Pop-Culturalist.com

Erica Saleh is at the helm of the highly-anticipated new season of One of Us is Lying.

Following the heart-pounding conclusion of Season 1, the Bayview Four have a very deadly secret. In Season 2, we’ll see just how far they’ll go to protect their secret, themselves, and each other.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Erica about One of Us is Lying, stepping into the role of showrunner, and what audiences can expect from the gripping new season.

PC: How did you first come across Karen M. McManus’ beloved book series and what did you initially connect with it?
Erica: I was sent the book by my amazing producers, Matt Groesch and John Sacchi at 5 More Minutes Productions, and they had already hooked up with UCP. They all loved the book, and they were looking for a writer. They sent me the book, and I read it in a day. I loved it so much. I loved the ride of it and really connected with the characters. There is so much really fun YA content out there, but I think there is something special about these characters. They feel very real and very complicated. Seeing that in the book and knowing that in a TV show we could push that even further was really exciting to me.

PC: When you’re adapting a popular book series for the screen, there are changes that will need to be made. One of the big changes for Season 2 is it picks up directly after the events of Season 1. Why was that such a fundamental decision? What were some of the other creative changes that were paramount?
Erica: Great question. We really used the backbone of her first book to tell the story in Season 1. She has a sequel to the book called One of Us is Next. That skips forward a few years and really changes the cast of characters. You’re dealing with almost all new kids. We knew that we wanted to stick with the story that we were telling and continue to live in the world with our four murder club kids because it really takes most of the first season for them to come together as friends, start being true to the world about who they are, and become honest with themselves and each other. To me, that was the beginning of the story. I was so excited to keep pushing these kids further in their self-discovery. Then also, we wanted to end Season 1 with a big cliffhanger, and that’s not in the book. We changed the ending. We wanted to surprise the fans. We wanted to give people a new mystery and new content with these characters that they love so much.

PC: You have such a talented cast at the helm of this series. How did their performance in Season 1 influence where this story was heading and their respective characters’ journeys?
Erica: They’re all so good at embodying their characters. They helped us define who these characters are. The romance between Nate and Bronwyn worked so well in the book, and it also works so well with Cooper [van Grootel] and Marianly [Tejada]. They brought so much chemistry. We knew we wanted to keep telling their story. It was fun to see which of the cast really leaned towards humor and who’s really great with action and to pick up on all those things that they love to do as actors. Bronwyn didn’t really get to do any action in Season 1. In Season 2, she has an action scene. Janae is so funny. We leaned into that in Season 2. They’re all great and so special.

PC: This season, you’re stepping into the role as showrunner. Congratulations, by the way. Did anything surprise you about the experience?
Erica: I was truly so lucky to be working with Darío Madrona last season. He’s an incredible showrunner. I was by his side through every step of the production last year. I felt equipped to step into the role. But I would say that the amount of decisions and things that you’re caring about all at once is definitely a lot to take on.

PC: This show has been such a fan favorite since its premiere. Is there a particular episode or scene in Season 2 that you’re really excited for them to see?
Erica: We have a lot of different fan bases, so I’m definitely excited for the Natewyn fans to see the whole roller coaster that those two go on. I think that mid-season there are going to be some great moments for the Natewyn fans. But there are also some surprise romances in there that I think people might be surprised by. We had a lot of fun in Episode 4. It’s a really character-driven episode, and we showcased each of our actors in new ways. I’m excited for fans to see these new sides of the characters.

To keep up with Erica, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Season 2 of One of Us is Lying on Peacock today.