Pretty Little Liars: Stars Share Secrets on the Set of Their New Show

Lovely stars—including Privileged's Lucy Hale and Melrose Place's Laura Leighton—of the new ABC Family series dish on their mysterious new teen drama

Sometimes the prettiest girls have the ugliest secrets.

That's the premise for the new series Pretty Little Liars, premiering tonight on ABC Family. Based on Sara Shephard's popular teen novels, the show focuses on a clique of beautiful rich girls who drifted apart when their ringleader Alison disappeared a year ago. Now they are being text-tormented by "A"—the nasty Alison? Maybe...you'll discover her fate at the end of the tonight's episode.

Read on for scoop from PLL's lovely stars, including Privileged's Lucy Hale and Melrose Place's Laura Leighton.

Protecting Her Young: When Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson of Eastwick) is busted for shoplifting, mom comes to the rescue. "She's sleeping with a cop to [drop the] charges against me!" Ashley told us. Soapy Melrose Place veteran Laura Leighton told us even she was "completely shocked" about Mrs. Marin's relationship with the "shady" Detective Darren Wilden (Bryce Johnson). Whatever happened to grounding?

Hot for Teacher: Detective Wilden might be interested to hear about a hot hookup between high schooler Aria (Lucy Hale) and her sexy English teacher, Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding). "As of right now, it's pretty innocent," Lucy protested when we asked about a potential case of statutory rape. "They didn't sleep together, and there are no bad intentions—except for the fact that I'm underage. It's not lustful, it's pure." Added Ian: "It's kind of a thin line we have to walk on the show. Like when does it just get gross? [But] there's something honest and real there...[with] a lot of kissing."

Don't Box Me In: Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell) is doing a lot of secret smooching too—with another girl. "I don't even know if I'd consider Emily as being gay," Shay told us. "I think she's just coming to terms with what she likes: 'Do I like both; is that normal?' She's more just exploring that than she is labeling herself one or the other." Troian Bellisario, who plays Spencer Hastings, the overachieving fourth member of the clique, told us that because "Emily loved Alison—might have felt more than friendship love for her—[the girls] gather around her and support her," especially after Alison's fate becomes known.

Love Birds: We caught Ian saluting more than one of his Pretty costars behind the scenes with his middle finger. "It's a running joke," he laughed. Bird flipping aside, the young castmembers really do seem to feel the love, shrieking and laughing as they pass each other on the soundstage. Their characters might be divas, but the PLL cast members are refreshingly normal.

Dr. 90210: Don't give up on PLL if the pilot doesn't dazzle you—filming has relocated from Vancouver to Los Angeles, with a fancy new set. "I can't wait for you to see the second episode," gushed Troian. "Our hair and makeup are totally different, [and it's] a lot more naturalistic."