Mystery Teen Shows

I have to say, I'm very satisfied with most of these shows. One is a "rewatch" and the others were all new to me, so let's begin!

1. Scream The TV Series S01-S02

First up, it's the Scream TV show that came out in 2015 I believe. I absolutely loved it the first time I watched it and nothing changed since then. It's been quite a few years, but I still remembered some of the plot points, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the show. The cast is perfect, the twists are shocking and the dialogues are great. The decisions these teens make are smart most of the time and they don't waste time at all - they investigate, they deduce, they interrogate, etc. 

I've watched both seasons. There's also a third one, but it has a completely different cast and doesn't connect to the first 2 so I don't count it. Both seasons are brilliant, thought through and I just loved where the story went. Another thing I loved is that they obviously made fun of all slasher movies and shows - they constantly mentioned and poke fun at all the usual tropes.  

If you are looking for well-developed characters who make smart decisions in a slasher movie environment with great twists, watch this show!!!

2. PLL: Original Sin (S01) & Summer School (S02)

 

Now this, well, this one is tough to explain 😂 I think, if Riverdale and Scream TV Show had a baby, and if that baby's grandmother was the OG PLL show - you'd get this 😂 I'll try to explain why, bear with me.

It's obviously got some connection to the OG, but the vibes are not the same. You have the 5 girls getting messages from A who wants to torture them, but the rest is IMO different. If you asked me, I'd definitely say these characters were much nicer people than those from the OG. Also, there's far less school drama, and more actual investigating. 

That's where we get to the "Scream" point - just like that show, this one is focused on finding a serial killer. In the OG, it was more about blackmail, threats and just creeping the main characters out. In this one, the murders are the main point and the characters are trying to survive the attacks and find who did it. 

That leaves Riverdale - how are they connected? Fun fact, one of the characters actually mentions they have a "cousin" in Riverdale, but that's not why I said it 😂 It's the aesthetic - bright, fun colors in a macabre setting. Plus, all the ridiculous shenanigans the MC do. It was fun to watch, and I definitely preferred the first season, but overall it had some weak points.

For example, sometimes the dialogue and the acting were a bit cringey and not natural. Also, some episodes felt like filler content because they didn't move the plot forward at all. In the end, I enjoyed it and while it's not as good as Scream, it still offers that spooky slasher fun perfect for autumn.

3. A Good Girl's Guide To Murder

Compared to the first two, this one is more like a cozy mystery. It's the British countryside, soft colours, not too much drama, very chill. Since it's been a long gap between reading the book and watching the show, I can't compare all the details 😂

But I can say for sure, the book was a million times better. The characters were far more developed and interesting and there was actual investigating, unlike in the show. I feel the TV show Pippa mostly stumbled across the information instead of actively trying to find it. Not only that, but they basically removed the podcast! I was so angry about that. In the book, she starts the podcast at the same time she starts investigating and we follow her journey while she finds new info, posts about it etc. In the show, she was much more passive and she didn't have a podcast, which changed the story so much 😡 She did do one livestream, or whatever that was, at the very end of the show but I don't even count that. 

One more thing I disliked was how Ravi was basically unimportant and if he disappeared from the show, I don't think we'd miss him 😅 As far as I remember, he was Pippa's accomplice in the books and helped her with her podcast, with the case and everything. I finished this show a month ago and I can't remember what he did 😂 And there was definitely a lack of chemistry between them. I remember being such a Ravi x Pip stan and loving them in the books. 

There were some cute moments but it was all very underwhelming and not very exciting. If I hadn't read the books, maybe I'd enjoy this as a quiet, low-key cozy teen mystery, but knowing the source material, this just makes me feel disappointed.