We Were Liars: Meet the cast and the characters they play
In the mood for a summer mystery? We Were Liars, the new Prime Video series based on the novel by E. Lockhart, takes us to Beachwood–the private island owned by the Sinclair family–and the mystery of what happened at the end of Summer 16. The main characters are three cousins and one non-relation who call themselves "the liars" and have spent summers together since they were eight years old, a.k.a. Summer 8, playing and getting into trouble.
The liars grow up together until one summer changes everything for them and their family members. Like any show about a big family, it does take a minute to tell cousins from siblings and learn which child belongs to which parent. Here's what you need to know about the cast and crew of We Were Liars.
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Tom's Guide
6 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
5 teen thriller shows like 'We Were Liars' to stream right now
Based on a 2014 novel by E. Lockhart, "We Were Liars" is the latest teen drama to hit Prime Video. It stars Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence, a girl from a wealthy family who is struggling to recover her memory after an accident she experiences during the show's first episode. Surrounded by her three closest friends — the group dubs themselves 'The Liars,' hence the title — Cadence desperately tries to figure out what happened to her, since she has no memory of the event itself. But the deeper she digs, the more it becomes clear to her that the truth is being hidden by those closest to her. A perfect summer watch, "We Were Liars" keeps you captivated through all its twists and turns. After you finish bingeing it, here are a few other teen thriller shows like "We Were Liars" that will fill a similar niche. The main difference between "We Were Liars" and "One Of Us Is Lying" appears to be exactly how many of the characters are being dishonest. OK, so that's not quite true, but lies and secrets are still a huge part of the game. Like "We Were Liars," "One Of Us is Lying" is also based on a YA mystery novel adapted for the small screen, revolving around four teenagers who have been implicated in the death of their classmate. The plot thickens when we learn that the deceased left behind a poem containing potentially life-altering secrets about each of the four students who are now being considered as suspects in his death. Did one of them do it? Did all of them do it? Well, you have to watch to find out. Watch on Peacock Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Like Cadence in "We Were Liars," Maddie (Peyton List) in "School Spirits" is suffering from a bout of amnesia. She spends the better part of the first season attempting to unravel what led to her own disappearance and — without spoiling anything _ things don't exactly get easier to explain once she understands what's going on. And just like "We Were Liars," there are some supernatural elements at play that defy the expectations of a typical teen drama. "School Spirits" ran for two seasons on Freeform, the second of which wrapped up in March 2025. It may not have had a chance to reach its full potential, but it's still an underrated and criminally underseen show. Watch on Paramount Plus "We Were Liars" revolves around one central mystery; "Riverdale" thinks that having one mystery is for babies and instead features about 10 different convoluted plotlines going on at any given time, each popping up like a demented game of whack-a-mole (we mean this as a compliment.) Nominally based on the Archie comics that began in the late 1940s, "Riverdale" takes the kernel of those origins and turns them into a teen drama on steroids. With Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) getting up to increasingly outlandish antics, you never know what's going to happen next in their not-so-sleepy town. Watch on Netflix Secrets are basically part and parcel on "Pretty Little Liars." A safe assumption to make is that no one on the show is telling the truth at any given time, which is how "We Were Liars" often feels. The immensely popular teen drama ran on Freeform for seven seasons, putting its central cast through the ringer the entire time. After the queen bee of their high school clique suddenly disappears, the mysterious figure known only as A begins to target the group of friends, threatening to reveal all of their secrets. As the story unfolds, it seems like new mysteries and twists emerge at every turn, ensuring that "Pretty Little Liars" held the interest of audiences over the course of several years, never giving them — or the characters they became fascinated by — a moment's rest. Watch on Hulu or Max At the very beginning of "Cruel Summer," Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia) appears to be a perfectly sweet, if somewhat awkward, girl who experiences a glow-up over the summer, as many teenagers do. But when she's essentially able to step into the shoes of her missing classmate Kate (Olivia Holt), a popular girl at school, you kind of start to wonder if Kate got Single White Femaled. Especially when Kate turns up after a year of having been gone and accuses Jeanette of knowing about her abduction and purposefully keeping silent about it to preserve her new social standing. A frothy teen soap, "Cruel Summer" was at its peak during its explosive first season, but its second — which features an entirely new cast of characters — is worth a watch as well. Watch on Hulu
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
The Bear We Were Liars The Buccaneers What To Watch
Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything! Welcome to Screen Time! I'm Nora, and if there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I love watching TV and movies. I also absolutely love being absorbed in fandoms. This week, I dive into the TV shows I am currently watching, like, can we talk about We Were Liars, please? THAT TWIST!!! I SOBBED!!! I also share what's all over my FYP — like the New York Times dropping the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century — and what we've got going on over on BuzzFeed Celeb's YouTube channel, plus more. Thanks for joining me! We Were Liars — watch for: one of the best plot twists ever Streaming on Prime Video Based on the bestselling book by E. Lockhart, We Were Liars follows "The Liars," a tight-knit circle of friends who vacation every summer together on a private island in New England. While on the surface the Sinclair family is known for their good looks, generational wealth, and their close bonds, after a life-altering accident, everyone seems to have something to hide. This book (and show) has one of the best plot twists, so if you are unspoiled, try to watch before you get spoiled, and if you've read the book already, I honestly think I loved the show more?! This adaptation works on every level. The Vampire Diaries fans, co-creator Julie Plec is behind this one, and even brings along Candice King, aka Caroline Forbes. Also, this young cast is so stellar. In particular, it was awesome getting to see Joseph Zada (aka young Haymitch in the upcoming Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping). So, cue the fan edits already. The Buccaneers — watch for: a show that fills the Bridgerton void with an absolutely stacked cast Streaming on Apple TV+, new episodes every Wednesday It's the show every Bridgerton, Dickinson, and/or Reign fan should be watching. Based on Edith Wharton's unfinished novel, The Buccaneers is set during the Gilded Age and follows a group of ambitious young women from America who travel to London for a debutante season in hopes of securing husbands and titles. I think one of my favorite TV genres might be a period piece that utilizes modern music, manners of speech, and more, because The Buccaneers and Dickinson have both done this, and I've adored them both. Like I said, the cast is one of the main draws: Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Matthew Broome, Aubri Ibrag, Guy Remmers, Mia Threapleton, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, and Christina Hendricks to name a few, and in Season 2, Leighton Meester joins, so enough said. Also, who doesn't love good Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan needle drops?! The Bear — watch for: the cast's always entertaining dynamic Streaming on Hulu and Disney+ The fourth season of this Emmy-winning comedy (or let's be real, drama) just dropped, and while I wasn't a big fan of the third season — I liked aspects but overall it felt super rushed and I didn't love every storyline — I will be finishing binge-watching the new season this weekend regardless. The new season will pick up with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Syd (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and the rest of the crew continuing to make their restaurant, The Bear, strive for excellence. However, as with previous seasons of The Bear, more challenges, both financial and personal, are around every corner. Honestly, I will be watching for Ayo's performance and to see if there are any exciting guest stars this season. I'm curious if Season 4 regains the spark that Seasons 1 and 2 had, or if The Bear is just running in circles and overstaying its welcome. These are some of my favorite things from my FYP, feed, and more: The New York Times published its list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. My favorite part of this project is that they asked actors, directors, and more to give their 10 favorite movies of the 21st Century, too, and it's been so cool reading them — Sofia Coppola's list is pretty flawless, but I am also obsessed with Julianne Moore having Superbad on hers — because as a Letterboxd superfan, I love this kind of stuff. You can also make your own ballot. Mine might have some recency bias, but I feel pretty comfortable saying this is my top 10: And I know this isn't technically a movie or TV show yet, but I just finished reading Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and it has already been optioned to be adapted, so I'm putting my love for it here, too. I've read everything she's written, consider The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo my favorite book of all time, and I loved the Daisy Jones & the Six adaptation. A book about space deserved a photo under Grand Central's iconic constellation ceiling. So naturally, when I finished Atmosphere, after I screamed and cried and felt every single emotion, I started fan-casting in my head, and I've proceeded to tell all my friends who have finished that Ashley Johnson would be the perfect Joan. So, please read this book. It's QUEER AND ABOUT WOMEN IN SPACE! And then tell me your fan casts for Joan and Vanessa. This week, over on BuzzFeed Celeb, I fulfilled my Disney Channel kid dream. We had the cast of Phineas and Ferb — Dan Povenmire (creator and Dr. Doofenshmirtz), Ashley Tisdale (Candace), Jeff "Swampy" Marsh (creator and Major Monogram), Alyson Stoner (Isabella), and Vincent Martella (Phineas) — compete in a game of trivia about the show. Like, not only do they sing "Gitchee Gitchee Goo," but Ashley breaks out into "Busted," so I feel like I can die happy now. The whole thing was so fun, and they were adorably hilarious. 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Send it to me now at screentime@ or at this Google form. Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything!
CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
What Are AI Video Generators? What to Know About Google's Veo 3, Sora and More
First came the rise of AI chatbots, then image generators blew up. Now, tech companies are rushing to release AI video generators. During the past year, nearly every major tech company has announced some kind of AI video model they've been cooking. Each company has its own timeline, which can make it hard to keep up with who's done what. To save you from searching, I've run down every major AI video program and compiled my early insights on the testing I've done on the programs available now. They aren't all built the same, and there are noticeable difference even across one company's AI products. For example, I've seen some of my favorite image generator features pop up in the video models, while others are noticeably absent. AI videos are a huge leap forward in a company's AI creative offerings, and they're something worth keeping an eye on as generative AI become a bigger part of the content we create and see online. This is especially true as the advancement of the tech comes at a time when the legality, ethics and other concerns continue to surround AI creative offerings. This is everything you need to know about the major AI video generators. This list is regularly updated with the most recent info on each generator. For more, check out the best AI image generators. What are AI video generators? AI video generators are one of the latest ways tech companies are using generative AI. These programs use text-to-video and image-to-video technology that lets you create short video clips. You enter a short description called a prompt, or upload an image to animate, and the software creates a clip entirely made with gen AI. These AI videos tend to be between five and 10 seconds long, and only Google's Veo 3 has synchronized audio. Because this tech is new, errors -- called hallucinations -- are possible. What AI video models I can use right now? Some examples of AI video generators you can use now are Sora by OpenAI, Veo 3 by Google and Adobe Firefly. They are all are paid programs that produce decent results and let you customize your shot with control panels. Runway, an AI start-up that co-created the Stable Diffusion image generator, is another AI video option with freemium plans. Other AI start-ups like Luma, Pika and Ideogram are also available. CNET, Lily Hailyeh OpenAI's Sora Sora joined the ChatGPT family at the end of 2024. It's a pretty user-friendly program, but it doesn't have the same conversational UI as Dall-E 3 -- you can't "chat" with Sora to make follow-up revisions. Instead, it's more reminiscent of traditional AI creative services. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) In Sora, you have a panel to customize your video's dimensions, length and stylistic feel. You can enter a prompt or upload an image for Sora to animate, and you can use a few editing options to perfect your video from there. Sora videos also come automatically watermarked, designating their AI origins. Sora is only available to paying ChatGPT users. If you're a ChatGPT Plus user ($20 per month) you'll get 50 priority generation credits per month, with videos up to 5 seconds long at 720p. Upgrading to the Pro tier ($200 per month) gets higher monthly credits, including 500 videos created with priority/fast generation and unlimited videos with relaxed generation. Pro subscribers can also create higher-resolution videos at a max of 1080p, extend the duration of their videos up to 20 seconds and have the option to download videos without the watermark. OpenAI's privacy policy states that it may train on your content unless you opt out. To do that in Sora, go to Settings > General, and turn off Improve model for everyone. You can also exclude your videos from public explore feeds in settings. See at OpenAI Midjourney Midjourney V1 Midjourney is one of the most popular AI image generators, and it just released its first AI video model called V1. You can use Midjourney to create video clips between 5-and-21 seconds long in 720p resolution. You can use Midjourney through Discord or its website. Right now, video generation is paywalled for users, but it's one of the cheaper options at $10 per month. Midjourney's privacy policy says it can use personal information and information included in your prompts to improve its service. If you create in Stealth mode, then your AI images will be private; otherwise they will be shared in a public gallery. See at Midjourney Adobe Adobe Firefly Firefly's standalone AI video generator is available for you to use now, on your computer and through its Firefly mobile app. If you're familiar with Firefly's AI image tools, the video generator set up will feel familiar. The left-side panel lets you customize your clip, and it has the added benefit of letting you select the kind of motion you want (zoom in and out, move right and left, etc). You can also select the camera angle you want, like if you wanted to mimic drone footage with an aerial view. Some Creative Cloud plans include Firefly access, including if you're paying for a single program or all of the Adobe apps. You can check and compare options here. If you don't have an existing Adobe plan, you can try the Firefly standard plan ($10 per month) to create up to 20 videos a month. If you need more generation credits, the Pro plan ($30 per month) gets you up to 70 videos a month. Both Firefly plans come with unlimited AI image generation. Your Firefly videos will be 5 seconds long, at 1080p with no audio. Adobe says that videos created with Firefly are commercially safe, and its AI policy states it will not train on your content. Firefly videos don't have a visible watermark, but its content credentials are automatically attached to your work. Firefly models are trained on licensed and public domain content. See at Adobe Katelyn Chedraoui/CNET Runway AI enthusiasts might recognize Runway as the start-up that co-created the popular AI image generator Stable Diffusion. You might also recognize Runway from a landmark deal it made with a major film studio last fall. Lionsgate agreed to open up its catalog -- thousands of hours of movies like The Hunger Games and John Wick and TV shows like Mad Men -- to be used to create custom AI models for the studio to use. During my brief testing of the service, I was impressed with the prompt-building tools and the general ease of finding my way around. I've also used the service before as part of Canva's Magic Media app, which is convenient if you're a Canva lover. You can use Runway for free on its web app, with 125 monthly credits -- you'll use about 20 credits with each generation, so it's a pretty low limit. Upgrading ($15 per month or $144 annually) gets you 625 monthly credits, access to newer models and the ability to upscale videos to 4K and download without watermarks. Runway's terms of service says it can train its AI on your prompts and the resulting videos but doesn't retain ownership over them. Its privacy policy also states that Runway may disclose your information to affiliates, business and marketing partners. The videos you make are automatically private. See at Runwayml What are some other AI video projects? Notably absent from this list is Meta. The company has devoted its resources to develop AI, but it doesn't have a publicly available AI video generator. It teased a version of one in October 2024. Here's what we know so far. Meta/Screenshot by CNET Meta's Movie Gen Meta's AI video model -- Movie Gen -- is only a research concept right now and not publicly available, with no word on when it may be. Thanks to a research paper Meta published, we know Movie Gen videos could be 1080p HD and up to 16 seconds long at 16 frames per second. The most notable thing going for Movie Gen is the possibility of synchronized audio. Meta said that Movie Gen could also be used to create sound effects, ambient noise and instrumental music up to 45 seconds long. There's always a chance this feature doesn't make it to the final cut, but it would give Meta an edge. Perhaps like with Google and YouTube, we'll see some AI-powered features pop up first on its social platforms, Instagram and Facebook. (We already have a number of other AI features eating up space on our feeds.) Meta's AI models for its chatbot and image generator are trained on publicly available Facebook and Instagram content, as well as licensed data. See at Meta For more, check out our guide to writing the best AI image prompts and the best AI chatbots.
