Pretty Little Liars: 15 Best Characters, Ranked (2024)

Pretty Little Liars dominated the airwaves throughout the 2010s and had fans young and old in a chokehold from Season 1 all the way to Season 7. The series follows a clique of teenage friends reeling from the death of their leader and best friend — Alison — who begin receiving threatening and cryptic messages from a stalker known only as A, who taunts them with secrets only Alison knows.

As the series progresses, a core group of characters emerges as they work to uncover the identity of A and put an end to their torment that begins with threats and then grows into shocking acts of terror that risk their lives. These characters vary in their impact on the series and their quality overall.

Updated on March 26th, 2024 by Fawzia Khan: Pretty Little Liars is just the right amount of murder, teen drama, mystery, and romance, which is why the show remains popular to date. Every character was mysterious with their own pasts, which made their motives unclear. This was what made these characters so good. This list has been updated with even more of the best characters from Pretty Little Liars.

15 Wren Kingston Played The Most Twisted Games

• Wren was portrayed by Julian Morris.

Wren entered Pretty Little Liars as a charming young man who had a history with the Hastings sisters. First engaged to Melissa, Wren then started a relationship with Spencer and then went back to Melissa, which made him a suspicious character. Wren's attraction to Hastings went even further, though, as he was eventually shown to be in love with Alex, Spencer's secret twin sister.

Wren had no reluctance in harassing the Liars and was part of the A.D. team and schemes. Eventually, he paid the price of being a part of these groups — Alex killed Wren because he wouldn't pretend that she was Spencer. Wren was an antagonist and a bully.

14 Melissa Hastings Tried To Be A Better Sister, But Failed

• In addition to Pretty Little Liars, Torrey DeVitto has also appeared in teen shows Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, and The Vampire Diaries.

Spencer and Melissa shared plenty of animosity since they were young. Sadly, a lot of what Melissa did looked sinister, so she unwittingly became a villain in the Liars' lives. Melissa tried to protect Spencer most times, even if it meant that she had to bury a body to keep her safe from the authorities. Her dark arc continued when she was blackmailed by A to become the Black Swan and Queen of Hearts.

Melissa could be enigmatic yet intimidating, which made her quite an intriguing character. If she had been a bit firmly on the side of the Liars and less of a toxic friend and sister to Spencer, she may have been more likable and higher on this list.

13 Ezra Fitz Is A Manipulative And Predatory Love Interest

• The character of Ezra is an English teacher, so the creators combined the names of two writers, Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald, for the character's name (source IMDb).

Ezra Fitz is the love interest of Aria Montgomery, as well as being her high school teacher. The incredibly inappropriate underage relationship was handled very poorly by the series and set a bad example for the show's predominately young female audience. Any character who pointed out that the dynamic was not only illegal but also unhealthy was villainized.

Illegal relationship aside, Ezra is also incredibly manipulative and calculating. A major series plot twist revealed Ezra had known about the stalker all along and was secretly writing a book about it. Ezra knew because he had secretly hooked up with Alison the summer before. So not only was he in another underage relationship, but he knew how old Aria was when they first hooked up, even though he pretended he did not. To summarize, Ezra is a predator, a liar, and a master manipulator whose behavior often goes unchecked in favor of romantic drama and a more obvious villain.

12 Toby Cavanaugh Is No More Than A Love Interest

• The character of Toby Cavanaugh was recast from actor James Neate to Keegan Allen after the pilot episode (Source IMDb).

Toby Cavanaugh is one of the long-term love interests on Pretty Little Liars, and despite being in all seven seasons of the series, he doesn't grow beyond the label of love interest. This isn't a series problem, as characters such as Caleb can stand on their own two feet without his protagonist love interest. However, Toby cannot do the same.

Toby is presented intriguingly at first, being introduced as a potential stalker suspect due to his past victimization by Alison and shady behavior. However, as the secrets are uncovered and Toby switches from suspect to ally, he becomes less interesting, and even later plotlines involving his mother's mysterious demise aren't interesting enough to elevate him from a love interest to an independent character.

11 Jenna Marshall Is A Good Villain But Pales In Comparison To Other Antagonists

• The actresses for both Jenna and Alison, Tammin Sursok and Sasha Pieterse, respectively, were both born in Johannesburg, South Africa (Source IMDb).

Jenna is a secondary antagonist in Pretty Little Liars, and she makes a great enemy for the Liars. Her backstory is very intriguing, as she was inadvertently blinded in one of Alison's schemes and has carried an ax to grind since that moment. Jenna's calculating nature and dangerous manipulation skills make her a formidable opponent.

Despite Jenna's interesting personality traits and a captivating performance by Tammin Sursok, she has a hard time competing with the other antagonist characters in the series. She does well with the screen time she has, but when put against some other antagonists, it's clear she won't be walking away the victor. Not to mention, she forced her step-brother Toby into a semi-incestuous relationship, which left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

10 Ella Montgomery Was Always Protective Of Her Children

• Aria named her adoptive daughter after her mother, calling her Katherine Ella.

Aria's mother, Ella, was a big part of PLL, especially at the start, although she did move away in the middle. Ella was also a teacher at their school, so she was keen to keep an eye on Aria and her friends. Sadly, the dedicated wife and mother of two got a rude shock when she got to know that her husband had been cheating, and her daughter had known about it.

Ella divorced her husband and went on to create a new life with Zack, but cut him loose when she found out that he had been hitting on Hanna. She was fiercely protective of her kids and their friends and managed to find her family and home in the end.

9 Maya St. Germain Had So Much Potential

• Maya St. Germain died in Season 2 of Pretty Little Liars, but her book counterpart stayed alive.

Maya's entry into the show was a breath of fresh air. Maya was cool, laidback, and not hesitant to tap into her vices now and then. Her meet-cute with Emily was one of the best on the show — these two really belonged together. Maya brought out the best parts in Emily, even when she suffered herself.

Maya's parents sent her away to True North when they caught her with drugs, which turned out to be deadly for her. She was a vibrant young woman who was misunderstood, and when she chose Emily over her ex-boyfriend, Lyndon killed her ruthlessly. Maya's life was cut short too soon, and all the Liars liked her immensely.

8 Ashley Marin Was A Powerful Matriarch

• Laura Leighton appeared in 142 episodes of Pretty Little Liars.

Ashley Marin was one of the most supportive parents in Rosewood, and she stayed heavily involved in Hanna's life and well-being. She was divorced because her husband had an affair with someone else, which left her impoverished. Ashley didn't let this affect Hanna, instead siphoning money from her wealthy clients to keep up their lifestyle.

Ashley didn't have an issue breaking the law, so long as it benefitted her daughter. She had saved Hanna from multiple messes by sacrificing herself, which warmed audiences to her. Ashley was a cool mom but also a mother hen, and her involvement in the Liars' lives was good for them.

7 Aria Montgomery Couldn't Escape Her Relationship Drama

• Lucy Hale, the actress for Aria Montgomery, was the only person on the cast who remained in the dark about the identity of A, as she is known for being bad at keeping secrets (source IMDb).

Aria Montgomery is one of the four main characters in Pretty Little Liars and is by far the least interesting of the group. Throughout the series, it's truly rare for Aria to have a plotline that isn't centered around her near-constant on-again and off-again toxic relationship with Ezra Fitz.

Aria's involvement in repeated relationship drama just feels disturbing as it drags on. As viewers watch, Ezra drags Aria into adult drama in his personal life while Aria is still in high school. This also highlights how out of place Aria can appear in this Ezra-based drama and shows how she sometimes appears disconnected from the main group as a result.

6 Mona Vanderwaal Is A Fantastic Villain Who Becomes Much More

• The actors for Aria (Lucy Hale), Alison (Sasha Pieterse), Caleb (Tyler Blackburn), and Mona (Janel Parrish) are all musicians and have all produced their own albums (source IMDb).

Mona Vanderwaal is both an antagonist and ally for the main group of Liars in Pretty Little Liars. She is the original version of the stalker known as A before becoming an ally to the main group of Liars as new foes take up the mantle. This unique change in role is one of the many reasons that Mona is one of the most interesting and nuanced characters in the entire series.

Mona initially presents herself as a stereotypical airheaded popular girl who is close friends with Hanna. Fans were then shocked when the mask came off for the first time to reveal Mona as A. When Mona becomes allies with her former victims, it can be hard to root for her due to some of her more harsh stalker antics, but overall, she is a great addition to the main cast.

5 Hanna Marrin Is A Passionate And Energetic Member Of The Core Four

• Originally, Aria's actress Lucy Hale auditioned for the role of Hanna Marin, which would later go to Ashley Benson (Source IMDb).

Hanna Marin is another one of the four core girls in Pretty Little Liars. Hanna is a strong-willed and good-natured person whom Alison molded to join her friendship group after being a social outcast during the early years of high school due to an eating disorder and resulting body dysmorphia. Once Alison disappeared, Hanna used her newfound self-confidence to climb the ranks of Rosewood High, and this confidence would come into play when her friends came under target by their mysterious stalker.

Hanna is a very instinctually driven person, and while this provides consistent energy for the group to keep them going when times are tough, it has also been known to backfire. Hanna's impulsivity came back to bite her on several occasions when she tried and failed to trap A. These failures and explosive TV plotlines had dangerous consequences for Hanna, and she should have seen them coming.

4 Caleb Rivers Is Whip Smart And More Than Just A Love Interest

• All of the main Liars have suspected their love interests of being A, which includes Caleb, Toby, Paige, and Ezra (Source IMDb).

Caleb Rivers is the primary love interest of Hanna Marin and a teenage hacker who assists the girls in their mission to uncover their dangerous stalker. Caleb is an incredibly interesting character who meshes very well with the dynamic of the Liars. He is quick-witted and sharp-tongued, which creates a fun social atmosphere when paired with the likes of Hanna and her friends, who share similar traits.

Caleb's tech wizardry and struggles with being a homeless foster child also give him a lot of material for the plotlines that he carries with ease on his own. This is evident when Caleb got his short-lived spinoff, Ravenswood, which could have been successful if not for the bizarre supernatural plot of the series.

3 Spencer Hastings Is A Genius And The Brains Of The Operation

• Spencer is the only Liar who does not commit murder over the course of the series (Source IMDb).

Spencer Hastings is the brains of the Liars, and she's confident enough to let people know it. Spencer is an ambitious girl who is from a high-achieving family whom she feels constantly compared to, especially her older sister Melissa. Spencer's need for a perfect image leads her to have a lot of secrets, such as addiction, trysts with her sister's boyfriends, and occasionally plagiarism.

Spencer's intellect comes in handy when her friends are working to uncover the identity of A. She proves to be a whiz at deduction and code-breaking, which leads her to be the first to uncover the identity of A's first iteration, who was revealed to be Mona. Spencer does prove to be her own worst enemy, as it can be dangerous for Spencer when she gets stuck in her head, which leaves her vulnerable to outside threats.

2 Alison DiLaurentis Perfected How To Be A Mean Girl

• Sasha Pieterse, who played Alison, lied about her age when she first started the series, saying she was 14 instead of 12. She was the youngest member of the cast overall (source IMDb).

Alison DiLaurentis is the fifth liar who faked her death in the first half of the series Pretty Little Liars. Alison is the queen bee of Rosewood, but she is so much more than just a typical mean girl. She is an expert manipulator and blackmailer and uses this skill to turn the secrets of her friends, enemies, and neighbors into currency to get her way. When the tables get turned on her, she flees Rosewood in a dramatic fashion that perfectly fits her character.

Alison may be a great character to watch, but she is an awful person and is not the hero in anyone's story, not even her own. However, a good character doesn't always have to be a good person. Alison's character does lose some of her edge in the later seasons, but overall, she is a fantastic part of the series, and it wouldn't exist without her.

1 Emily Fields Is The Glue That Keeps The Liars Together

• Emily Fields, Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, and Hanna Marin are the only characters to appear in every episode of Pretty Little Liars (Source IMDb).

Emily Fields is the heart and strength of the Liars. She is an athlete hiding her sexuality from the world to fit in, which gives her an air of vulnerability that makes her relatable. Emily gets flack for being the most trusting member of the group, but the fact that she never loses her ability to see the good in others despite all she goes through is a true mark of strength.

Emily is a perfectly balanced character. She has a good heart and is, without a doubt, the kindest character in the show, but she is also incredibly fierce and will do anything to protect those she cares about. People in the series underestimate Emily, but that consistently proves to be the wrong choice.

Pretty Little Liars (2010)

TV-14

Drama

Mystery

Romance

Four friends band together against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, while also investigating the disappearance of their best friend.

Release Date

June 8, 2010

Cast

Troian Bellisario , Ashley Benson , Shay Mitchell , Lucy Hale

Creator

I. Marlene King