Cast of We Were Liars TV Series – Actors & Characters

If you’ve read E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, you know the story’s power lies in its unreliable narrator and the secrets of the Sinclair family. Now that the TV adaptation has arrived, the cast brings those characters to life with a lineup that honors the book’s complexity.

Based on novel by: E. Lockhart ·
Showrunner: Julie Plec ·
Lead actress: Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence ·
Premiere year: 2025

Six key facts about the series at a glance: the novel it adapts, the creative team behind it, and its release timeline.

Who are the main cast members of We Were Liars?

Who plays Cadence Sinclair Eastman?

• Emily Alyn Lind takes on the role of Cadence, the narrator and central figure of the story (review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes).

Lind is best known for her work in Doctor Sleep and The Babysitter. Entertainment Weekly describes her as the anchor of the series, whose performance captures Cadence’s memory loss and haunted perspective (culture magazine Entertainment Weekly).

Who plays Gat Patil?

• Shubham Maheshwari plays Gat Patil, Cadence’s love interest and a family friend (The Wrap).

Gat is described as intelligent and artistic, and Maheshwari’s casting brings a fresh face to the role. The Wrap notes that Gat is a crucial foil to the Sinclair family’s wealth (The Wrap).

Who plays Johnny Sinclair?

• Joseph Zada portrays Johnny Sinclair, Cadence’s charming cousin who is mysteriously unable to leave Beechwood Island (Entertainment Weekly).

Zada joins a cast that Entertainment Weekly calls a “lead trio” along with Lind and Esther McGregor (Entertainment Weekly).

Who plays Bess Sinclair?

• Candice King plays Bess Sinclair, the free-spirited youngest sister of the Sinclair aunts (IGN).

King, known for The Vampire Diaries, brings a layered performance to a character tangled in romance and family secrets.

Who plays Penny Sinclair?

• Caitlin FitzGerald plays Penny Sinclair, Cadence’s mother, who is competitive with her sisters and seeks control over the family narrative (TV news site TVLine).

FitzGerald’s portrayal grounds the Sinclair matriarchy. TVLine highlights her as a key adult presence in the family drama (TVLine).

Is there a season 2 of We Were Liars?

Has season 2 been confirmed?

• As of 2025, only one season has been announced, and no official confirmation of season 2 exists (The Wrap).

The series premiered in 2025, and renewal decisions typically follow several months of viewership data. TVLine reports that streaming platforms often wait 8–12 weeks before committing to additional seasons (TVLine).

When might season 2 be released?

• No release date has been speculated. If a second season is greenlit, production would likely begin in 2026, following a typical 12–18 month production cycle (industry news site Deadline).

The implication: fans of the novel—which is a standalone story—should not assume the series will continue beyond one season. The showrunner Julie Plec has not indicated plans for a multi-season arc.

Where was We Were Liars filmed?

What are the filming locations?

• Filming locations have not been officially announced as of 2025 (ELLE).

Given the novel’s setting on a private Massachusetts island, speculation has centered on coastal New England. However, no production details have been confirmed. Collider notes that the series may have been shot in Canada, a common substitute for East Coast locales (Collider).

Were any scenes filmed on Martha’s Vineyard?

• No evidence connects production to Martha’s Vineyard. The novel is set on a fictional island called Beechwood, inspired by the Vineyard but not filmed there (IGN).

The catch: Without confirmed locations, fans must rely on set photography or eventual behind-the-scenes releases.

Is We Were Liars based on a true story?

What inspired the novel?

• The novel is a work of fiction. Author E. Lockhart has said it is not based on a true story (Entertainment Weekly).

Lockhart drew from themes of family privilege, memory, and guilt rather than any specific real events. The characters are composites, not portraits of actual people.

Are the characters based on real people?

• No real-life counterparts exist for the Sinclairs or the Liars. Lockhart created the family to explore how wealth can distort relationships (ELLE).

What this means: The series adaptation remains a fictional drama, not a docudrama. Its emotional realism comes from the acting, not source material.

Who are the characters in the Sinclair family?

Who is Cadence Sinclair?

Cadence is the eldest granddaughter of Harris and Tipper Sinclair. She suffers from memory loss after an accident at age 15, and the story unfolds through her fragmented perspective (Rotten Tomatoes). The cast of the We Were Liars TV series brings the Sinclair family’s secrets to life, as detailed in this article: Cast of 28 Years Later.

Who is Gat Patil?

Gat is a family friend—the nephew of Ed Patil, who is dating Aunt Carrie. He becomes Cadence’s love interest and is known for his critical perspective on the Sinclairs’ privilege (The Wrap).

Who are the Sinclair sisters?

• Penny Sinclair – Cadence’s mother, played by Caitlin FitzGerald
• Carrie Sinclair – Penny’s sister, played by Mamie Gummer
• Bess Sinclair – The youngest sister, played by Candice King

These three sisters form the adult core of the family, each with conflicting desires for control and approval.

What is the family tree?

The Sinclair family tree includes Harris and Tipper (the grandparents), their three daughters (Penny, Carrie, Bess), and the grandchildren (Cadence, Johnny, Mirren). Gat is an outsider connected through marriage. The full tree is detailed by Entertainment Weekly (Entertainment Weekly).

The pattern: by broadening the cast, the adaptation may appeal to viewers who want more ensemble drama, but purists might miss the claustrophobic intimacy of the book.

Quotes on the adaptation

“The story is entirely fictional, but the emotions are real. I wanted to write about the secrets families keep and how memory can be a liar.”

— E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars (as told to Entertainment Weekly)

“We assembled a cast that could capture both the glamour and the fracture of the Sinclair family. Every actor brings a depth that honors Lockhart’s novel.”

— Julie Plec, showrunner (in a statement to Deadline)

The core strength of the We Were Liars cast lies in its ability to project a picture-perfect family while hinting at the cracks beneath. For fans of the novel, the adaptation delivers a faithful visual translation of the characters they already know. For newcomers, the performances make the emotional twists land without needing to have read the book. If a second season is ordered, Emily Alyn Lind will need to sustain that tension without the novel’s narrative structure to fall back on—a challenge that separates good adaptations from great ones.

The series’ abrupt cancellation is explored in depth alongside the full character guide in full character guide and cancellation details.

Frequently asked questions