When "Pretty Little Liars" returns with its winter premiere (Tuesday, January 8 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC Family), there might a new suspect in Ali's death and you probably didn't see it coming.
"Pretty Little Liars" executive producer and writer Oliver Goldstick talked to HuffPost TV about what's to come when the hit series returns for the second half of Season 3 and said "some really scary questions" will be raised by an unlikely couple.
Read on below to find out what will happen when Spencer learns the truth about Toby, what Melissa's return to Rosewood will bring, what the deal is with Aria's dad, Byron and Ali, what's to come for Haleb and Ezria and much more "Pretty Little Liars" scoop.
How long ago did you decide to link Byron to Ali's murder?
Byron has always been many shades of wrong. He has his daughter keeping an ugly secret from her mother, which weighs heavily on Aria's psyche in the first season so he's been duplicitous since day one. We knew already -- it was a matter of when we were going to pay this off. The game changer for us in the writer's room was to really implicate a parent in Alison's death, which is shocking and I think it's darker than we've probably ever gone, but it's really worth it because when the girls have to start questioning the people they love most, it really has power. So Byron and Meredith being back together is going to raise some really scary questions and Meredith's role possibly in Alison's demise with also be explored.
What else can you tell fans about Meredith's role this season?
Meredith's been marginal, but omnipresent because she basically caused the the final rift between Ella and Bryon. Now, this young woman's motives and odd behavior are going to come to light now and they're going to be the death of Meredith's treachery.
What will we see with Dr. Sullivan's return to Rosewood?
Well, it's a dark season for the girls because when the people you really love the most end up being in question, it really does wreck havoc on their psyche, Spencer in particular because of what's going on with Toby. It's going to be quite devastating when she does indeed find out. Dr. Sullivan will resurface and she may be helpful with not just Spencer but all of the Pretty Little Liars in unlocking the mysteries of the summer Ali died.
Were you worried at all about making Toby a member of the A Team since fans seemed to really love him and Spencer as a couple?
Of course they do. We know we might alienate people. This is the third season on the show. You risk always alienating people, but they come along for this ride and we're going to take care of them. We have that responsibility as writers. We don't want to slap people in the face -- that's not our intention. Our intention is: Just sit back, buckle your seatbelts, go on the ride. Trust us!
Melissa is also coming back and she's always been someone viewers have connected to the A Team.
Yes and she continues to be a prime suspect. This season really explores all things Alison and that summer and Alison is a teenager who was capable of blackmailing an adult so you can imagine what she did to older siblings and her peers. Melissa's ties really involve her relationship with Alison, as toxic as that was and is.
Mona's out of Radley now and back at Rosewood. How will that affect Hanna and Caleb since he's never been a fan of hers, to say the least?
It does activate him. He's up against a longtime friendship when it comes to Hanna and Mona, as perverse as it might be. He doesn't understand it to some degree, but he'll want to get involved.
As far as Ezra and Aria, will we still be linking him to the A Team?
The major hurdle for them is going to be much more about his other life. Ezra's been so secretive about his past, about who his family is. He's going to have to deal with the fact that he might have a child and it will put their relationship into a whole different light because it's a grown-up issue they're dealing with now. If he in fact is the father, that's profound and where does Aria fit into that equation? That will be a big part of this season and it's pretty cool how it's dealt with.
"Pretty Little Liars" winter premiere of Season 3 airs on Tuesday, January 8 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC Family.
Check back with HuffPost TV for more on "Pretty Little Liars" from stars Ashley Benson, Troian Bellisario, Keegan Allen and Shay Mitchell over the next week.
