Media Diary 2 - Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars is an American teen drama series, based loosely around a series of novels by Sarah Shepard. The show first aired in 2010in June on ABC, each episode lasting 45 minutes, and has become very popular in both the US and UK. It was produced by Lisa Cochran-Nailan. The series is based in a fictional town named Rosewood and revolves mainly around the lives of the four main characters - Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily. The four characters were once part of a clique at school but since the disappearance of their Queen B, Alison, the four have drifted apart. One year later, the girls start to receive mysterious messages from an unknown character named "A", threatening that if the girls do not do what there told their darkest secrets will be exposed to everyone. At first, the girls think its Alison herself but once her body is found, and the messages become more thrilling, they realise somebody else knows there deepest secrets - and the four are willing to risk there lives to keep them from being revealed.

 The main characters in Pretty Little Liars are all very different and I feel that a lot of teenage girls can relate to at least one of the characters. Each character has a different outlook on life, they each have their own sense of individuality that I feel alot of teenagers these days lack in. I wouldn't say the four characters are good role models - one repeatedlty sleeps with her sisters boyfriend, another has an ongoing affair with her teacher, lies are told constantly and are the reason of all the trouble in the first place - but I definitely feel that the characters are reliable. There is a little stereotypical view on Hanna - shes all-American, blue eyes blonde hair with a low IQ level who's had more of her fair share of boys in the series - but I think the target audience would relate to her the most as shes a character struggling to fit in with the pressure of peers. All of the actors are brilliant and very believable, I couldn't fault them.

 Pretty Little Liars was definitely the beginning of a a new teen-drama craze, as it started a lot of new series, such as Teen Wolf. I think a series like Pretty Little Liars was needed to fill the huge gap left by the ever so popular Gossip Girl, as most of Gossip Girl fans you will find to be Pretty Little Liar lovers as well. The series has previously been described as "The Desperate Housewives for teens".

The photographic composition of the series is well used to create the perfect tone and shades in thrilling scenes of Pretty Little Liars. The stunt work is a little over exaggerated but the 13-18 age group that mainly watch the show are not likely to notice. The music used in all the episodes are well know, recent hits that alot of the audience will of heard before. I feel the music matches the show perfectly as it makes the audience feel like its reality as the song they were listing too just this morning is playing in background. It all creates a very life like viewing.

I would give Pretty Little Liars a five star rating.