NYCC ‘21: ‘One of Us is Lying’ combines The Breakfast Club and murder

Five students enter detention. Only four will leave.

October 9, 2021

Five students enter detention. Only four will leave. This is the initial premise of the new Peacock series One of Us is Lying, based on the bestselling book by Karen McManus.

Teen blogger Simon (Mark McKenna) is the unfortunate soul who doesn’t survive detention. He threatened to reveal gossipy secrets about four unknown classmates, and apparently one — if not all of them — was willing to kill to keep those secrets.

Showrunner Dario Madrona describes the show as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. Like the The Breakfast Club, the characters start the series as teen archetypes but develop as the audience learns more about them. “There’s definitely more beneath the surface,” says actress Annalisa Cochrane (Addy Prentiss) at the NY Comic Con virtual panel Friday evening. “They’re not 2 dimensional; they’re complex.”

“[Karen McManus] was a great collaborator,” says Executive Producer Erica Saleh. The novelist read the episodes and provided feedback along the way. But Saleh also promises plenty of surprises in store for even fans of the book. “It’s the same central mystery,” she says. “But we take these four central archetypes and add surprises for readers of the book.”

Saleh also credits actress Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time) for adding some of her own stamp to the project in directing the pilot episode, which Saleh scripted. According to Saleh, Morrison helped establish the show’s visual style. The actors, too, say Morrison’s own acting background was invaluable in helping their performances.

The first three episodes of One of Us Is Lying already dropped Thursday, October 7, on Peacock with the next 3 episodes coming Thursday, October 14. And the final 2 episodes will come the following Thursday.