Netflix has seen great success with dark high school drama recently, from 13 Reasons Why to Riverdale, so it’s not surprising to see the streamer get behind another entry in this genre.
One of Us Is Lying is based on the young adult novel of the same name by author Karen M McManus, following a group of detention students who become suspects in a murder investigation.
The victim is Simon (played by Sing Street star Mark McKenna), who is a figure of disdain at Bayview High for starting an online gossip website about his fellow classmates.
When he suffers a fatal allergic reaction one afternoon, the police declare the tragedy was no accident and begin scrutinising anyone who had motive to target the schoolboy – of course, that doesn’t exactly narrow things down.
Read on for all your essential information on One of Us Is Lying, as the show finally gets its UK launch courtesy of Netflix.
One of Us Is Lying release date
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One of Us Is Lying will be available to stream on Netflix UK and Ireland from Friday 18th February 2022.
Previously, the show had aired in the United States on NBC’s on demand service Peacock, where it was rolled out across the month of October 2021.
The show enjoyed a generally positive reception from critics and strong viewership, which has secured it a second season – although Deadline reports this follow-up will deviate from McManus’ sequel novel (titled One of Us Is Next).
“We are thrilled that the compelling and binge-worthy first season of One of Us Is Lying resonated so strongly with our YA audience,” said Lisa Katz, president of scripted content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.
“The fandom behind the series is incredibly passionate and we can’t wait to deliver more twists and turns that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.”
Showrunner Erica Saleh added: “We are so happy with the reception of season 1, and are beyond thrilled that we get to continue our story in season 2. We can’t wait to bring more mystery to the halls of Bayview High!”
One of Us Is Lying cast
The core cast is comprised of Chibuikem Uche (The Tomorrow War) as baseball pitcher Cooper, Annalisa Cochrane (Cobra Kai) as cheerleader Addy, Marianly Tejada (Orange Is the New Black) as overachiever Bronwyn, and Cooper van Grootel (Mystery Road) as drug dealer Nate.
The Royal Treatment‘s Jacque Drew plays police detective Wheeler, who is watching the four students closely following the suspicious death of their detention classmate Simon (Sing Street star Mark McKenna).
Other key players at Bayview High are played by Barrett Carnahan (Cruel Summer), Jessica McLeod (The Unforgivable) and Melissa Collazo (Swamp Thing), while Sara Thompson (The 100) and Alimi Ballard (CSI) also appear in recurring roles.
What is One of Us Is Lying about?
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One of Us Is Lying focuses primarily on four high school students – Cooper, Addy, Bronwyn and Nate – who become prime suspects in the murder of one of their classmates.
Simon has a fatal allergic reaction while spending an afternoon in detention with the pupils in question and a police enquiry soon concludes that the tragic turn of events was planned.
The trouble is that all four of them have motives for wanting Simon dead, as well as many others at Bayview High, owing to the fact that he ran a gossip website specialising in spilling the scandalous secrets of the student population.
With the threat of prison time looming over them, the teenagers are in a frantic race for answers, which brings shocking revelations and yet more disaster their way.
Is One of Us Is Lying based on a book?
One of Us Is Lying is based on the young adult novel of the same name by author Karen M McManus, which was first published in May 2017 to a positive reception from critics.
After spending an impressive 166 weeks in the New York Times bestseller list, NBC Universal began pursuing a television adaptation, ultimately ordering a full series in August 2020.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which at that time was making US-based filming very difficult, One of Us Is Lying was filmed in New Zealand and will return there for season 2.
One of Us Is Lying trailer
Peacock dropped the first full-length trailer for One of Us Is Lying back in September 2021, roughly one month before its North American premiere on the streaming service. Watch below.
A shorter teaser had been released over the summer of that same year, which gave fans of the novel their first look at these characters in live-action. You can find that here too.
One of Us Is Lying arrives on Netflix on Friday 18th February 2022. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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