Seven years after the premier of the highly praised movie Mean Girls, the Plastics are back, and there is a new girl in town.

Mean Girls 2, starring Meaghan Martin, Jennifer Stone, Maiara Walsh, and Nicole Gale Anderson, follows the new girl Jo (Meaghan Martin) who makes a splash in North Shore High School by breaking the status quo and befriending outcast Abby (Jennifer Stone). Together, they form the Anti-Plastics, and take on the Plastics in a risky battle that turns nasty when they learn Abby’s father bribed Jo to befriend his daughter.

The trailer suggests a decent plot line; however, it is very challenging to follow such a well-received movie. Mean Girls is credited for having everything a teen movie needs – a smattering of comedy coupled with the harsh reality of being a teenager. And it did not hurt to have such a talented cast.

Melanie Mayron, director of Mean Girls 2, seems fully aware of the problems with following Mean Girls – in fact, about 20 seconds of the one and a half minute trailer shows clips from the original Mean Girls.

Critics are skeptical to say the least. Sandra Perez of the Dallas Examiner wrote “Mean Girls’ was a huge success and a classic favorite; I highly doubt this sequel will even be half as successful. The trailer is awful, and the movie will be too.”

But the president of Paramount Famous Productions, Louis Feola, seems confident enough.

“This brand new story, with our great cast, takes a fresh and funny look at the pressures of high-school friendships and the struggle to fit in with a whole new level of contemporary meanness that today’s audience will relate to,” Feola said in an interview with Home Media magazine.

Mean Girls 2 premiers as part of a double feature on ABC Family. The original Mean Girls will air on Saturday, January 22 and Mean Girls 2 will premiere on Sunday at 8:00 p.m.