Pretty Little Liars paved the way for Max’s sequel series, and the cast of the new iteration have nothing but praise for the actresses who came before them.
“It’s been really lovely to have the OG PLL stars support [us] in such a real way. I think as OG fans ourselves — we would love nothing more than for one of them to join our little crew in any capacity,” Malia Pyles exclusively told Us Weekly after the season 2 finale, which premiered on Thursday, June 20. “Whether it be directing or making a little cameo.”
Pyles, 23, noted that the entire cast of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School was excited by the possibilities, adding, “We’ll have to see. I would love that though. We have been full supportive of any of them coming back.”
Based on the book series by Sara Shepard, Pretty Little Liars originally aired on Freeform from 2010 to 2017 and followed five best friends who were constantly taunted and threatened by an anonymous person named A. The series starred Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell, Lucy Hale, Ian Harding, Sasha Pieterse, Tyler Blackburn and Janel Parrish.
The series became a pop culture phenomenon which inspired spinoffs, including Ravenswood, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. The most recent version — which rebranded into Pretty Little Liars: Summer School — is the only follow-up that was renewed for a second season.
Max’s version introduced a new friend group who found themselves at risk with serial killers such as Archie and Bloody Rose on the loose. This PLL series starred Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Zaria and Pyles.
Zaria, 28, also weighed in after fans noticed that Pieterse, 28, followed all of them on social media. Viewers quickly pitched ideas about how Pieterse could reprise the role of Alison.
“I would love for her to play anything. I met her recently and she was so warm and so loving. It really amazes me because those spaces — especially for me — they feel so new and there’s a lot of adaptation and discomfort,” Zaria told Us. “And it was like we’ve known each other for much longer than the five minutes that we met.”
Zaria had nothing but praise for Pieterse, saying, “I really appreciate her presence and I really appreciate all of their support. They don’t have to do that. They don’t have to support us. I think that cosign is really beneficial to us as actors and to the show.”
Meanwhile, Kinney, 23, had a very similar sentiment toward Pieterse and Bellisario, 38.
“Sasha’s incredible and just has been so sweet and supportive of us from the very beginning. Of course we’re open to anything and everything. I think the gates to Millwood are wide open and anyone who wants to come join in on the fun is more than welcome to,” the actress shared during an interview with Us. “We have so many exciting ideas and things that we want to explore in a third season.”
Kinney specifically recalled a recent interaction with Bellisario at a festival. “We were able to connect and she’s the loveliest and so brilliant. So we’ve been speaking into the ether that she should come and direct season 3,” she teased. “So putting that out there and she seems open, so we’ll see. We are speaking all the good things into existence.”
Before the PLL: Summer School season 2 finale aired, Pieterse sounded just as excited as the new cast about her making a cameo.
“I would definitely say yes to that,” Pieterse told Us in May. “I think that would be really fun. Teacher Allison? Absolutely.
She continued: “Those girls are so talented and I think it’s really fun that Pretty Little Liars is living on. I think there’s so much fun to be had. I like that theirs is darker in so many ways. I’m kind of envious. I’m like, ‘I wish we could have gone darker and I wish we could have done so many of the things that they get to do.’ But I’m happy that it’s at that place and that it’s just in a way, another generation of people who are going to fall in love with PLL all over again. That’s really special.”
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is currently streaming on Max.
