Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little LiarsFacebook/Pretty Little Liars

The second half of "Pretty Little Liars" Season 5 will have a short time jump from the events of the Christmas episode, and amidst their attempts to keep A from ruining their future, the Liars will get an opportunity to focus on romance.

The winter premiere will begin with Mona's funeral, but it's not going to be all doom and gloom. Showrunner Marlene King revealed to ETOnline that the second half of the season will be lighter, and it will focus on romance.

"This is really the season where we flip-flopped our cycles," King said. "Usually the summer season is more about the romance and sort of the ground work for the story that we then pay off on the flipside. But we essentially made the decision to change that kind of formula."

We wanted to be fresh and fun and ride the mystery train in the summer cycle, and leave more room for fun, and romance, and a little bit lighter story this winter."

But at the same time the show will be packed with twist and turns as the girls dig deeper into Alison's past, her connection to Bethany Young and Mona's murder. Also, A will try to sabotage the Liars' future, and Aria gets a hint of it when she starts sending out university applications.

And as per PLL writer Lijah Barasz every girl will be affected by A's interference.

"Aria, like the rest of the PLLs, hopes that graduating from high school and moving out of Rosewood will mean getting away from "A" once and for all," Barasz told Alloy Entertainment. "But "A" is not going to just let the PLLs leave without a fight. Aria's the first one to realise "A" might be sabotaging her college plans, but each girl will be affected in different ways by "A's" war on their post-high-school lives."

Season 5 episode 14 is titled "Through a Glass, Darkly," and according to the synopsis Emily and Paige are at a crossroads in their relationship and three months have passed since Mona's death.

"Pretty Little Liars" premieres Tuesday, 6 January at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.