Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists canceled; no season 2 at Freeform

Unfortunately for Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, their run was far from perfect at Freeform.

Today (no surprise — Fridays are cancellation days), it was confirmed that the network has canceled the spin-off series starring Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish after just one season, with low ratings (unsurprisingly) being the biggest reason why. This is a show that never could find its footing as a separate entity, and a part of the problem here may just be cultural zeitgeist. The original Pretty Little Liars existed within a very specific period of time and was immensely popular. It thrived there. Unfortunately, since then we’ve seen many viewers of the original show get older and move away from the franchise — also, there was just something compelling about envisioning most of those characters happy, as opposed to being embroiled in some other drama in another part of the country.

The biggest thing that we can say about The Perfectionists was that it wasn’t a necessary add-on to Pretty Little Liars — though it was entertaining and it built up a rather solid fanbase over the course of its run. It becomes the latest cancellation for Freeform, a network that has shown a willingness to pull the plug early on a number of its series. Fans of Stitchers, Shadowhunters, and so many other shows know what this is like at this point. It needs to figure out a model where it can market to its younger demographic at a place where they will see it — or at least find a way to bring more of their content over to streaming outlets in a way where it is both quick and profitable. Because some of that hasn’t happened yet, we’re seeing a lot of their shows die off fast.

Is there still a chance that a Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists season 2 happens elsewhere? In theory sure, but given the series’ iconic standing over at Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family), it’s hard to imagine it finding much in the way of footing anywhere else.

What do you think about Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists being canceled?

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