Seven seasons in, Pretty Little Liars is still a television and social media phenomenon, with dedicated fans and viewership despite the summer months. And with Freeform (previously ABC Family) announcing that the current season will be the last (set to wrap up in 2017), fans have had all the more reason to relish the final moments.
And relish they did on Wednesday night when the summer finale hit TV screens. Canvs, the language analytics company, took a look at the Emotional Reactions (ERs) viewers expressed on Twitter, analyzing all tweets about the show captured by Nielsen, throughout the first half of season 7.
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In total, this season, which began on June 21, has prompted 301,480 ERs, with an average of over 30,000 ERs per airing. The show has a 325% higher Reaction Volume than the average drama series across all networks and a 512% higher Reaction Volume compared to other Freeform shows. The success of Pretty Little Liars also transcends genre and network; from June 1- Aug. 31, it was the fifth most emotionally reacted-to series on TV, period.
Freeform also posts clips from episodes on YouTube, and those from season 7 so far have collected 786 ERs.
An insane summer finale
The midseason finale elicited shock and awe from viewers, driving an impressive 73,448 ERs during the night. Fans were not shy about expressing emotions; they talked about how crazy the episode was 30.9% of the time. This volume of Emotional Reactions is notable because it’s the highest out of all emotions expressed on Twitter around the episode, including love — which is typically the most popular sentiment.
PLL WAS INSANE
— em (@songlikeyou) August 31, 2016
OH MY GOS. THIS IS BY FAR THE CRAZIEST EPISODE I HAVE EVER SEEN ON PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. WHAT THE H
— melanie (@melanieftjdb) August 31, 2016
WOW HOLY CRAP #PLLChat
— Brittany :) (@iansgoose) August 31, 2016
The most intense moment came at the end of the episode, where there were nearly 7,000 ERs in a five-minute time period, with 58.3% of them commenting on how crazy the closing scene was (don’t worry, no spoilers here). As the episode concluded, viewers also expressed dismay at having to wait until April for the series’ conclusion.
OMG PLL WAS TOO MUCH FOR ME
— Megatron (@meghanrobles_) August 31, 2016
Omg at this #Pll it was insane! Cant believe we have to wait 'til April!! #deathtrAp so in shock
— I MET THE QUEEN (@WeHeartQueenD) August 31, 2016
