Fans of Pretty Little Liars will be A-mazed by Lucy Hale’s new CW show, Life Sentence.
Now that Pretty Little Liars is over, the stars who brought our favorite characters to life are moving on to their next projects. Janel Parrish and Sasha Pieterse are busy working on the Pretty Little Liars spinoff, The Perfectionists, but the rest of the ladies seem to be branching out into new, A free territory.
Lucy Hale is following up her time as Aria Montgomery with the leading role in the CW’s new series, Life Sentence. The show tells the story of Stella (played by Hale), as she discovers that her cancer has miraculously been cured by a clinical trial. Obviously that’s fantastic news, but it’s a little more complicated than that.
For the eight years that Stella was sick, she lived her life to the fullest. Her family gave up everything to make sure her short life was a big one. She did everything she wanted to do, traveled the world, and even got married to Wes, a man who she barely knew. When she finds out her “forever” is going to be a lot longer than she’d anticipated, these rash decisions take on some long term consequences.
Stella’s own decisions aren’t the only ones coming back to haunt her, either. Now that she’s better, all bets are off. Her parents reveal that they’re splitting up (partly because her mom is in love with Stella’s godmother), her sister has given up her dream of being a writer, and her lovable brother Aiden’s life seems to have been one mistake after another. Stella’s forced to regroup and try to get her own, and her family’s lives back on track!
We’ve seen the first three episodes of Life Sentence ahead of its release on Wednesday, March 7, and we think fans of Pretty Little Liars will absolutely love Lucy Hale’s new project. Here are a few spoiler-free reasons why.
1. Stella
Fans of Aria Montgomery will love Stella. She has a very similar brand of humor and demeanor to the small but mighty, slightly edgy Liar that we know and love.
Her determination and courage is definitely reminiscent of Aria at her best. Not to mention her tendency to overlook glaring red flags in relationships.
One of the best things about Pretty Little Liars was the style, and Stella has it in spades. Her style is a nice mix of all of the Liars, so everyone is bound to find a few pieces that they’ll fall in love with.
2. A new mom for the moms club
Fans of Pretty Little Liars are obsessed with the moms of the show. They’re perfectly quirky and clueless, yet wonderfully loving, all the same. It was always a treat when they got together and achieved maximum mom-ness!
If you’re still looking to get your Pretty Little Liars mom fix, look no further than Life Sentence’s Ida. She’s eccentric, hilarious, complicated, and most importantly, completely devoted to her children.
3. The romance
Stella’s marriage to Wes is beginning on a slightly awkward note, but relationship turmoil is no stranger to Pretty Little Liars fans! It’s already a blast to watch Life Sentence’s Stella and Wes work through the issues that come along with getting married very early.
They may not be Ezria, but they have their own merits as a couple, and we’re pretty certain you’ll be shipping them before the end of Life Sentence episode 1. That is, unless you prefer another potential suitor…
4. Aiden
The constant drama of Pretty Little Liars tended to distract from family bonding. Nonetheless, when the characters did get to spend quality time with their famjams, the moments were always fan favorites.
Since Life Sentence is a little lighter on the drama and mystery, there’s much more time devoted to family dynamics. The best of these exists between Stella and her older brother, Aiden. He’s been so busy trying to give Stella the life she deserves, that he’s forgotten to build his own. Seeing these two figure out how to move forward from Stella’s illness is definitely a highlight of Life Sentence.
5. The soundtrack
One of the best things about Pretty Little Liars was the inevitability of a fatter playlist following each episode. Life Sentence is no different! Featuring artists like Vance Joy, Ella Vos, and Manchester Orchestra, the new show is perpetually getting new songs stuck in your head.