Two distinct works share the title The Lying Game: an American television series and a later psychological-thriller novel. The TV series aired from 2011 to 2013, while the Ruth Ware novel was published in 2017.
The television drama was developed for broadcast by Charles Pratt Jr. and is loosely based on the young-adult book series by Sara Shepard. The show combined elements of teen-focused storytelling and mystery across its run.
The plot of the series centres on identical twins Emma Becker and Sutton Mercer, who were separated at birth and initially unaware of one another. Their reunion sets in motion a chain of secrets and deceptions as the pair grapple with switched identities and concealed pasts.
Over the course of its episodes the programme balanced plot-driven suspense with character-led drama to probe the consequences of lies within families and peer groups. The series originally aired between 2011 and 2013 and has subsequently been made available on streaming platforms, including Tubi.
Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game is an unrelated psychological-thriller novel released in 2017 that takes a different narrative approach. The book follows Isa Wilde as she reunites with former schoolfriends Kate, Thea and Fatima after a body is discovered near their old boarding school.
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Ware’s novel focuses on themes of friendship, betrayal and the long-term effects of past choices. It garnered additional attention when it was selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick in August 2017.
Although the TV series and the novel differ in setting and storytelling style, both works investigate how deception and hidden truths shape personal relationships and identity. Each uses elements of suspense to reveal the ripple effects of lies.
Those interested in viewing the television series can find it on streaming services such as Tubi, while Ware’s novel is available from major retailers including Amazon. Together the two titles illustrate contemporary treatments of secrecy and its consequences in fiction.