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I have been a huge fan of both PLL and Desperate Housewives since I was a teen. I have watched both shows start to finish several times and rewatched seasons randomly plenty of times. I always found the shows to be very similar except PLL was more meant for teens and Desperate Housewives for adults.
Both shows have someone sending threatening messages, A in PLL and Martha Huber in DH. Both shows also have a tight knit group of 4 girls with one who dies. Surely, Ali wasn't actually dead in PLL but we were supposed to believe that she was for 4 seasons. Hannah is pretty much another version of Gabrielle, Aria of Susan, Spencer of Bree and Emily doesn't really resemble any of them but she still is a part of a 4 member group, like Lynette was too. So many similar events happen as well such as someone dating a professor: Aria in PLL and Danielle in DH. Both shows have a child come out as gay to their parents and their parents having a hard time accepting it: Emily and Andrew. The friends also all cover up a murder together in both shows: Elliot's murder in PLL and the murder of Gabrielle's step father in DH. There are scenes of both of the friends group standing around a grave with shovels, looking nearly identical. We have Mike getting run over by a car in DH and Hannah getting run over by a car in PLL and fun fact, in the PLL books, Hannah actually ends up in a coma just like Mike did. The list could go on but these are just the first similarities that came to mind.
What do you guys think?
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I think so too!
There’s also the same style of promo posters with the friend group that’s highly stylized with them looking perfect but having a dark underside.
Ezra and Bree both write a book.
Edie and Mona both are outsiders who want to be part of the main friend group but are usually excluded.
Danielle, Susan’s daughter, thinks she’s pregnant and later is. Just like Alison was.
Bree and Spencer both go to mental institutions.
Bree pretended to be pregnant just like Melissa did.
Both shows have parrots that are used to give clues.
There’s a mystery around a character with the last name Young on both shows.
A teenager hides their parents cheating both shows.
Emily and Bree both bring a neighbor a welcome basket/condolences basket in the first episode.
Gabby and Hanna both have financial problems.
Julie and Spencer/Emily befriend Zach/Toby. People think it’s a weird friendship with the girl being perfect and the guy weird/suspicious.
Jenna and Carlos lose their eye sight and regain it.
Renee and Hanna both dress as Marilyn Monroe for Halloween.
A’s first group message in 1.01 sounds like the anonymous one the Housewives get in 8.01 after killing and covering up a murder.
Alison and Mary Alice were threatened/blackmailed by someone and didn’t tell their friends before each series. Each seemingly had a perfect life and everyone talked about how beautiful and amazing they were but they had dark secrets.
Andrea Parker was on both shows.
PLL seems like it’s perpetually set in autumn and DH seems like it’s perpetually spring/summer.
There’s several recurring names: Andrew, Mike, Zach, Caleb, Mona, Travis, Alex, Paige and Wayne.
Each show has exactly three Halloween episodes.
There’s a five year time jump in both shows.
When someone returns from the dead or Paris, they say “Did you miss me?”
Each show has a Christmas episode.
There’s twins on both shows.
The audience perception for certain characters. Hanna/Gabby, Mona/Edie, and Spencer/Bree were fan favorites. People didn’t like or even hated Aria/Susan. Zach/Toby were thought to be weird or creepy but later return and have a glow up.
Oh my god, I haven't thought of most of these. Amazing!!! Thank you!!
You should make your own post on this if you haven't already, more people should see this list. It's extremely interesting!
Thanks! I’d have to rewatch more I just remember some of the obvious ones or from those compilations of best moments from DH.
I like your post, I always love when people bring up the similarities between the two.
I am so glad to know that the similarities are already being talked about! I made a whole list back in 2013 before even more stuff happened in PLL that was similar to DH, I just had nowhere to post it, I wasn't using reddit back then. Kind of wish I was, I spent hours making the list.
Do you still have the list? It would be cool to see! I remember making a list on my notes app a few years ago but I deleted it.
I remember the first time I saw Alison’s mom, I was thinking, “WHHHY do I recognize her?!” and then it clicked. I was remembering her from DH. And she was also not exactly pleasant there. My brain: 😨
Same!
Yeah I instantly made the connection when I started watching. Was a huge fan of DH so loved it right away
Is this my sign to watch the show? I would love to have something similar to PLL
YES!!😁
Your post was a Godsend 😭 I’m like nine episodes deep into the show, I put it on while cleaning hours ago and I haven’t been able to stop. It’s so fun and goofy in a uniquely early 2000s way and ironically fills a lot of things I thought were missing from PLL because it was geared for teens.
I love that they’re not afraid of showing us truly terrible characters as protagonists lmao like these ladies are all genuinely bad people and that’s the point! I’m so invested in this mystery, the gasp I let out when the cops said the age of the body in the box…