THE DRAMA AND DECEPTION IS DOUBLED IN THE NEW ABC FAMILY ORIGINAL SERIES, "THE LYING GAME," PREMIERING ON MONDAY, AUGUST 15TH AT 9:00 PM ET/PT

Burbank, CA (July 5, 2011) - Separated at birth, identical twins Emma Becker and Sutton Mercer have led very different lives, each oblivious to the other's existence until circumstances bring them back together. Yearning for the family she never had, Emma agrees to help Sutton with her plan to find their birth parents, setting in motion a web of secrecy and lies, in the ABC Family new original series, "The Lying Game," premiering on Monday, August 15th (9:00 - 10:00 PM ET/PT).

In the premiere episode, Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid, learns she has an identical twin sister, Sutton. Unlike Emma, Sutton was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living every teenager's dream life. While both girls are eager to meet each other, Sutton feels it is better to wait until she tells her adoptive parents what she has discovered. Emma and Sutton agree to continue their separate lives, that is until Emma has an unfortunate encounter with her foster family that forces her to flee to the only person she can turn to - Sutton.

Upon meeting in person for the first time, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on the identity of their birth mother. Though doubtful that she'll be able to play the part of a rich girl, Emma agrees and enters what once was only a fantasy world to her. But while the girls may look exactly alike, their mannerisms are far from identical: Emma is polite and gracious to her new family, unlike Sutton, who has seemingly taken them for granted. And socially Emma must now play the part of the "it" girl, something she has never been, and soon learns the consequences that come with the title. To complicate matters further, Emma discovers that Sutton is keeping some secrets on her own.

Though their plan is going seemingly well, on the night they're to meet up again, Sutton fails to show. Now Emma has to decide whether to come clean about her true identity -- and risk her own safety in the hope of uncovering her sister's whereabouts, along with the truth of the separation -- or continue to play the part of the perfect girl and hope her sister knows what she is doing.

Based on the novel series and produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television, the 10 all-new scripted hour long episodes star Alexandra Chando ("As The World Turns"), Andy Buckley ("The Office"), Blair Redford ("90210"), Sharon Pierre-Louis ("Lincoln Heights"), Kirsten Prout ("Kyle XY"), Alice Greczyn ("Lincoln Heights"), Allie Gonino ("10 Things I Hate About You") and Helen Slater ("Supergirl").

"The Lying Game" is executive-produced and written by Charles Pratt, Jr. ("Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives," "All My Children," "Melrose Place"). Leslie Morgenstein ("Pretty Little Liars," "The Nine Lives of Chloe King," "Gossip Girl," "The Vampire Diaries") and Gina Girolamo ("The Nine Lives of Chloe King") will serve as executive producers as well. Produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television, the series is based on the novel by author Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars).

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 98 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships - told with a mix of diversity, dysfunction, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas!" ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.