These days, Pretty Little Liars is a media franchise, consisting of several spinoffs and a reboot. However, long before there was an empire of shows and productions under the PLL umbrella, there was the original TV series. The one that started it all ran from 2010 through 2017, earning millions of fans who tuned in on a regular basis to keep up with the latest twists and turns.
The series finale of Pretty Little Liars, when it aired in June 2017, made waves around the world, with many fans discussing the revelations the episode contained for weeks and months afterward. Interestingly enough, series star Troian Bellisario admitted that the show originally had some unexpected twists in the ending, leaving one main character’s fate up to speculation.
The series finale of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ was controversial
Pretty Little Liars told the story of a group of privileged teen girls, who devote themselves to discovering the identity of the mysterious “A” after the leader of their friend group vanishes. It took years, but fans were able to get some resolution when the finale of Pretty Little Liars aired in the summer of 2017. As reported by Looper, the finale revealed that Spencer’s evil British twin, Alex Drake, was the antagonist of the last couple of seasons.
Many fans guessed A.D. wasn’t anyone in the main friend group. But others were still very shocked by the revelation that the villain was someone with familial ties to Spencer. The finale split the fan base down the middle, with many disagreeing on how effective the last episode was in resolving all the conflicts that the show had built up. Still, most fans agreed the events tied up neatly, with most characters accounted for.
What did Troian Bellisario say about the original ending of ‘Pretty Little Liars’?
Bellisario, who played Spencer in Pretty Little Liars, has had a lot to say about the way that the show ended. In an exclusive interview with ET Online, Bellisario opened up about the original way that Pretty Little Liars was going to wrap up. “There was actually an amendment to the ending,” Bellisario dished.
“Originally — I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this — but I think originally the ending was supposed to be a little bit different where Alex had kind of gotten away with it a little bit more, and the only person that was onto her was Toby,” she shared.
The actor went on. “But I think that ultimately would’ve left things too much up in the air and we would’ve been worried for Spencer,” said Bellisario. “So it was really fun because this way, Spencer got a happy ending, and all the girls got a happy ending, and Alex got to be with her family – which is great, but also in a little bit of a tricky situation.”
In spite of the controversy over the ending of Pretty Little Liars, fans were eager for more. Over the years since the show went off the air, there have been two spinoffs, Ravenswood and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Both of those shows got the axe after one season. However, the franchise came back to life in 2022, when Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin debuted on HBO Max. With a new cast of characters and an all-new setting, the reboot is introducing new fans to the drama and mysteries that the original series made so popular.
