Yahoo News The Perfectionists season 2: Everything you need to know
The Perfectionists spoilers lie ahead.
We have some bad news, friends. After just one season, Pretty Little Liars spin-off The Perfectionists has been axed.
But does that mean it’s the end of the road for the series?
After all, the series (based on Sara Shepherd’s novel) and the town of Beacon Heights has a lot more dirty and deadly secrets to uncover.
Here’s what happened, the likelihood of the show’s return, and what could happen if it does.
The Perfectionists season 2 release date: Why was it cancelled and could it return?
US network Freeform announced in September 2021 The Perfectionists will not be making a return after its May finale.
Despite the return of Pretty Little Liars stars Sasha Pieterse (who plays Alison) and Janel Parrish (Mona), the show seemingly didn’t do enough to earn its keep on the network.
On the announcement, showrunner I. Marlene King wrote in a statement: "PLL will always be a giant part of me, my family and a lot of you.
"We'll carry our journey with us as we move onto new adventures, big and small, always with pride, love of our craft, and this amazing family we have built.
“My deepest gratitude to our cast and crew for their tremendous efforts. And to our passionate fans who gave us all of these years to play together. You will forever be appreciated and loved.
"And, last but never least, thank you @sashapieterse and @janelparrish for taking this last leap with me. Onward and upward we shall rise. Love you!"
There is always a chance that the show could be picked up by a streaming service like shows before it, but again, it’s not looking hopeful. By December 2021, nothing had been announced, and normally suddenly free properties are snapped up quick, particularly if any sort of fan campaign to save the show picks up steam, which it didn’t.
According to stats acquired by Hollywood Reporter, only 300,000 people would tune in to watch every week, which isn’t a good sign. But then again, that doesn’t include on demand streams and international audiences.
The Perfectionists season 2 cast: Who's in it?
This all remains to be seen, but it’s likely that Sasha Pieterse as Alison and Janel Parrish as Mona would be back in business if it did come back.
Then there’s the new gang of characters we were introduced to.
This includes Sofia Carson as Ava, Eli Brown as Dylan, Sydney Park as Caitlin, Kelly Rutherford as Claire, and Noah Grey-Cabey as Mason.
But some have already landed some pretty neat opportunities following their time on The Perfectionists.
Park has been cast in Netflix horror movie There's Someone Inside the House, Hayley Erin (who plays Taylor) is returning to General Hospital as Kiki Jerome, and Garrett Wareing, who plays Zach Fortson, has been cast in Manifest.
King also said she had hoped some of the original Pretty Little Liars cast would make an appearance going forward.
Chatting to Entertainment Weekly before the cancellation, King said: "The original PLLs have been so supportive of this show, not just the ladies but the men. Tyler [Blackburn]'s been so supportive and Ian [Harding] and hopefully we'll find a way to bring them in.
"Because they can come and visit our world and it will still feel like our world. Because it is the same universe."
The Perfectionists season 2 plot: What's going to happen?
Annoyingly, with the show’s early axing, a lot of plot threads will now remain unanswered.
The major question left hanging at the end of season one was who “The Professor” was. We don't know anything about them, including if they are an actual professor, or what the purpose of their experiment is.
"Might be a man, might be a woman, might be a substitute," King told ET Online.
"Even though [Zach] says 'Professor' we're open to the fact that maybe that was The Professor, maybe that wasn't The Professor. You'll definitely come to learn more about that person."
But she did tell EW that it's unlikely to be a "series-long mystery".
But did The Professor personally kill Nolan?
King confirmed that Nolan's death is "related to The Professor and The Professor's ultimate goals".
Speaking to EW, she added: "In phase two, The Professor has taken ownership of the experiment and it can be much more interactive with our characters. Because he or she has that footage to use over the Perfectionists and the PLLs, they have to participate, they have no choice. The next part of the experiment is going to be much more interactive."
Unfortunately, now we’ll never get to see how that plays out.
Meanwhile, Jeremy (Graeme Thomas King) was shot by Taylor and left lying unconsious, and fans don’t know if he made it out alive, and Taylor’s RV exploded.. Potentially with her inside.
Taylor (Hayley Erin) was at a mental-health facility, and Ray (Duffy Epstein) was missing.
King also discussed how friendship would have been a key theme in the next chapter.
"Unlike our Pretty Little Liars, the Perfectionists weren't friends coming into this show, so we really had to spend the season crafting that friendship," she told EW. "Now we really get to explore the idea, which was the same on PLL, that ultimately this is a show about unconditional friendship and what that looks like. We're going to get to see more of what an unconditional friendship looks like when it's really tested because they will be tested this next season.
"And hopefully, we'll get more into Alison and all of their personal journeys. I want to get to know more about these characters now that we've gotten to know them a little bit. There's still so much more to learn about them."
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