Spoilers Ahead for One of Us Is Lying
One of Us Is Lying plays on high school stereotypes that have been kicking since the '80s, but despite this, the show still works. The Peacock original series, based on Karen M. McManus's novel of the same name, follows the story of a dead outcast, Simon Kelleher (Mark McKenna), and the four teens suspected of his murder: Addy (Annalisa Cochrane), Cooper (Chibuikem Uche), Bronwyn (Marianly Tejada), and Nate (Cooper van Grootel). Throughout the season, the four attempt to solve the murder of their classmate in order to clear their names.
In the pilot episode, Simon accuses everyone at Bayview High of being predictable, lamenting, "This place is such a cliché. It's like everyone's here to audition for the reboot of a John Hughes movie." The four protagonists are certainly no exception to this: Addy, the blonde beauty, Cooper, the jock, Bronwyn, the brainy goody-two-shoes, and Nate, the bad boy with a bad home life, may as well be starring a murderous version of scenes in The Breakfast Club. Even each of the four's dirty secrets fits an overused arc. Addy cheated on her footballer boyfriend, Cooper is in the closet to preserve his budding pro baseball career, Bronwyn cheated on an exam, and Nate deals drugs.
As much as Simon gripes about his stereotypical classmates, however, they make for a pretty gripping storyline. At the end of the day, the contrast between each protagonist's role is still an effective way to create drama. One of Us Is Lying also throws in enough fresh elements to keep viewers on their toes, even if some of the show's aspects are pretty predictable.
Addy, Cooper, Bronwyn, and Nate each deviate from their high school stereotypes just enough that their characters still feel genuine. Over the course of the season, they discover new aspects of themselves and grow as people. After losing her boyfriend, Addy cuts all her hair off and learns how to separate her self-worth from how others see her. Cooper realizes that being himself is as important as baseball, and decides to come out even without his secret being leaked. Bronwyn and Nate strike up a romantic relationship, and while fans probably could have seen that one coming, One of Us Is Lying has the good sense to not make it too easy, with the pair somehow on the outs by the end even though the group is successfully exonerated of the murder.
Murder is the other element that keeps One of Us Is Lying from feeling worn-out. While the Breakfast Club pack had a common enemy in the form of Vice-Principal Vernon, nothing quite bonds a group together like the threat of wrongful arrest in a murder investigation. Over the course of the season, Addy, Cooper, Bronwyn, and Nate make countless high-risk maneuvers, from sneaking into a locked principal's office to stalking a teacher to chasing the real killer through the woods at night. Even if One of Us Is Lying presents character traits that are easy to follow, the twists and turns of the mystery are anything but. That, coupled with the chemistry of the main cast, makes it a solid show. One of Us Is Lying could end up being as big a hit as the book because of how it's able to make high school stereotypes work in its favor.