ABC FAMILY ANNOUNCES JANUARY 2016 PREMIERE DATE FOR ITS RETURNING HIT ORIGINAL SERIES "PRETTY LITTLE LIARS" AND SPECIAL BEHIND-THE-SCENES GLIMPSE AT FIVE-YEAR TIME JUMP

New York, NY (October 9, 2015) - ABC Family announced today at New York Comic Con that it will be ringing in the New Year with all-new episodes of the returning hit original series "Pretty Little Liars," set to premiere on Tuesday, January 12 at 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET/PT. In advance of the celebrated return of the fan favorite, the network will also air "Pretty Little Liars: 5 Years Forward," a one-hour behind-the-scenes glimpse at the highly anticipated series time jump on Tuesday, November 24 at 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET/PT. ABC Family is becoming Freeform in January 2016.

Continuing in its sixth season, "Pretty Little Liars" returns this winter with a new look, new secrets and new lies. Picking up five years after we last saw the Liars, the girls are not the same people they were when they left Rosewood. Having pursued their own paths and adjusting to a life without "A," how will they be able to cope when something happens in Rosewood that forces them to go back to where it all started? Torn between their old habits and their new lives, the Liars must stick around, and together, as relationships are once again put to the test and new secrets are revealed.

To give viewers a taste of what's in store, the one-hour behind-the-scenes special, "Pretty Little Liars: 5 Years Forward," will offer fans a glimpse at what everyone's favorite characters have been up to inside and outside of Rosewood over the past five years. The episode will feature never-before-seen scenes, backstage tours of brand new PLL sets, interviews with the cast and crew surrounding the highly anticipated time jump, including the style evolution of the Liars, and more.

"Pretty Little Liars" won six Teen Choice Awards in 2015, including Choice TV Show: Drama, Choice TV Actress: Drama - Lucy Hale, Choice TV Actor: Drama - Ian Harding, Choice Summer TV Actress - Ashley Benson, Choice Summer TV Actor - Tyler Blackburn and Choice TV Villain - "A" (Vanessa Ray).

"Pretty Little Liars" is produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television and is executive produced by I. Marlene King, Oliver Goldstick, Leslie Morgenstein and Joseph Dougherty. The series stars Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Tyler Blackburn, Lucy Hale, Ian Harding, Laura Leighton, Shay Mitchell, Janel Parrish and Sasha Pieterse.

Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group, ABC Family (to be renamed Freeform in January 2016) is distributed in 94 million homes. The network entertains and connects to audiences with bold, relatable programming that celebrates the epic adventure of becoming an adult, from first kiss to first kid. The programming is a combination of network-defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. "WATCH ABC Family" (also to be renamed Freeform in January 2016) is an authenticated service which allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access to such popular series at home and on-the-go via a wide array of devices. The network is also the destination for annual holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas."