Not Even Ali Can Name All These Pretty Little Liar Characters
- by Danielle Lasher
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Oh, that Alison—her friends missed her, and then they were afraid of what might have been messages from her, and then...well, who knows? The world turned upside down with this show, and it's still hard to tell what was true and what was made-up. They're not called "pretty little liars" for nothing—or maybe that's unfair. Pretty Little Liars follows a group of high school girls in the aftermath of the disappearance of their ringleader. This series took teen America by storm for seven seasons, inspiring two spin-offs (Ravenswood, The Perfectionists) and a devoted fandom. The story of what happens when a group of friends lives in fear of being taken themselves struck a chord. Set in the made-up suburb Rosewood, eventually those fears were realized and each of the main characters was, in fact, taken. But go to the police? Never! The villain shifted as the series went on to its final crazy finale—an evil twin? Really?? Maybe it was the complexity or the friendships of the show that made it so addictive. Who knows?
Whether fans follow the series, or the books, or both, there are enough characters over seven seasons to populate an entire high school. Who are they, though? "Shhhh."
Who is this character?
This character was in a garage when a prank went horribly wrong. The liars feel pretty guilty about what happened, and Alison was the instigator for the incident. The guilty (of peeping in the window-eww!) needed to be punished, but things got out of control. Who could have expected a stink bomb would set fire to a whole garage? Or that someone would be blinded as a result? Now whenever that someone shows up, everyone feels awful. Okay, PLL fans—who was blinded?
Who is this character?
This character is the dad to Mike and Aria, and he's married to Ella. He's a professor at a local college and over the course of the show has an affair with a colleague that's revealed fairly early on in the series. He asks his daughter to keep his affair a secret, which she does, and the affair goes on until the woman he's involved with seeks mental health treatment. A trip to Iceland only interrupted the affair. He's the chair of his department. Who is this?
Who is this character?
This guy is Hanna's boyfriend. He plays foosball and ignores Hanna for way too long at a party. Hanna brings him into a private room at that party and they start making out. As things progress, she rummages in her purse for a condom, but this character gets upset with her and says he doesn't want to go all the way with her right then, telling her she has something to prove and that he doesn't want to get wrapped up in it. Who is it?
Who is this character?
This is Hanna's father, who's moved out of the house and doesn't see much of his daughter. He comes to pick her up and take her to dinner after she crashes Sean's car. He does not let her drive. He introduces her to his new fiancé and soon-to-be-stepdaughter, and Hanna feels abandoned. The wedding is delayed, but it ultimately happens and Hanna has to deal with the new relationships. This guy seems to show up mainly when Hanna's in trouble for something. What's his name?
Who is this character?
He's Ezra's college roommate and friend, and he is in attendance at Ezra's public reading. He meets up with Ezra and Aria after the reading, and they hang out for a while, playing darts and eating. He figures out almost immediately that Aria and Ezra are involved. He warns Ezra about being romantically entangled with a student, telling Ezra that Ezra will be fired once it comes out (and that of course it will come out eventually). Who is he?
Who is this character?
He's another student at the high school, and he's had a crush on Hanna for a while. The two of them meet at a chastity meeting and pair up in a roleplay about not going all the way. While Hanna initially shows up at the meeting and acts as his roleplay partner to keep an eye on Sean, she and this guy hit it off and become friends. He helps Hanna sell some of her old clothes online and he's a photographer. Who is it?
Who is this character?
He meets Spencer at the country club where he works, and he strikes up a conversation with her after he realizes she's deliberately losing a game at her father's request. He's her homecoming date. He gets punished at the club by being assigned kitchen duty. He's supportive of Spencer doing what she feels she has to in order to succeed. She encourages him to go to Sweden, but he tells her he doesn't want to. Who's this?
Who is this character?
This is Emily's father. He isn't seen for much of the series because he's stationed in Afghanistan. When he comes home, he tries to be supportive of his daughter and warns her about Toby. Later when he finds out that she's not interested, he expresses support for her no matter what her choices, and even seems to like Emily's girlfriend. He talks with his wife about their daughter being interested in the different; he is happy that his daughter is healthy and alive, unlike so many people he saw in combat operations overseas. Who is he?
Who is this character?
She's Spencer's mother, and a state senator. She has concerns about the kids having to take the SAT when a dangerous storm is on the way. She also had an incident in the past in which she showed up at the country club upset, and Alex listened to her sympathetically. She's grateful to him afterwards. She's a cancer survivor and tries to keep her illness a secret from everyone. She also tells off a detective for inappropriately attempting to interrogate a teenager. Who is she?
Who is this character?
He coached the girls' field hockey team. Alison pushed him from a church tower. He dated Melissa, then they broke up; Spencer had a steamy moment with him and dated him for a while. He and Melissa got back together and got married. They were married until his demise, which might have been by suicide (according to a note that was found). The note turns out to have been a fake. He was revealed as the older man Alison was seeing around the time she disappeared. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This girl used to be friends with Hanna in eighth grade, but after Hanna becomes part of Ali's clique, Hanna ignores her. This character tries to form a squad of people who were bullied by Alison. For a while, this character disappears and is presumed passed away, but it turns out that she's been held prisoner in a "dollhouse" where she's been forced to pretend to be Alison. She goes to Radley to be treated for mental and emotional disorders. Who is she?
Who is this character?
When Alison was alive, this boy had a crush on Aria. He dates Aria for a while until he finds out about her relationship with Ezra; this makes him dump her. He's rich and somewhat spoiled, and is suspected of being "A" for a while because of the help he gives Charlotte. He helps Alison because she's blackmailing him. He dated Mona. He rather infamously passes away by accidentally decapitating himself with an axe while fighting Hanna and Emily. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This girl is Emily's first girlfriend. The two approach each other slowly over the course of a few episodes. When she gives Emily a scarf as a gift, Emily wears it at first but then hides it in her locker. She is a guest at dinner at Emily's house, and Pam unfortunately makes fish, which this girl is allergic to. When she and Emily play footsie under the dinner table, Pam goes off to cry about it. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This is Alison's older brother. He has seen a number of photos taken of Alison that incriminate various people, but tells Spencer that an investigator has figured out that many of them are fake. He has had problems and does not remember for sure if he took one of the pictures Spencer shows him or not. He used to hang out with Ian and Garrett, and they were part of a group they called "N.A.T." He resented Alison because she used to take his stuff. What's his name?
Who is this character?
This talented swimmer is a star on the school swim team while Emily is gone. When Emily comes back the two are rivals on the team. She has had a crush on Emily for a long time, however, and they date. Emily breaks up with this character when this character doesn't want to be public about their relationship. Later, they are fully out of the closet and the relationship becomes Emily's main romantic interest during the run of the show. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This boy comes from a troubled home life: his mother gave him up and he has lived in foster care for many years. He's a talented hacker, and does this for money for car thieves and to unlock phones for other people, before he sees the error of his ways for good. Hanna is a good influence on him. He used to live in the same house as Lucas. Hanna figures out that the man this character thought was his uncle is in fact his father. What's his name?
Who is this character?
This young police detective gets involved with Ashley. He arrests Hanna for shoplifting, and then starts to investigate the passing of Alison. He's a former student at Rosewood High. He might be Alison's "beach hottie." He is the officer who inappropriately takes the girls from the storm shelter to interrogate them again while a hurricane is on its way to the town. He remains suspicious of Hanna, prompting her to tell him to back off when she sees him. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This girl is at a booth on Founder's Day and flirts with Emily. This character works with an LGBTQ+ pride student group, and Paige had asked her advice about coming out to her father but didn't show up for their planned conversation. When Paige sees Emily and this character talking, Paige gets very jealous, and then Emily breaks up with Paige over Paige's inability to be public about their relationship. This character gives Emily a pair of earrings as a gift. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This woman is engaged to Ezra, at least for a while. Aria finds a picture of her on Ezra's social media page, which shows this character wearing an engagement ring. Aria does not confront Ezra about this at the time. She does—however—assume a false identity to befriend this woman on social media. When Aria and Ezra's relationship becomes clear to this character, she ends her engagement. She's another faculty member at the local college that other characters teach at. What's her name?
Who is this character?
This character is receiving therapy and medication for depression. He breaks into houses, and has a number of other secrets that his older sister Aria is aware of. He dates Mona off and on until Mona's demise. He knew Mona was planning to fake her own passing to try and reveal the true identity of "A" but it turns out she really passed away. Except she didn't! When Mona gets out of the dollhouse, she avoids him for a while because she feels bad, but they then reunite. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This character offers Emily a possible scholarship after he sees her performance at a swim meet. She is tempted to stay at Rosewood High because of this. He can only offer a possibility, however, and drafts a letter to that effect; Emily then forges a more enthusiastic letter from him to show her mother. "A" delivers this forged letter to the family's mailbox. This character expresses concern about Emily changing schools for her final year, and tells her that continuity is important. Who's this?
Who is this character?
This character has been Samara's good friend since second grade. She shows up as Samara's companion at the fashion show that goes horribly wrong. Emily picks up on a tension of some kind between this character and Samara, and gets jealous; Samara says the two are just good friends, though. This character tells Samara that Emily might be hitting on other girls, since Emily seemed to give one her phone number at the end of a poker night they had at Hanna's house. What's her name?
Who is this character?
This character is a doctor and an Englishman. He is engaged to Melissa, but they break it off. He is attracted to Spencer, and always seems to be around when someone needs him. He is the biological father to Emily's twin daughters. He goes along with Alex's plan to pretend that she's really Spencer, even going so far as to shoot Alex so that she'll have a scar that matches Spencer's scar. All he wants is to settle down and live a normal life. Who is this poor guy?
Who is this character?
This feisty older lady arrives for a rehearsal dinner and tells Ashley that Ashley should try to win Tom back rather than allow the wedding of Tom and Isabel to go forward as planned. She rearranges the whole kitchen, which annoys Ashley. Ashley tells this character to put everything back, and this character doesn't do it. At the rehearsal dinner, this character defends Hanna (who's drunk at the event) and reveals that Kate had given Hanna a spiked water bottle. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This character is Hanna's stepsister, and Tom decides to pay her private school tuition rather than Hanna's. This girl declares her intent to "break" Hanna. She is an accomplished horseback rider and she also sails well, which Hanna doesn't know how to do. Her mother is Isabel, Tom's new wife. She and Hanna meet at a dinner which Hanna thought would be with just her father; it turned out to be his way of introducing Hanna to her new stepsister and stepmother. Who is this mean girl?
Who is this character?
This character works for a telephone company, and is involved in a couple of schemes. He arranges to break into the company's records to find out who is behind a blocked number, and doesn't get paid off before he reveals the identity he found. This is why he insists on getting paid first before revealing information to Aria. He is the person whose number is found on a piece of paper in a pocket of a trench coat. He tells Aria and her friends an address to check out. What is his name?
Who is this character?
This girl worked at the local Halloween store. She used to live next door to Alison's grandmother growing up, and had known Ali since she was three. She is in love with Jenna, and decides to get revenge on Alison for being so horrible to Jenna. Her attempt at revenge is to shoot Ali, whom she tries to do in New York City, but she misses; Ezra gets in the way and this character shoots Ezra by mistake. She tries again when she goes to the hospital where Ezra is. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This woman is an ex-girlfriend to Ezra. She claims to have become pregnant because of her relationship with Ezra in high school. Aria tracks her down by posing as a college undergraduate. This character has a seven year old child, which she says is Ezra's but in reality someone else is the father. She lives with her child in Delaware. She comes to visit Ezra. Ezra does not realize that she kept the baby that she became pregnant with in high school. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This guy's tricky—his real name is a mystery to some of the girls at first. He claims to be Maya's cousin, and moves to Rosewood after Maya passes away. He persuades various people that he's a student at the local college, and he is in fact not Maya's cousin but a stalker that Maya had briefly dated. He has a date with Jenna, and Jenna doesn't show up for it. He keeps trying to go out with Emily, and has to be told that she's not interested that way. Who is this guy?
Who is this character?
This young man is Ezra's younger brother. He and Aria piece together the truth about Ezra's ex-girlfriend. They speculate that Ezra's and this character's mother paid off Ezra's ex-girlfriend to keep her quiet. This character gives Aria a ride when Aria lies and tells him that she's only calling Ezra to get a ride from him. This character does his best to get thrown out of private school, but his mother keeps paying the school off to make the trouble go away. What's this charmer's name?
Who is this character?
This character was assigned male at birth and adopted by a Rosewood family. This character had an unfortunate accident with a baby adoptive sister, and also had significant gender dysphoria, which is probably why the character's family sends the character to the local mental hospital for long-term treatment. This character befriended Lucas at a summer camp while away from the hospital. This character was wrongly accused of pushing a hospital employee off a roof, and over-medicated as a result. Who is this character?
Who is this character?
This junior police officer spends a lot of time with Alison and is chased away by her dad at one point. He asks Alison to be a girls' soccer leader when she passes by the group of boys he is coaching. He's Toby's partner. He has a broken arm at one point, and Alison steals his police ID while he's asleep. This gets him suspended from the police force. He helps look for Alison after she disappears the night of the prom. Who's this?
Who is this character?
This character is the lieutenant working with the state investigator to solve the passing of Darren. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. She patiently questions Hanna after Hanna is found with one of her father's tools. She tends to be suspicious of the group of Liars (for good reason, it turns out) and trusts them more after they spill the beans a little about being pursued by "A." She believes that Hanna knows more than she is telling. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This police officer kissed Alison, and was suspended. He's been known to wonder how a girl like Alison gets the way she gets. He is another officer assigned to investigate the passing of Darren and the disappearance of Alison. He catches Hanna at the police station, and explains to her the process of solving a crime: going through all the people who may have known the deceased, and eliminating them one by one. Hanna is not entirely reassured by this. He received an anonymous letter about Alison. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This young man was formerly engaged to Hanna. He comes to town to help out around the passing of Charlotte. He is sympathetic when Hanna confesses that she deleted security footage, and tries to see if his father can help her out of this trouble. He travels on a company airplane. He and Hanna have a romantic getaway to a hotel, which is interrupted by her friends' frantic texts and the arrival of a breakfast, which neither of them ordered. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This character seems to stalk Hanna for a while, but explains that he has something he legitimately needs to talk to her about—that he knows her mother is innocent of Darren's passing. He shows up later and the two of them play pool together. Hanna misses a shot and this guy tries to give her some tips. Hanna uses his advice and sinks the shot, and the two of them make out over the pool table. Ashley walks in on them and kicks this guy out. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This older woman reveals that Alison had been calling her the whole summer before Alison disappeared. She is psychic and had a premonition that something terrible would happen to Alison. She then found Alison buried alive and rescued her, driving her to the hospital. She was a sorority house-mother. She warns the Liars that they'll be in danger if they try to solve Ali's disappearance. They confront her about lying and she says she was trying to protect Ali. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This man is a Vice Principal at Rosewood High. He investigates cheating that he receives an anonymous tip about. He asks Alia if she and Ezra are dating, and she lies and says they are not. Aria hallucinates that he calls her into his office and tells her that Ezra will be arrested for having a relationship with a student, and it turns out that the Vice Principal has simply called her in to pick something up for her mother. Who is this?
Who is this character?
This woman was Toby's mother. She was eliminated under mysterious circumstances while a patient at Radley. Spencer defaced her crypt. This woman's passing was initially said to be a suicide by staff at Radley, but Toby investigates and discovers that there was a cover-up. He speaks with a doctor who had treated his mother, but then realizes that the doctor is now a dementia patient after the doctor talks about being involved in studying the heaviness of air. What's this woman's name?
Who is this character?
This fellow is a staff member at Radley who remembers both Mona and Toby's mother. He remembers seeing Toby visit his mother. He is around when Spencer is a patient at Radley, and gives her a board game that Mona played when she was a patient there. Spencer discovers that Mona left clues about something written on the game. Spencer tries to get more information from this character about the passing of Toby's mother. What's his name?
Who is this character?
This talented sculptor and mask maker is the artist behind several masks, including one of Alison's face. Emily, Aria and Hanna visit him to ask about the Alison mask. Aria sneaks into his back room and finds a bunch of Alison molds. He says that he kept the molds because Alison was so beautiful. He asks Emily if he can make a casting of her face, because he thinks her face would make a wonderful base for a Medusa mask. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This man is a new guidance counselor at Rosewood High. Aria goes to have a chat with him to find out more about the relationship between her brother and Mona. She does not reveal the name of the girl who concerns her, but the counselor figures out whom Aria is talking about. The guidance counselor tells her that two people bond when they have something in common. He asks Aria to join a group, which she declines. What's his name?
Who is this character?
This young man makes Caleb and Toby very suspicious—they suspect him in the burning of the Thornhill Lodge. When they press him, he says that he was paid by CeCe to fake a trip to Delaware. Caleb and Toby have no idea if he is telling them the truth. He runs off after telling them this and blocks them from following him. He seems to be charming and confident, and is helping Jenna when it appears that her eyesight is worse. Who is he?
Who is this character?
This guy is arguably the only ethical and capable member of the local police department. He is a new detective. He meets Spencer at a bar and buys her a drink, and he thinks she is joking when she says something about burying a body. Spencer at first puts him off, and then gets him into an elevator where they start making out. She realizes that she doesn't want to betray Caleb, however, and calls things to a halt. Who is this handsome fellow?
Who is this character?
This member of the Rosewood police force is the one who pulls over Ashley when she has a bag full of stolen money. He's pulled her over to give her bad news about her daughter, though, and doesn't notice the money. He also brings the girls to the bottom of the bell tower, where there is no body; he questions the girls and wonders if their call to the police department was some kind of prank. What's the officer's name?
Who is this character?
This childhood friend of Aria pops up again after he comes back with his father from Portugal. The girls think he might be taken, but he turns out to be in love with a girl who isn't Aria. He figures out Aria is seeing Ezra, and this old friend and Aria work out a series of fake dates to their mutual benefit. He has a heart condition. Aria discovers the condition in stages, first seeing a bruise and then seeing a package of pills. Who is her old friend?
Who is this character?
This young lady is a baker at The Brew, and Spencer goes to her to try and get something to deal with a headache. The girl isn't opposed to sharing some of what she uses, and gives Spencer a small package of cookies. She slips Spencer some gummy bears later when Spencer appears to be stressed out; Toby mistakenly believes this girl's note (which was with the gummies) is from Spencer. This character is later put in charge of The Brew. Who is she?
Who is this character?
This woman rattles Aria because she's a guest of Ezra at a gallery that's showing some of Aria's work. She asks Emily if Emily will go with her to Thailand for a project; Emily explains that she's occupied with a difficult situation. This woman asks Emily if Emily's feelings for Sara are reciprocated; it gets awkward because Emily isn't attracted to Sara. This character is taken or eliminated by rebels while in Columbia; Ezra had left the country earlier. What's her name?
Who is this character?
This girl is a student at Rosewood High and on the swim team. She tries to get Emily fired because Emily calls her out for missing swim practice. The girl gets Paige involved because the girl thinks this will help her fake excuse, but Paige doesn't buy it. The girl gets sent to the principal's office over her lies and manipulations. Later she's back at it, bullying her friends at school much the way Ali used to. What's this girl's name?
Who is this character?
This boy gets into a relationship partly against his will with Jenna. Alison lies about him spying on her and her friends, and her allegation is her justification for their revenge on him. They attempt to get revenge by throwing a stink bomb into the garage at this boy's house. The bomb is what blinds Jenna. He later becomes a member of the Rosewood Police Department. His mother passed away mysteriously, and he tries to find out the truth. Who is he?