The Lying Game

***Summary of pilot, so don't read if you don't want to be caught up! Jump to bottom if you just want a preview of the show.***

A new show, The Lying Game, aired Monday night on ABC family.  I am usually not a big fan of ABC Family's shows except for Greek and Pretty Little Liars.  I actually wasn't even planning on watching The Lying Game, but I came across it right as it was airing so I decided to record it.  I've watched the pilot twice since then, and I cannot wait for next week's episode!  

The Lying Game actually started out as a book like The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl.  The book series is written by Pretty Little Liars author, Sara Shepard.  I haven't read the books, but supposedly the first episode does not follow them very well.  The show doesn't mention the actual "Lying Game" and some of the characters have different names.  This might be hard for those who have read the series, but I haven't so I'm not bothered by it.

Basically, the show beings with two twins finding out about each other randomly a la The Parent Trap.  They've gotten to know each other through video chat.  One of the sisters, Sutton, was adopted as a baby into a wealthy family in Arizona.  She is really popular, but also a little bratty.  Emma, the other sister, was never adopted.  Instead, she was passed around to different foster houses.  Her current foster home comes with an evil foster mom and a perverted foster brother.  He frames her for stealing his mom's money, so Emma runs from the cops.  She heads toward Arizona and her twin sister, Sutton.

Once she gets there, Sutton tells her she has a lead on their real parents in Los Angeles.  Sutton has created this elaborate plan where Emma will take Sutton's place in school and family while Sutton travels to Los Angeles.  Emma agrees and loves her new life as Sutton- the clothes, the BMW, the boyfriend, the family.  She only encounters three problems: (1) she has a hard time being snobbish and bratty like Sutton, (2) she really wants to tell at least one person who she really is, and (3) it is hard living with Sutton's parents and sister knowing they only adopted Sutton and not her.  (The parents adopted Sutton and then found out they were pregnant with sister Laurel a month later.) Fortunately, she only has to put on this charade for two days because that's when Sutton and Emma plan to reunite at the family cabin and switch back.  Seems simple enough.



The cast of The Lying Game: (from left) friends Madeline and Char, Emma/Sutton with real boyfriend Ethan, evil rival Nisha, and sister Laurel 

Unfortunately, a lot of things happen in these two days.  First, Sutton's senior rival, Nisha, challenges her to a tennis game.  Emma wins it!  Next, Emma breaks up with Sutton's bf after she catches him making out with Nisha! Dun, dun, dun!  But, no worries!  That was only Sutton's fake bf.  Her real (but secret bf) is bad boy, Ethan.  It would be nice if Sutton had informed Emma of this so she wouldn't make the mistake of calling her real bf a stalker and giving him 'tude and mood for two days.  But, alas, Ethan realizes that Emma is not the real Sutton when he surprise kisses her.  Because of this, Emma tells Ethan the truth-  Sutton went to California, but now she is missing because she didn't meet up at the rendez-vous point as planned. 

The show ends with Sutton in Los Angeles.  Someone gets into her car and she screams!

The beautiful Nina Dobrev look-a-like, Alexandra Chando.  She plays Emma/Sutton. 

Ahh, the suspense!  From the plot of the books, Sutton ends up dead and Miss Emma has to put on this charade as fake Sutton (...for...ev....er) while at the same time trying to figure out who killed her sister and why.  This hasn't happened yet on the show even though the books begin with Sutton dead as she watches over Emma pretend to be herself.  Sounds juicy and mysterious, right?!  Here is a promo for episode one, which I just told you all about:   

Tune in Monday nights at 9pm eastern on ABC Family!