The Lying Game returns with the unraveling of friendships and families — and the arrival of a mysterious new guy in town.

Last season might have introduced viewers to the high-stakes Lying Game world, but as executive Chuck Pratt Jr. told The Hollywood Reporter, season two will be even more dramatic.

“We’ve branched out into the mystery and have kept it on an emotional level,” he said of the new episodes, which premiere Tuesday, Jan. 8. “Episode to episode, we’ve got lots of cliffhangers and surprises, more than we ever did last season.”

With Alec (Adrian Pasdar) charged with murder, Kristin (Helen Slater) and Ted’s (Andy Buckley) marriage on the outs and Rebecca (Charisma Carpenter) scheming with Sutton (Alexandra Chando) for reasons only known to the pair, there isn’t much room for error. It’ll all lead up to a “shocking cliffhanger” in the 10th episode, Pratt shares. “And it’s truly shocking.”

In a chat with THR, Pratt teased that — aside from a big death — there will be “a lot of payoffs”: “I can’t think of an episode where something doesn’t happen.” Here, he previews what’s to come in the romance department, Ted’s marital troubles, Rebecca’s true motives, Alec’s incarceration and the shift in Sutton’s and Emma’s respective romances.

The Hollywood Reporter: What places couldn’t you go in season one that you were able to this time around?

Chuck Pratt Jr.: The decisions of the fathers and mothers are dependent on the children, and we see that the situations and relationships are mirrored from the past to the present. Specifically, being able to get into the parents’ lives. We decided to go ahead and tell people what’s going on in this big massive backstory.

THR: Last season, Emma and Thayer (Christian Alexander) grew close, while Sutton and Ethan (Blair Redford) did too, and it seems we’ll be seeing more of that. Where do these pairings go from here?

Pratt: Almost all the dynamics that worked so well in the first season are being continued: The triangle between Sutton, Emma and Ethan continues to be at the romantic heart of the love story. We’re branching into, at least, two other triangles, and that’s where Thayer is so important. Thayer, the good, honest guy, the sensitive, sane guy, seems to be – in so many ways – the best match for Emma, and at the same time, does he always know that he’s going to be finishing in second place? That’s new to him. For the most part, his sincerity and his sweetness really works well for Emma. Ethan’s animalistic, unpredictable, a tough-guy — getting in trouble is not the safe choice, but it’s certainly the exciting choice. That’s the kind of choice Sutton makes, the exciting choice.

THR: Will things come to a head among the four?

Pratt: It will definitely come to a head. People will not be let down. It will come to an emotional, satisfying [point].

THR: Now that we know Rebecca and Sutton have been working together, what can you share about Rebecca’s underlying motives and what she is after?

Pratt: Now that we’ve revealed she’s Sutton’s mother, we’re going to find out what her agenda is, why she’s had this secret relationship with Sutton, when did it begin — all the questions that people have been asking me since our season one conclusion. She has a definite agenda, and we’ll find out right away that being a mother is [something] she feels she was deprived of being, so she’s going to exact her revenge. Is she out for revenge? Does she just want her daughters back? Are Sutton and Rebecca one-dimensional connivers, schemers? We’ll learn they’re not.

THR: At the end of the premiere, we meet Jordan (Ryan Rottman), who has ties to Rebecca. What can you reveal about that potential wrinkle?

Pratt: He’s the exciting new guy in town, and he’s going to get involved with everybody. The question at the end of the first episode is, who is he? Is he an ally of Rebecca? Is he another foot soldier in her quest for revenge? Or is he innocent in all of this like all these other people are? We really brought him on for Mads; how that develops in the episodes beyond is exciting. When we start to realize what his connection is to Rebecca, it gets even more exciting – Rebecca’s past in Los Angeles and where he comes from, you’ll see he looks different. He may ride motorcycles, but he may not be the same motorcycle rider as Ethan is. He comes from an upscale world, dresses differently, but still manages a friendship with Ethan.

THR: Is he ultimately a good thing for Mads (Alice Greczyn) or more of a distraction?

Pratt: That’ll be a question for Mads and the audience. Is she getting involved with the wrong guy yet again, or is he somebody who’s sincere and likes her for who she is? It’s an interesting evolution. We’ll find out soon that he, like many of our characters, has a big secret he’s holding and can’t tell her.

THR: What can we expect from Alec now that he’s incarcerated?

Pratt: He started in a wedding and ended up in jail. As the man who truly possesses all the secrets and all the answers, he also has done a lot of things he’s not happy that he did. He will go to great lengths to protect those secrets. The love-hate relationship with Rebecca will guide him through this season, but at the heart of it, Alec’s trying to hold his family together. He loves his children greatly and will do anything for them. That is the theme for Alec this season.

THR: Will Emma find out Rebecca is her birth mother?

Pratt: I can’t answer that. That’s a real tune-in and find-out moment. It certainly is explored.

THR: What can be expected with Ted and his marital troubles with Kristin?

Pratt: Ted’s life will continue to spiral out of control. Like Alec, he’s fighting his hardest to hold his marriage and his family together because he truly does love Kristin. He loves these kids. Ted knows a lot more than anyone thinks he does. He’s still an unstable man. He lets himself be led around by Alec, which gets him into even more trouble. We may get to that moment where he finally stands up to Alec.

The Lying Game returns for season two at 9 p.m. Jan. 8 on ABC Family.