Shows such as “Game of Thrones“, “Outlander”, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Bridgerton”, “Shadow and Bone”, “Sweet Magnolias”, “The Magicians”, “Firefly Lane”, “Virgin River”, “The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Witcher” are all examples of successful TV adaptations of novels.
The teen murder mystery “One of Us Is Lying” is the latest such offering to air; it is based on Karen M McManus’s best-seller of the same title.
The show is giving us serious “Pretty Little Liars” meets “Gossip Girl” vibes.
When I started watching, it was partly out of curiosity. But then I couldn’t stop – it really does reel you in.
In one of his interviews, showrunner Darío Madrona was asked if the series stayed true to the book.
He said: “We've been faithful to the spirit of the story and the themes and the characters, but also trying to add some little twists and turns here and there so we can surprise readers of the book.”
Although I haven’t read the book, I will attest to the series keeping streamers on tenterhooks, while also delving into the struggles of its teenage protagonists.
The writing is solid. Each character is well-developed, and braving a different battle.
The plot centres on five Bayview High students who are given detention on the first day of school. Some protested their innocence, but it fell on deaf ears with Ms Avery (Andi Crown), the physics teacher.
What’s interesting about this disparate group is that they are polar opposites. Addy (Annalisa Cochrane) is the mean girl. A cheerleader, she has her life mapped out with her boyfriend Jake (Barrett Carnahan). Aside from him being the captain of the football team, he is also a spoilt-rotten rich kid.
Then there is Cooper (Chibuikem Uche), a baseball pitcher looking to join the major leagues. He appears to have it all. He’s in with the cool kids. He has a hot girlfriend, Keely (Zenia Marshall). He also has a big secret.
Bronwyn (Marianly Tejada) is a straight-A student. She’s prim and proper in all she does. Breaking the rules is far removed from her set of principles, so it’s unusual for her to be in detention.
Nate (Cooper van Grootel) is the ultimate bad boy in the group. He is also a drug dealer with a record.
Last, but not least, there is Simon (Mark McKenna), who is the mastermind behind an online gossip group that exposes everyone's secrets and makes them social pariahs.
Not long after all of them show up at detention, Simon, who has a medical condition that requires him to frequently hydrate, has an allergic reaction while drinking water from the cooler in the room.
And his EpiPen is nowhere in sight, nor is there one in the nurse's room.
Everyone tries to help, while Addy is so gripped by fear she’s unable to react.
What at first appears to be an unfortunate tragedy is then investigated as a murder.
Detective Wheeler (Jacque Drew) starts looking at her prime suspects – the other students in detention – and uncovers some interesting truths.
Running parallel to her investigation is the group’s own attempt to find out who set them up to take the fall for Simon.
Meanwhile, Simon’s laptop, which passes through a few hands after his death, is still being used to expose each of their secrets.
And so begins the cat and mouse chase, where everyone is a suspect, especially Simon’s BFF Janae (Jessica McLeod).
The layered storytelling in the series is handled masterfully. Each episode reveals a shocking truth.
There are plenty of relatable themes, too, as struggles with sexuality, rejection, peer pressure, dysfunctional families, bullying, drugs and alcohol abuse surface.
Kudos to the casting director for finding the right actors to slip into the skin of their flawed characters.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this series got the green light for a second instalment. It’s definitely worth checking out.
“One of Us Is Lying” is streaming on Netflix.