The Lying Game Credit: image courtesy of abcfamily.com

I admit, I’ve never seen any of ABC Family’s teen-oriented series, and all of their titles sorta blur into one super-show in my mind, something like The Secret History of Pretty Little Liars Who Were Switched at Birth. Tonight the network debuts a new series that seems to pull from the same elements, but, hey, this one’s filmed in Austin.

In an email sent out this weekend to the Austin Film Society’s membership list, AFS executive director Rebecca Campbell spelled out the impact of The Lying Game in a town that’s been hurting for a major series’ production since Friday Night Lights closed up shop.

“Shooting in Austin for at least few months this summer and fall, the show is pouring millions into our local economy and hiring a huge number of Austin’s renowned, seasoned, skilled crew members,” Campbell wrote. “If it’s a hit they could be around for a long time and bring lots more jobs here, not to mention the impact it has on Austin’s reputation as a great place to shoot.”

Based on a YA book series by Sara Shepard (who also penned the Pretty Little Liars series), The Lying Game is a thriller about twins separated at birth (played by Alexandra Chando). It debuts tonight at 8pm on ABC Family.

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This article appears in August 12 • 2011.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...