Creators:
David E. KelleyScreenplay:
David E. KelleyComposer:
Sam WilliamsCast:
Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgård, Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Zoë Kravitz, Parker Croft, James Tupper, Sarah Baker (more)Seasons(2) / Episodes(14)
Plots(1)
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, and featuring tour de force performances by several top Hollywood actors, BIG LITTLE LIES is a darkly comic drama set in Monterey, CA that begins with a suspicious homicide at an elementary-school fundraiser. Though the victim and the perpetrator initially remain a mystery, it seems likely that the murder was spawned by rivalries and secrets surrounding three mothers: type-A stay-at-home mom Madeline Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon), who harbors jealousy towards her ex's new, younger wife Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz), a yoga instructor with a Zen attitude; Madeline's best friend Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), a former corporate lawyer with a seemingly perfect marriage to a younger man (Alexander Skarsgård); and Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley), a single mom with a dark past, whom Madeline and Celeste take under their wing. Intercut with interrogation-room insights of other parents and school staff – who offer up a Greek chorus of gossip on the town's allegiances and rivalries, particularly revolving around Madeline and her nemesis, tech-exec career mom Renata Klein (Laura Dern) – the story unspools over seven tense yet subversively funny episodes, revealing how each of the women had something to hide leading up to that one fateful night. (HBO Europe)
(more)Reviews of this series by the user NinadeL (7)
Big Little Lies (2017)
Few would have guessed it from those Liane Moriarty books, but the result was a very good TV series with movie stars. That was the first season. Unfortunately, the second season had no book to draw from, so it all boiled down to a classic by David E. Kelley, and a judge was born.
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Season 1 (2017) (S01)
A very pleasant surprise. I already perked up at the announcement of David E. Kelley's collaboration with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. After a while, I wasn't too happy with the "another HBO series" label, but I did enjoy Big Little Lies the second time around. There's no need to form an opinion about it beforehand. The series is a classic take on the idea of quality television production with actresses who bring great acting experience to the domestic small screen. Nothing more, nothing less.
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Somebody's Dead (2017) (S01E01)
It's not easy to build a relationship with a series that, if watched episodically, loses its main charm. The combination of character introductions, retroactive comments, and the failure to anchor the main theme, should create potential interest, but it may not do so for everyone. In short, after watching the pilot, I certainly wasn't thrilled.
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Serious Mothering (2017) (S01E02)
I'm returning to Big Little Lies after a hiatus and slowly reassessing my interest in it. Stories of individual mothers of children who have just gone into first grade don't sound like the biggest draw in the world, but if the mothers are great characters with interesting stories, they may indeed get attention. There's a wonderful animalistic relationship played by Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård, then there's the plotter Reese Witherspoon and more and more moms who are most certainly not on vacation while raising children.
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Living the Dream (2017) (S01E03)
Around the third episode, I'm already toying with the idea of making time to read a Liane Moriarty book in the future. And I'm beginning to believe that TV drama certainly isn’t hurting Nicole. She knew exactly why she was co-producing the show.
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You Get What You Need (2017) (S01E07)
The final montage is an excellent blend of various emotions and feelings, and it gives us the opportunity to let the new experience that Big Little Lies has brought reverberate. However, the way the major twists and turns were revealed was sometimes too much of a stretch. There were several moments that were downright crutch-like, and I'd quite like to know if it was Moriarty or David E. Kelley who ran out of steam. But I'd still like to experience another series in this story because the micro world is built up very nicely.
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Season 2 (2019) (S02)
Meryl Streep joined in Season 2, with her character serving as a mirror of past events, and the top judge confirmed that we were watching classic David E. Kelley work. Kelley really is addicted to the judiciary. Remember The Practice, Ally McBeal, or the Boston Legal? However, Kelley also made Wonder Woman in 2011 a judge... But it wasn't that bad. The tension could be cut, and the sympathy for the main characters was strengthened even more. I just really don't think a possible 3rd season would bring us anything new.
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