Tell Me Lies puts a twist on the drama of teenage love by telling a love story full of secrets and lies, and its story is shrouded in mystery. It's not easy to make a difference with such a hackneyed plot, but this show does it. Here's everything to know about Tell Me Lies.

Tell Me Lies is an American teenage drama streaming television series created by Meaghan Oppenheimer, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Carola Lovering. Most of Tell Me Lies is set during Lucy's freshman year at Baird College in New York from 2007-2008. However, the season also sticks to the book by time-jumping to 2015 and the wedding of Lucy’s friends, Bree (Catherine Missal) and Evan (Branden Cook), years after Lucy's relationship with Stephen ended. But the attraction is still there, bringing a world of unexpected complications.

Tell Me Lies is the tale of a toxic relationship that goes on for far too long. It follows Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), who fall in love in college and can’t break the cycle of needing each other until they have no choice but to do so to survive.

Tell Me Lies: The Plot

Lucy and Stephen Tell Me Lies
Hulu

The official synopsis for the show gives fans some clues as to what's going on in the series:

Tell Me Lies follows a tumultuous but intoxicating relationship as it unfolds over 8 years. When Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) meet at college, they are at that formative age when seemingly mundane choices lead the way to irrevocable consequences. Although their relationship begins like any typical campus romance, they quickly fall into an addictive entanglement that will permanently alter not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them.

Lucy's first-year college romance with Stephen is at the center of a web of lies that involves the death of her roommate Macy (Lily McInerny), and their friends Pippa (Sonia Mena), Wrigley (Spencer House), and his younger brother Drew (Benjamin Wadsworth). Despite his relationship with Lucy, Stephen is also still drawn to his ex-girlfriend, Diana (Alicia Crowder).

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Although the show is inspired by the book, the showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer told Bustle that she made “a lot of changes” to fill out the story for the show. “The structure is pretty different. I had to add a lot of plots,” she said. “The book is wonderful, but it's extremely internal. It's a lot [of] what people are thinking, and you have to find a way to externalize that.”

Tell Me Lies: The Cast

Women of Tell Me Lies
Hulu

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Grace Van Patten was cast in a lead role. On November 19, 2021, it was announced that Jackson White joined the main cast as Stephen DeMarco. On December 9, 2021, it was reported that Sonia Mena, Catherine Missal, and Alicia Crowder were cast as series regulars.

The next batch of actors to join Tell Me Lies came on February 4, 2022, when it was announced that Branden Cook, Spencer House, and Benjamin Wadsworth joined the cast in starring roles. A bit later, on April 14, 2022, Gabriella Pession, Edmund Donovan, and Natalee Linez joined the series in recurring capacities. The last to join Tell Me Lies in a recurring role was Tyriq Withers as Tim.

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This makes the stars of Tell Me Lies a diverse cast, full of stars both established and emerging, young and full of talent. Together they have shown to the fans that they are the perfect pack to bring to life really complex characters that are a challenge for any actor.

Release and Reviews

Friends Tell Me Lies
Hulu

As for the release date, the show has come a long way. On September 1, 2020, it was announced that the versatile actress Emma Roberts had inked a first-look deal at Hulu via her production company, Belletrist TV, and her first project was adapting Carola Lovering's Tell Me Lies for television.

On August 3, 2021, it was reported that Hulu had given the production a straight-to-series order. The series, created by Meaghan Oppenheimer, is also executive produced alongside Roberts, Karah Preiss, Laura Lewis, and Shannon Gibson. Production companies involved with the series are Belletrist Productions, Rebelle Media, and Vice Studios.

On April 14, 2022, Jonathan Levine joined the series to direct the pilot and executive produce the series. Finally, Tell Me Lies saw the light on September 7, 2022. The series received an 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews.” So it can be concluded that Tell Me Lies was well-received by both critics and the public.