ABC Family was launched in 1977 and is owned by Disney. It targets teenage girls and young women with contemporary TV shows. The channel is represented online through social media. Pretty Little Liars is based on novels and has aired for 5 seasons on ABC Family, following four teenage girls who receive threatening messages from an anonymous person called A. The show deals with themes of lies, secrets, blackmail, gossip and mystery. It challenges stereotypes by portraying the female protagonists as brave and independent. The target audience is teenagers, especially young girls, who can relate to the drama and secrets experienced by the characters.

1. Zakiyyah, Neha, Maryam, Shahista and Samiha

2. ABC Channel was launched on the 29th of April 1977, it had
previously been known as CBN Satellite Service.
ABC Family is owned by Disney (a conglomerate) and is regulated
by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
ABC Family is a family orientated channel providing contemporary
TV shows that specifically target teenage girls and young women.
As Disney is a vertically integrated conglomerate there is chance
for cross promotion across a wide variety of media - film, TV, radio,
cinema, shops and even theme parks!
ABC Family is also represented online through social media -
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

3. Based on novels written by Sara Shepard
It has had 5 seasons (ongoing) and 119 episodes.
Season 1 and 2 were aired on MTV in the UK, however since
its disappearance from UK TV it is available on Netflix.
In the USA it is shown on ABC family

4. The target audience for Pretty Little Liars would be teenagers.
This is because the characters in Pretty Little Liars are in college.
Mainly for young girls because most of the characters are
female and they play huge roles such as gossiping or
experience drama with friends.

5. Lies
Secrets
Blackmailing
Gossip
Mystery
Drama
Death

6. Women
The representation of women in PLL challenges the stereotypes of women
as the women are
Brave– they do not need men to look out for them and ‘protect’ them
Independent – they can take matters into their own hands, and often do so
without consulting adults or the police because they are being stalked
Secrets – the girls all have secrets, and that is what unites alongside the lies
they tell, and the stories they corroborate on in order to get away with
things

7. These representations aren’t stereotypical, as in most teenage dramas
the female protagonists usually rely on a man to protect them from a
common enemy or to solve their problems for them.
However, the stereotypes of women in general are reinforced as the
women in PLL are attractive, and each of the four protagonists
represents a different stereotype of women

8. Aria
The quiet girl, she’s the ‘good girl’ of
the group, a well-read student,
excelling in literature. She’s also in a
relationship with her teacher which
shows that she is taking a serious risk.
She also has issues with her parents’
divorce and finds it difficult to adjust.

9. Emily
Emily is a Native American, and her
character is lesbian. She also swims
for her school team and challenges
the stereotype of lesbians as she is
pretty and feminine and not a
‘dyke’. Emily is the only character
who has a job as a waitress. She is a
polysemic character.

10. Hanna
Initially represented as blonde, and a
little bit ditzy. However, she’s also the
only ‘normal’ girl as she’s quite down
to earth and is often the voice of
reason. Hanna is initially a shoplifter
but steals for an adrenaline rush, not
because she can’t afford the items.
She also becomes the blonde
‘Queen Bee’ after the death of her
best friend Alison.

11. Spencer
She is the typical ‘geek’ and is a
perfectionist. She has aspirations to
go to an Ivy League college. She
comes from a wealthy background
with both her parents being lawyers.
However, she turns to drugs and
eventually ends up in an asylum after
having a mental breakdown.

12. Men
Men and their appearances are represented as they're all attractive, with strong
jaw lines which emphasise their masculinity . All men are shown as talented and
skilled and each does their own part in trying to help the girls take down A.

13. Ezra
Ezra is Intelligent and
academic and pursues his
dream of becoming a
teacher. However, once he
meets Aria he prioritises her
over his job and eventually
leads to his sacking because
he is in a relationship with a
student. Some teenagers
may be able to relate to this
because they have crushes
on their teachers.

14. Caleb
He’s talented with
computers, technology and
hacking. He was given up for
adoption by his parents, so
has spent majority of his life in
foster homes. Initially he
earned money illegally
through hacking but realised
the error of his ways. He is in
a relationship with Hanna
and tries to help her defeat
A.

15. Toby
He is physically talented; he's
a craftsman, carpenter and
a builder. But Toby defies
stereotypes as he doesn't
look like the stereotypical
builder, he's quite fit and
represents the laissez-faire
policy of America and
individuality.

16. Hanna's father: Despite being a minor character he is still
important because he’s divorced and some people may find
this relatable and connect emotionally with abandonment
and how he left Hanna and her mum.
Aria's father can be included here too as he was having an
affair with another woman which led to a divorce from his
wife. Some audience members may be able to relate to this
too, having experienced similar problems.

17. • The Dominant Reading of PLL are young women and teenage
girls who most likely encounter similar situations to the girls in
Pretty Little Liars. This makes the show relatable for the
Dominant Reading
• The Negotiated Reading would be people who may not
completely agree with certain elements / issues in the show
for example: A much older age range of people
• The Oppositional Reading would be those who completely
disagree with the show’s meanings and messages and this
could be parents, teachers or anyone who feels protective
over young people.