The Teens & Grownups In The New Cheerleading Thriller Dare Me Are Pros At Brooding

If you’ve missed murder mystery shows involving scheming high school girls, then you’re in luck. Yep, USA Network is gifting Pretty Little Liars and Bring It On fans this holiday season with new series Dare Me, premiering December 29.

The thriller, based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Megan Abbott (who is also a writer and executive producer), is immersed in the world of competitive high school cheerleading. But don’t be fooled by the pom poms. These girls are ruthless and will do whatever it takes to win, even if that includes murder.
 
The trailer for Dare Me is pretty withholding, but it does open with an eerie voice over from an unknown character teasing what the series will be about. “There’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls,” a girl says before shots of hookups, fights, and ominous, late-night trips into the woods all taking place in a small Midwestern town. (You can’t have a teen show without a sketchy small town). Fans of the book will be able to point out the three main characters Beth (Marlo Kelly), Addy (Herizen Guardiola), and their coach (Willa Fitzgerald) who are all connected to the dark mystery. 
 
There are plenty of twists and turns as well as quick flashes of the cast of Dare Me characters that will all inevitably find themselves tangled up in the mystery. A few actors, like Fitzgerald and Guardiola, you might recognize from cult TV shows. Here's where you may have seen everyone else.