Viu Streamer Launches Asian Adaptation of ‘Pretty Little Liars’

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Multi-territory Asian streaming service Viu is launching its latest original series, “Pretty Little Liars.” The show is a Bali-set adaptation of the Warner Bros. teen mystery series of the same name.

The 10-part series is directed by Emil Heradi, best known for his work on “Night Bus,” which won six Indonesian Film Festival Awards in 2017.

He delivers a story about four female students whose clique falls apart when their leader, goes mysteriously missing. A year later, the four find themselves reunited when they begin to receive messages from a mysterious figure, who threatens to expose their darkest secrets.

The cast is headed by Anya Geraldine, Eyka Farhana, Vanessa Thomas and Shindy Huang. Seasoned Indonesian actors including Wulan Guritno, Tarra Budiman and Irgi Fahrezi, and other rising stars Jennifer Coppen and Marcell Darwin, fill out the cast.

All 10 episodes of the show are immediately available for binge viewing in all 16 of Viu’s Asian territories.
“This gripping and binge-worthy series will provide a platform for critical discussions around friendship, empowerment and the consequences of cyber-bullying,” said Sahana Kamath, head of original production for Viu Indonesia and Malaysia, during a video conference on Wednesday.

Viu is backed by Hong Kong’s PCCW telecoms to media group and claims 41 million monthly active users across its ad-supported tier and a premium subscription section. It has made a success of local programming in the East Asian region, starting with Korean content and latterly expanding into Chinese and Thai language shows.

One of its previous original shows was the Malaysian adaptation (with HBO Asia) of Endemol Shine Group’s “The Bridge.” Another was a local version of CJ E&M’s “Black.”