Open Letter to Freeform
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to share my response to the cancellation news of “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists” that became public knowledge yesterday afternoon. As a long-time fan of both “Pretty Little Liars” and the spinoff (for time’s sake, I will refer to them as PLL and TP, respectively, throughout this letter), I could not be more disappointed that the franchise is ending on an unresolved cliffhanger. More than that, however, I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with how your network handled this show from the very start. I fully believe that it was partially your mismanagement and mistreatment of this show that led to its lackluster ratings and subsequent cancellation.
I could predict the poor viewership from the moment I learned that TP was set to air during the same timeslot as “Riverdale.” It is beyond my comprehension why the decision was made to place this new spinoff up against a show that is aimed toward the same demographic, but which has been on-air for several years, receives approximately two million viewers per episode, and airs on a much larger network. It is no surprise that TP encountered some of its highest ratings during “Riverdale’s” several weeklong hiatus. I was, and still am, baffled by both this decision, and the choice to show only one airing of TP each week. During the majority of PLL’s run, episodes aired two times during their premiere night: Once at eight pm, and again at ten pm. This allowed viewers, especially those of us with work and other evening commitments, another chance to view the episodes and have our viewings counted toward the Nielsen ratings. By failing to include a second airing of TP episodes during the first twenty-four hours, you ensured that the only views that would count toward the episode’s live ratings were those who were able to sit down in front of their television in the mid-evening - which is not a large percentage of your target demographic.
Perhaps my largest issue with the management of TP comes from its accessibility to international viewers. While, as a resident of the United States, I was fortunate enough to have both live and streaming access to each episode, tens of thousands of potential new viewers were left completely in the dark. By not making the show available outside of the US either through your website or Netflix, as PLL had been, you pushed out thousands of possible fans that undoubtedly would have increased TP’s ratings by a substantial amount. Hulu’s audience is not nearly as extensive as that of Netflix, and offers no international plans, making it an inadequate way of providing further access to the show. While I recognize the costs of international accessibility, I believe that this lack of access had a direct impact on the poor ratings - simply not enough people were given the opportunity to have their views counted.
Finally, the lack of promotion given to this show throughout its entire run was extremely noticeable, and, in my opinion, shameful. While your network did a great job of promoting the season premiere, it felt as though as soon as ratings did not equal those of the original PLL, the show was essentially thrown to the wayside. Freeform is a channel that I generally keep on as background noise throughout the day. In the week leading up to TP’s season (and, evidently, series) finale, I noticed numerous, almost constant commercials for shows such as “Siren,” “The Bold Type,” and “grown-ish.” In contrast, I recall exactly one advertisement for TP’s finale. Expecting superior ratings from a show that you refuse to promote or advertise is asinine. You cannot expect a show, regardless of quality, to succeed if you do not do everything in your power to give it the tools to do so.
From the very start, it felt as though TP was given up on without giving it a fighting chance. Looking back at all of these factors, most of which easily could have been changed or improved upon for a second season, the show’s cancellation feels like even more of a betrayal. The original “Pretty Little Liars” was one of your network’s most successful shows, and paved the way for your network to become what it is today. The fact that you could not find enough worth in its spinoff to make simple changes and give it a second chance is, frankly, disgraceful. It is beyond unfortunate that the world of your most successful original franchise has ended on an unresolved and unsatisfactory note. The cast, crew, and fans of both series did not deserve to be treated in this way, especially after being strung along for months, waiting for renewal news.
I have been aware of your network’s falling ratings and viewership for several years now, and the cancellation of this show, along with the poor treatment it received while on-air, has cemented my decision to no longer tune in to Freeform’s original shows. I will in particular be making a conscious choice not to watch any new series. Your network has a hideous pattern, which began far before TP, of cancelling shows after only one brief season. I no longer have the desire to engage in watching and enjoying shows that are surrounded by so much insecurity. After all, what is the point in getting absorbed in a show that is only going to be cancelled after ten episodes?
It is my hope that you will take into consideration everything that I have written here. I understand that I am a college student, majoring in Education, who is not aware of every intricate factor that goes into the production and maintenance of a television show. That said, it is clear to me that very obvious mistakes were made during the entire run of “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists,” and what I can say with certainty is that your network has lost a very loyal fanbase with the cancellation of this show.
Regards.
