, an explosion, a rose, the dancing woman, a clown, the twins, a high heel, a rainbow, a tornado, the slot machine, a pair of headphones, an ambulance, an hourglass, a barrel, and the skull emojis. Got anything from that?! What we got was summer fun and a whole lotta terror.

In the comments of his post, the Liars started dropping even more cryptic messages. Zaria raised suspicion about the illustrated blonde girl in the poster… who actually looks a lot like actress Mallory Bechtel. “Karen? Kelly???” commented Zaria. “Summer summer summer summer….” wrote Malia Pyles. “The kettle is whistling, the TEA is HOT,” Bailee Madison added with a fire emoji. “SUMMERRRRRRR,” commented Maia Reficco, soon echoed by Chandler Kinney. "SUMMERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!" We can't wait to learn more.

Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin took place in the sleepy blue-collar town of Millwood, and followed a group of teen girls tormented by an unknown Assailant for the past actions of their mothers, as well as their own sins.

By the end of PLL:OS's tenth episode, the biggest bombshells of the season were revealed: what really happened to Angela Waters, how the girls' parents were involved, and, of course, A's identity. However, that doesn't mean everything was tied up with a bow — there are still a few loose ends left strategically by the show's writers to open up future storylines and that finale cliffhanger.

A is on the loose once again after breaking out of the hospital, and with his father no longer pulling the strings, he could be erratic and will surely be back for blood. If you're a PLL fan, you know that there are always more secrets to uncover — and this could mean within the new generation of Little Liars, their parents, or within their universe. With A poised for a grand return in season 2, the girls' story could truly go anywhere.

Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told TVLine in August 2022 that he and fellow executive producer Lindsay Calhoon Bring already have “some preliminary ideas” for S2 as we head back to Millwood. “We certainly have a lot of places for these characters to go, new mysteries to tell, and hopefully new ways to scare people,” said Bring. “And we’d continue to pick up on themes of young womanhood that I think are so important.”

Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed season is “almost a direct pickup from the end of season 1." He continued: "We end sort of on Christmas Eve, with our amazing last tag kill which is A killing Chip and A on the loose. And then we pick up Christmas morning with Imogen and Tabby unwrapping Christmas gifts with Tabby’s mom and getting a panicked phone call. And that’s all in the first minute of the episode so we are definitely picking up right where we left off in a really pulse-pounding way.”

EW had previously shared that the new season will center on "a new villain (who may or may not have a connection to 'A') [who] has come to town and is going to put them all to the test." The official logline for season 2 also teases our cast is "facing a fate worse than death: summer school."

In the same Cosmopolitan interview, cocreator Lindsay Calhoon confirmed the new villain’s identity, teasing the Archie Waters connection, and added this would be revealed in episode 1. “This horror villain is going to test every one of the girls, and they’ll go on their own personal journey,” she added. She also teased that “the scares are a bit bigger, and badder and bolder” this season, so be prepared.

“Our villain is a female figure of horror, which is something we really wanted to explore in our female-centered horror show,” Aguirre-Sacasa added. “We also wanted our villain to feel quite apocalyptic and terrifying. And because most of our season is set during summer — besides taking inspiration from our favorite slashers — we wanted it to feel a little more apocalyptic, like something like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or even Midsommar. There’s a lot of really horrific imagery tied to movies like that, and we wanted to tap into those a little bit. And we also knew we had to make a villain scarier than A, and it was pretty scary in season 1.”

Calhoon said this season will be “full summer slasher fun." "We have all of the great markers of a fun summer: summer romances, summer horror, summer friendship. And, at the heart of it all, our PLLs are still the sisters that they’ve always been and stronger than ever,” she added.

As of now, all five members of the main quintet are expected to return for Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin season 2. Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Zaria, and Malia Pyles will all reprise their roles as Imogen, Tabby, Noa, Faran, and Mouse, respectively. Mallory Bechtel will also come back as Kelly Beasley for season 2.

In April 2023, it was announced that actor Elias Kacavas (who you might have recognized as Young Cal from Euphoria season 2) was promoted to series regular. In season 1, Elias played Karen's boyfriend Greg. Minnie's love interest Ash, played by Jordan Gonzalez, was also upped to series regular in November 2022.

Speaking to Cosmo, Lindsay Calhoon and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa spoke about the characters' dynamics at length. Teasing a Children of the Corn-inspired horror church subplot, Aguirre-Sacasa teased we are going to see Greg and Kelly sharing a handful of scenes together. “Kelly and Greg are strangely comedic gold when they’re together, so it’s a really fun and ultimately powerful storyline,” he said.

In the same interview, the cocreators talked about the future of Faran, saying, “Our villain is gonna give Faran a strength test.” They added: “We wanted to do something that was sort of the polar opposite of ballet. Something very masculine, very alpha. Not that ballet isn’t intense. But we thought, because it’s summer, what if one of our PLLs gets a job at the pool? And what if one of our PLLs is the only female lifeguard amidst a sea of male lifeguards? How will they haze her? Will she have to prove herself? Will there be sparks between Faran and one of these lifeguards? And Greg, of course, is sort of his kind of typical wisecracking teasing summer cut up and Faran is having none of it. So they’re kind of rivals and also friends. It’s a very affectionate rivalry between the two, but it’s definitely Faran in the boys’ world of lifeguarding."

Though not explicitly confirmed, the Little Liars' parents — Lea Salonga, Sharon Leal, Elena Goode, and Zakiya Young — are also expected to return for S2. There's a chance that Carly Pope, who plays Imogen's late mother, Davie, could also appear in the second season in flashback form.

Fans of the original PLL would be pleased to know Annabeth Gish, who played Dr. Sullivan in the original series, is reprising her role for the upcoming season of Original Sin — and she might not be the only one. With the reveal of Aria and Ezra adopting Imogen's baby in the season 1 finale, it's also definitely possible that PLL OGs Lucy Hale and Ian Harding could make an appearance in season 2 as Ezria. (!!!)

Announcing Gish's return to the franchise, HBO Max wrote in a grid post to their official Instagram account: “The doctor will see you now.” OG liar Lucy Hale is definitely excited about Dr. Sullivan's return, as she showed some love in the comments, writing: “Annabeth!! ❤️” Dr. Sullivan first appeared in season 2 of the original Pretty Little Liars series back in 2011. She was the therapist for the OG Liars, hired by their parents to help them work through their trauma. Dr. Sullivan became a major ally to the girls and eventually became the first person to find out that Mona was A. “Y🅰️Y THER🅰️PY," commented Chandler Kinney. “A second season is a great time for ther🅰️py!!! WE LOVE YOU,” added Bailee Madison.

It's been a while since we heard more about casting for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, but on March 6, 2024, four new actors were added to the series roster. As reported by EW, actors Antonio Cipriano, Ava Capri, Noah Alexander Gerry, and Loretta Ables Sayre will portray some new faces in town and, luckily for us, we have deets on their characters.

“One of the things we’re so excited about is introducing new characters and new love interests," Aguirre-Scasa told Cosmo on March 19. “It feels very summery to have summer flings and summer romances.”

Cipriano will play Johnny, who's described as “a self-professed player who works alongside Imogen at Millwood’s Ice Creamery. At first, it’s a rocky road, but soon, Johnny melts Imogen’s heart.” Speaking to Cosmo, Calhoon said: "Imogen’s summer job just had to be an ice cream shop. It’s summer in Millwood and that’s complete iconography and we love it. She meets a young, handsome, virile Johnny, played by Antonio Cipriano, who has one of our favorite entrances in our season in episode 3. She meets him and they have an instant attraction.”

Capri will take on the role of Jen, “Noa’s former cellmate in juvenile detention who finds herself in summer school alongside the PLLs. Once reunited, Jen pulls Noa into messy drama, both personal and criminal.”

“When [Jen and Noa] meet up, we can tell that there’s a lot of unspoken and unresolved affection,” Aguirre-Sacasa teased. "They immediately spark up a friendship and it very clearly quickly becomes obvious that there are deeper feelings there. And that’s all I’ll say about Jen and Noa. It’s fun though.”

Gerry will be Christian, “a smart, charming New York City transplant who gets a job working alongside Tabby at the Orpheum. These two cinephiles soon develop a romance right out of a (horror) movie." Calhoon told Cosmo: "He sort of has an entrance that reminds Tabby of Chip. At first Tabby is rightfully guarded, but as she gets to know Christian — who is the charming, fun, sweet cinephile that so matches Tabby’s energy — these two absolutely come together in a very sweet and romantic way. We love these two together.”

“When we were developing a love interest for Tabby, we really wanted someone who had similar interests and could kind of go toe-to-toe with her on horror movie references and her love of making movies,” Aguirre-Scasa added. "It’s fun for them to be kind of romantic foils for each other and then also able to be creatives together.”

Last but not least, Sayre is joining the series as Lola, “Mouse’s beloved grandmother who has come to Millwood to live with her for the summer. Soon, Mouse begins to worry about Lola when she gets a little too invested in a Creepypasta-like online community.”

Speaking of Mouse, she, as expected, will be spending a lot of time with Ash this season. “Mouse and Ash are sort of our power couple. They’re stronger than ever and fully in love," Calhoon told Cosmo. Mouse is the most involved with SpookySpaghetti [a new spoof franchise inspired by Creepypasta that will be introduced this season.] She’s the most obsessed with reading lore about Archie Waters and becomes really ingrained in the site. That takes her on some scary and dangerous adventures. Ash is very protective of Mouse, as always, but I think Ash knows that, at the end of the day, Mouse is a strong enough young woman that she’s going to do what she's gonna do. Ash is very supportive of her and really is her teammate a lot of the time this season and is going on some of these crazy adventures with her.”

Yes, aside from the first look at villain Bloody Rose, which you can see above, Max also put out a bunch of first-look photos from the upcoming season on March 19, 2024. In the pics, we see our main quintet enjoying summer in the pool, Imogen holding a knife, Tabby and Christian hitting it off at Camp Millwood, and much more. You can see all the images below:

Let's look bAck at the timeline, shall we? Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin kicked off production back in spring/summer 2021, and the show debuted on HBO Max in summer 2022. With such a speedy renewal announcement, season 2 attempted to follow a similar production schedule to its first season but was delayed a bit by the Hollywood strikes during the summer of 2023.

Thanks to an IG post from series star Bailee Madison, we know that Pretty Little Liars: Summer School officially began production during the first week of April 2023. Bailee posted a set life photo dump that started with a group pic of the Liars — and Kelly!

“That's a wr🅰️p on week one of @prettylittleliars season two 🔪🔪🔪 It's SO bloody good to be back!!!!!” she wrote in the caption. “Hehehehehe so happy w yous,” commented Malia Pyles. In the rest of the photo dump, Bailee poses next to posters with a dripping blood design she hung up around set. “Happy day one of Pretty Little Liars Summer School! So excited school is in session! Here's to A bloody good Season Two! xoxox Bailee,” the posters read.

Bailee also shared photos of the clapboard from the first episode of the second season, a group shot of the entire cast and the showrunners, her getting hair and makeup done in her trailer while holding her adorable pup, and a director's chair with her character's name on it.

In March 2024, EW was the first to confirm that new episodes of PLL:OS, or PLL:SS, will air on Max in spring 2024. And finally, at long last, MAX shared on April 9 that the Pretty Little Liars: Summer School release date is May 9th for the first two episodes. And there's a new poster of the cast in poolside regalia.

Yes! On Thursday, April 18, MAX released the first Pretty Little Liars: Summer School trailer, and the vibes ensure we're in for one spooky summer. Soundtracked to “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama, the trailer begins with a reappearance of the iconic therapist from the original Pretty Little Liars: Dr. Sullivan.

“I'm here to help in anyway I can,” Dr. Sullivan tells our final girls. “A's on death row, he cannot hurt you. I promise.” But they have bigger fish to fry: the principal tells them they basically flunked their sophomore year, and they need to go to summer school, “a fate worse than death.” They're encouraged to get part time jobs, have “fun casual flings” and overall embrace the warm weather amidst their homework. “I can feel it," Imogen expresses gleefully. "Best summer ever.”

But a new mystery is unfolding, with a new villain: Bloody Rose Waters, A's “bad to the bone mother.” Jump scares, stalkers, and creepy lairs abound. “The final girl must escape any trap," says Mouse. But can they survive such a brutal game of hide and seek?

Just like season 1, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will be available to stream on Max — home of other teen dramas like Gossip Girl (R.I.P.) and Euphoria.

We will keep updating this story as news about Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin season 2 breaks.