One of Us Is Lying (TV series)

Did You Know?

• All eight episodes of season two were released on Peacock on October 21, 2022.
• On Netflix, the seasons were released on February 18 and November 16, 2022, respectively.

Premise

Five Bayview High students—Simon, Addy, Cooper, Bronwyn, and Nate—end up in detention together. Simon, who co-ran a school gossip site called About That with his friend Janae, dies from a severe allergic reaction. Since his death wasn't accidental, each of the others becomes a suspect. An anonymous person starts leaking their secrets on About That, pushing them to team up and find the real killer. They eventually figure out Addy's ex-boyfriend Jake was responsible for Simon's death, but they accidentally shoot him. A blackmailer calling themselves "Simon Says" then threatens to send the police a video of Jake's shooting. The group realizes the blackmailer is Nate's tutor, Fiona, who wants them to hand over Addy. Instead, they frame Fiona for Jake's murder, and she dies in jail.

Production

In September 2017, Universal Cable Productions acquired the rights to One of Us Is Lying in a competitive situation, planning a television adaptation for E!. In August 2019, the project moved to NBCUniversal, which gave Peacock its first pilot order with the series. After the success of his Spanish Netflix series Elite, Darío Madrona received offers for American television, including this one. Madrona found the novel "super addictive" and saw the show as a chance to explore themes of friendship, love, and want, while offering something "a little brighter" than typical mystery stories. He was hired as showrunner. In September 2019, Jennifer Morrison was reported to direct the pilot. On August 12, 2020, the project became Peacock's first series order. On January 14, 2022, Peacock renewed the series for a second season, with Saleh replacing Madrona as showrunner. McManus was not involved in outlining the season but reviewed scripts to keep characters' "emotional cores" intact. Madrona stated the series would be faithful to the spirit and themes of the book while adding twists to surprise readers. He found a single season telling a complete story satisfying, noting that viewers often lose interest after a season; thus the first season reveals who killed Simon but leaves other questions unanswered.

Reception

Critics were given the first three episodes before the premiere. John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal said the series was difficult to categorize and noted that its storytelling careened through plot points without needing explanations or narrative development, though he felt the approach was unnecessary and the journey felt like déjà vu. Brad Newsome of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the story "deftly tweaks its balance of suspicions to keep things interesting" but that McKenna and Van Grootel really pull focus. Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter said the series lacked a spark to set it apart, with characters feeling like "archetypes", a "sour, dour mood", and dull colors that keep emotions at arm's length. She opined that due to its lack of notable quirks or deep insights, the series is likely to be forgotten once it ends.