Just a little under a half a year ago, Lucy Hale said goodbye to her character Aria Montgomery and a show she called home for seven years. It's hard to imagine Pretty Little Liars without Hale, but apparently, that world was almost a reality. Way back when the show was in development, one of the five liars was forced to pick between it or another pilot she had been offered to be a part of. In the end, it was the catchy name and concept that sent Hale to the PLL side and on a seven-year journey:
I was offered another pilot, but my gut kept telling me to go towards Pretty Little Liars. There was just something about that name that kept replaying in my head and I knew that that was probably the right decision to make. . . . It's very easy to get excited about the glitz and glam of something, or how much you're getting paid for something, or get distracted by who else is involved. But I think the reason I made the choice for PLL was that creatively it really excited me.
Turns out the decision to join Pretty Little Liars was a good one as Lucy Hale doesn't even remember if the other project was even made, but it was tempting enough for her to consider. Hale said to Cosmopolitan the other project featured bigger producers, bigger stars, a bigger studio, and on paper, it seemed clear which option was the better to go with. It clearly sounds like Hale was tempted, but ultimately the idea of Pretty Little Liars won out, and obviously paid off as Hale could've found herself instead in a show that may have never actually been made.
While Lucy Hale wasn't exactly unknown prior to her stint in Pretty Little Liars, the show definitely helped elevate her celebrity and allow her to make lucrative deals with Avon as well as land other acting projects. Hale is currently filming for her next project, Life Sentence, which is set to air on The CW sometime in the Spring of 2018. Hale also has a few films in the works for 2018, so while PLL is over, she's still keeping plenty busy in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the legacy of her show continues to live on in the hearts and minds of teens everywhere, although that's not always a good thing.
As mentioned, Lucy Hale is headed to The CW with her new series Life Sentence sometime in the spring of 2018. For more on other shows that will be premiering or returning in 2018, be sure to visit our midseason premiere guide and see what all the new year has to offer so far! Those still wishing to keep things in the present can still find shows worth watching on our fall premiere guide. Those searching for a show on both lists and coming up dry might want to visit our cancellation guide and make sure their favorite show wasn't one of the ones that bit the dust in 2017.
