At an elementary school inMonterey, California, a homicide occurs at a school fundraiser, but neither the victim nor the killer is revealed. Flashing back to the first day of school, the families of five first-graders are introduced. Madeline Martha Mackenzie is a strong-willed and wealthyalpha female in town who is struggling to cope with her ex-husband Nathan's marriage to a yoga instructor named Bonnie while also trying to build a relationship with her older daughter, Abigail. Madeline's friend, Celeste Wright, is a retired lawyer and the mother of twin sons, who are also beginning at the same school. Madeline and Celeste befriend Jane Chapman, a young single mother who moved to Monterey hoping to provide her son, Ziggy, with a better life. Amabella, the daughter of the equally wealthy and volatile Renata Klein, accuses Ziggy of attempting to choke her at school, which he denies. Celeste appears to have a very happy life with her husband Perry, but he is privately violent towards her.
Perry lashes out at Celeste when he discovers he missed orientation at the school, and during a heated argument, he hits her, followed by an apology and rough reconciliation sex. Jane looks for work with little success. Madeline goes on the warpath against Renata upon learning Ziggy was not invited to Amabella's birthday party. Madeline's husband, Ed, questions her devotion to him when she continues to complain about seeing Nathan with Bonnie all the time, and Madeline is further disturbed when Bonnie takes Abigail toPlanned Parenthood. Nathan tries to come to a peaceful resolution with Ed about their parenting of Abigail, but when Ed gets the impression that Nathan does not take him seriously, he threatens to beat Nathan up if the latter is not careful. Madeline's younger daughter, Chloe, and Bonnie's daughter, Skye, attempt to mend the wounds between Ziggy and Amabella, but it leads to Ziggy kissing Amabella and causing an incident. The parents of the four children are called into the principal's office, leading Jane to have a flashback of an unwanted sexual encounter.
Perry chokes Celeste when he believes she deliberately left him out of a family gathering; Celeste threatens to leave him. Renata's party for Amabella is a success, but she is still upset because Madeline had invited Ziggy and several other families toDisney on Ice on the same day, causing Chloe and six other invited children to miss the party. At therapy, Perry claims his outbursts are out of fear that Celeste does not love him, which Celeste denies. When Abigail's academic performance begins to decline, her guidance counselor suggests it is being caused by stress at home, so she decides to live with Nathan and Bonnie, much to Madeline's dismay. Jane tries getting Ziggy involved with more extracurricular activities and helps him construct a family tree for school with Madeline's support. However, Jane opposes Ziggy's insistence on putting his father's name on the tree, and ultimately confides to Madeline that Ziggy was the result of rape by a man named "Saxon Banks", whom she has not seen since.
Abigail moves in with Nathan and Bonnie. Celeste legally represents Madeline and theater director Joseph Bachman in a meeting with the mayor regarding the controversialAvenue Q, and successfully persuades the Mayor to allow the play to proceed. In the process, Celeste realizes her desire to return to work. Perry, however, tells her not to attend any future meetings. When she refuses, he grabs her by the throat, but quickly relinquishes when one of their boys enters the room. She privately asks her therapist Dr. Reisman how to best convince Perry, but Dr. Reisman is more concerned with why she is afraid to just tell him. Joseph and Madeline kiss, and they are revealed to have had an affair a year ago. Madeline locates a man online whom she believes to be Jane's rapist; she informs Jane and Celeste, and they consider traveling toSan Luis Obispo to confront him. Ms. Barnes, the kids' teacher, suspects Amabella is still being bullied. Despite Amabella's assertions that she and Ziggy are friends, Ms. Barnes convinces Jane to have Ziggy psychologically evaluated. The psychologist believes that Ziggy is innocent and may in fact be being bullied himself.
Nathan spots Jane at the gun range and tells Madeline. Although Jane reassures Madeline that she carries a gun solely for its psychological benefits, Madeline begins to regret tracking down Saxon Baker, the man whom she believes to be Saxon Banks. Renata discovers a bite mark on Amabella's arm, but Amabella refuses to disclose the perpetrator. Renata assumes Ziggy is culpable, leading to a meeting between Jane and the school principal. Joseph is convinced Madeline still has feelings for him, but she maintains that their affair is over. While they argue, a teenage distracted driver crashes into their car; Madeline is uninjured while Joseph is hospitalized. The incident raises suspicion from both Ed and Joseph's wife, Tori. After one of Perry's violent episodes with Celeste again ends with aggressive sex, Dr. Reisman confronts Celeste with the belief that she is being abused. Celeste eventually reveals that she has previously feared for her life and had considered leaving Perry; Dr. Reisman urges her to make at least a plan for the next time Perry gets violent. Jane secretly travels to San Luis Obispo to confront Saxon Baker, taking her gun with her.
Jane reveals to Madeline that she went to confront Saxon Baker, who turned out to be the wrong man; Madeline attempts to convince Jane to give up the search. Ms. Barnes relays to Jane that a petition has begun to have Ziggy suspended. Although Renata did not start it, Jane confronts her and accidentally gouges her eye. She later apologizes, realizing that they both want to protect their children; Renata forgives her. Celeste's therapist advises her to prepare to leave Perry by renting an apartment and disclosing the abuse to friends. Perry later tries to forcefully initiate sex with Celeste, who defensively fractures his penis with a tennis racket. Returning from the hospital, Perry tells Celeste that she is "lucky" that he did not kill her. The following day, Celeste begins looking for an apartment. At the opening night ofAvenue Q, Tori confronts Madeline about having an affair with Joseph. Bonnie tells Nathan that Abigail is secretly planning onauctioning her virginity to raise money forAmnesty International. At their couples' dinner, the two reluctantly tell Madeline and Ed; Madeline furiously confronts Abigail, disclosing her affair in the process.
Following another beating, Celeste decides to leave Perry the day after trivia night. Ziggy confesses to Jane that Max, one of Celeste's sons, was the student who choked Amabella. Jane woefully informs Celeste, telling her Amabella only accused Ziggy because Max threatened more violence if she told the truth; Celeste realizes that Max copies his father's behavior. When preparing to leave for trivia night, Perry sees a text message on Celeste's phone from the landlady of her new apartment. He confronts her on the way to the party, but is interrupted by Renata. At the party, Celeste tells Renata that Max is Amabella's bully. Meanwhile, a drunken Madeline runs away during Ed's singing performance out of guilt about her affair. Jane goes after her and finds her atop stairs at the back of the venue, where Madeline tells Jane that she cheated on Ed. Renata also goes after them and apologizes to Jane for having targeted Ziggy. Celeste joins the women, followed by Perry. Bonnie follows them, having noticed Perry hurt Celeste, and watches the group from afar. Jane sees Perry and recognizes him as her rapist. Perry pleads with Celeste to come back home with him, and when she declines, he viciously attacks her. The group unsuccessfully fights Perry off until Bonnie rushes in and pushes him down the stairs, accidentally killing him. In police interviews, the women confirm that a fight with Perry happened, but claim that he fell because he tripped. Later, the five women and their children lounge at the beach, where Detective Quinlan continues to watch them.
In the aftermath of Perry's death, Celeste, Madeline, Jane, and Renata try to move on with their lives, while Bonnie considers turning herself in to the police. It is the first day of second grade for the children and the five women reunite. Perry's mother, Mary Louise, who is staying with Celeste, begins asking questions about her son's death, and clashes with Madeline. Nathan worries about how distant Bonnie has been with him and asks Ed for help. Abigail decides she will not go to college, to Madeline's disapproval. At the beach, Corey, a co-worker of Jane's, asks her if she is one of the "Monterey Five". Jane tells the other women (apart from Bonnie) about this, and Renata assures them that the police have nothing. Celeste has nightmares about Perry and Mary Louise questions her about them.
9
2
"Tell-Tale Hearts"
Andrea Arnold
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty
Celeste crashes her car while onAmbien, with no recollection of what happened. A worried Nathan calls Bonnie's parents to town. Gordon is arrested forinsider trading andstock fraud by theFBI. Mary Louise finds out that Perry has another son aside from Max and Josh. She refuses to believe that Perry raped Jane byvictim blaming her. Madeline grounds Chloe after finding out that she told Max, Josh, and Ziggy that the three boys share the same father. Jane reluctantly tells Ziggy about how he is the product of a rape. Ed discovers Madeline's infidelity.
10
3
"The End of the World"
Andrea Arnold
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty
Bonnie clashes with her mother and remembers traumatic incidents from her childhood. Amabella has an anxiety attack during a lesson aboutclimate change. Renata hires a child psychologist and finds out Amabella is worried about the planet dying, her father going to jail, and Renata's mental state. Renata blames Gordon for it and confronts Principal Nippal and Mr. Perkins about teaching second graders about climate change. She also tells her husband to sell his expensive train set since they have lost all of their money. Mary Louise approaches Jane at work and requests for a paternity test be done, which Jane refuses. Mary Louise then lurks in the parking lot of Jane's apartment to take a look at Ziggy. She finds similarities between Ziggy and Perry's twin brother, who died as a child, but refuses to accept the fact that Perry was abusive and a rapist. To save their marriage, Madeline and Ed visit Celeste's therapist. During a parents meeting at Otter Bay Elementary, Madeline breaks down while speaking. Jane and Corey go on a date, but she is unable to be intimate with him.
11
4
"She Knows"
Andrea Arnold
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty
During a pumpkin-carving party at Madeline's house, Mary Louise turns up uninvited. Mary Louise gets an apartment in the same building as Jane, which Celeste deems overstepping her boundaries. When Mary Louise subtly insinuates that Perry was womanizing to seek refuge from Celeste, Celeste slaps her. The next day, over coffee with Celeste, Mary Louise admits her husband left her after the death of Perry's brother and that she deserved the blame. Mary Louise approaches lawyer Ira Farber to gain custody of her grandchildren, citing negligence by Celeste. Madeline and Ed's marriage continues to deteriorate. Renata and Gordon have a disastrous bankruptcy hearing when she refuses to co-operate. At Amabella's birthday party, Jane tells Corey about her rape, and Bonnie's mother has a stroke after seeing a vision of Bonnie drowning.
12
5
"Kill Me"
Andrea Arnold
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty
Celeste refuses a settlement offer from Mary Louise's lawyer for joint custody of the boys, and the case goes to trial. Renata tries to get Mary Louise to drop the case, who in turn taunts her for being bankrupt. A bully calls Ziggy a mistake and that his father is a rapist; the twins defend him and the three of them beat up the bully, leading to their suspension. Jane tries to be intimate with Corey, but the trauma causes her to break down. Celeste, Jane, Corey, and the three boys go on a kayak trip during their suspension, while Renata and Amabella make use of this opportunity to bond as mother and daughter at the pool. Ed and Madeline go to couples therapy, where Madeline promises that she will not make the same mistakes again. Later, Tori hits on Ed at a bar, with Joseph staring at them from a nearby table. At the hospital, Bonnie's mother asks her to kill her. A distraught Bonnie once again considers turning herself in to the police, but on her way to a police station, she spots Corey leaving it.
13
6
"The Bad Mother"
Andrea Arnold
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty
Celeste and Mary Louise go to trial to battle for the custody of Max and Josh. Celeste is completely shocked and hurt when Mary Louise's lawyer asks her a wide array of personal questions. Celeste explains that she is coping with grief and intends to improve herself and get better. Just before the judge announces the verdict, Celeste interrupts to say that Mary Louise never took the stand and that is not fair. Celeste herself wants to question Mary Louise, and the judge agrees. Ed meets with Tori, who comes on to him and tells him that she has fantasized about him. Madeline approaches Ed again, and says that she wants to try to work it out. Jane questions Corey about his presence at the police station, and he tells her that he was just called in for questioning by the detective, who asked him if Jane has ever talked with him about the night Perry died. Corey claims that he told the detective nothing. Though mildly reassured, Jane stops answering his calls and texts because she says she is not ready for something new just yet. Bonnie confesses everything (including pushing Perry and her resentment toward her mother) to her mom while she is in a coma since she thinks her mother is going to die soon and that this may be her last chance to say anything.
14
7
"I Want to Know"
Andrea Arnold
Teleplay by : David E. Kelley Story by : David E. Kelley and Liane Moriarty
Celeste questions Mary Louise in court about Perry's brother's death and how he coped and how she treated him. Later, Celeste shows a video that her son took of Perry physically abusing her, and claims that Mary Louise would raise her own sons to be similar abusers. Celeste ends up with full custody, and Mary Louise leaves Monterey Bay. Bonnie tells her mother she loves her just before she dies and tells Nathan she does not love him. Ed and Madeline renew their vows. Jane and Corey progress in their relationship with Ziggy's approval. Gordon arranges to keep his train set despite the repossession of their other property, to the disapproval of Renata. When she brings up his infidelity, he makes an obnoxious reply which prompts her to furiously destroy the set and leave him. Finally, Bonnie texts the rest of the Monterey Five that she is going to confess, in response to which all four women accompany her to the police station.
Actresses and producersNicole Kidman andReese Witherspoon were announced to have optioned the screen rights toLiane Moriarty's novelBig Little Lies on August 6, 2014, less than a month after the book's publication. The two of them were expected to develop the project as a film in which they would star and act asexecutive producers, sharing the latter duty withBruna Papandrea and Per Saari; Moriarty was also expected toproduce.[20] In November of that year, the actresses announced the format's shift into that of alimited-run television series written byDavid E. Kelley.[21] In May 2015,HBO gave the series a production order and Kelley was announced to join the team of executive producers.[22] That October,Jean-Marc Vallée was reportedly in talks with the project's team to handledirecting of the first episode and potentially others.[23] His involvement with all seven episodes was confirmed almost two months later.[24] The series' release date of February 19, 2017, was unveiled in November 2016.[25]
Originally conceived and billed as a miniseries,[26] a potential new season ofBig Little Lies was discussed by the series' audience and the media. In July 2017, two weeks after the project and its cast and crew received several nominations for the69th ceremony of thePrimetime Emmy Awards, Witherspoon stated: "As of right now, I think it's pretty whole. I feel really good about where it is, and if this is all it ever was, it's a beautiful thing we all accomplished together".[27][28] However, in the wake of the nominations, HBO revealed that a second season was possible, and that Moriarty had been asked to write a story for it.[29] During an April 2017 interview, Vallée came out strongly against the idea of producing a second season: "There's no reason to make a season two. That was meant to be a one-time deal, and it's finishing in a way where it's for the audience to imagine what can happen. If we do a season two, we'll break that beautiful thing and spoil it."[30] When he and the series won several accolades at the 69th ceremony of the Primetime Emmy Awards, the director changed his mind: "It'd be great to reunite the team and to do it. Are we going to be able to do it, altogether? I wish."[31]
In December 2017, HBO officially renewed the series for a seven-episode second season to be written by Kelley, directed byAndrea Arnold,[32] based on a new novella by Moriarty,[26] and with Vallée remaining an executive producer.[33] The announcement of the second season, and specifically its timing, enraged producers of rival shows that were competing for award nominations in the limited series categories, particularly since it was made after voting for theCritics' Choice Television Award andGolden Globe Award were over.[34] Due to this, theProducers Guild of America restarted voting for the2018 ceremony oftheir award show, reclassifying the show from a limited series to adrama series.[35][36] The second season premiered on June 9, 2019.
In July 2019, it was reported byIndieWire that director Andrea Arnold lost creative control after filming had completed, and it was given to season 1 director Jean-Marc Vallée in an attempt to unify the style between the seasons. Arnold was initially promised by HBO that the show would be done in her vision, including post-production, and was unaware that Vallée would edit the footage she had shot. Once Vallée completed his work onSharp Objects, he took over the editing process along with his own editorial team in Montreal. HBO also ordered 17 more days of additional photography, to be filmed by Arnold, but overseen by Vallée. Significant reworking of the episodes also took place, where episodes were shortened.[37] In response, HBO programming president Casey Bloys stated, "There's a lot of misinformation around that subject" and "the director typically does not have final creative control". Bloys clarified that Vallée came back to "hone the episodes" after being asked by the entire producing team, including Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, and that they were clear with Arnold about how the process would work from the start.[38]
Around the second season's release, HBO president Casey Bloys said a third season of the show was "not realistic" due to scheduling the show's actors, but mentioned that the network is more than willing to greenlight it if the cast is able to work out their schedules.[39] In October 2020, Nicole Kidman revealed during a press interview forThe Undoing that author Liane Moriarty is writing the plot for a potential third season and that the cast and crew are excited to reunite for it.[40] In a November 2022 interview withGQ, however, Zoë Kravitz expressed doubt that the series would return for a third season because of the death of director Jean-Marc Vallée.[41] A year later, in November 2023, Kidman said that a third season would be made, and also said this at the AFI Awards in April 2024.[42] She and Witherspoon were "texting every day" about the third season while Moriarty "is delivering the book", Kidman said in 2024.[43]
In March 2025, Francesca Orsi, EVP and Head of Drama at HBO expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming project but noted that progress hinges on completing Liane Moriarty's book. While 150 pages have been submitted, Moriarty is still finalizing the remainder.[44] In June 2025, Kelley said that "everyone is very committed" to making a third season, but "nobody's under contract" yet.[45]
In September 2025, development of the third season was confirmed, withFrancesca Sloane hired as executive producer and writer of the first episode. Moriarty's follow-up novel was also reported to be finished and due for publication in 2026.[46]
Main cast ofBig Little Lies. Skarsgård has a major appearance in the first season, but has a reduced role in the second season. Kravitz and Dern were promoted to the story's main roster in the second season, with their names rising in the billing order.
Following the confirmation of a sophomore season,Meryl Streep was announced in January 2018 to have joined the starring cast in the role of Skarsgård's character's mother.[54][55] In February, Woodley, Dern, Kravitz, Scott, Tupper, Nordling and Armitage were confirmed to be returning.[56][57][58] That March,Douglas Smith was cast in a recurring role.[59][60] In April, it was reported thatCrystal Fox joined the main cast alongside returners Newton and Sokolovic, whileMo McRae andMartin Donovan joined the recurring cast alongside returners Weigert and Dungey.[61][62] However, only Newton received main billing; Fox and Sokolovic's appearances were credited as recurring. Byrne was announced alongside newcomerPoorna Jagannathan in May,[63][64] followed byDenis O'Hare in June.[65]
On February 7, 2017, the series held its official premiere at theTCL Chinese Theatre inLos Angeles, California.[71][72] Internationally, the series premiered on February 20, 2017, in Australia onShowcase,[73] and on March 13, 2017, in the United Kingdom and Ireland onSky Atlantic.[74]
On October 16, 2016, HBO released the first teaser trailer for the series.[75] On December 5, 2016, HBO released a full length trailer for the series.[76]
The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 1, 2017.[77] The second season was released on January 7, 2020, on DVD and manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray byWarner Home Entertainment andWarner Archive Collection respectively.[78]
On the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 93% rating with an average rating of 8 out of 10 based on 199 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Bitingly funny and highly addictive,Big Little Lies is a twisty, thrilling, enlightening ride led by a first-rate cast."[79]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 75 out of 100, based on 42 critics.[80]Time magazine listedBig Little Lies as one of its top ten television shows of 2017.[83]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an 85% rating with an average rating of 7.7 out of 10 based on 271 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Gorgeous and gripping,Big Little Lies' second season doubles down on the dark humor and gives its impressive cast even more juicy drama to chew on – especially an excellent Meryl Streep."[81] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 36 critics.[82] Ben Travers ofIndieWire wrote a positive review giving it a "B+" grade, concluding that Season 2 is a "wholly different beast" and "doesn't feel like a necessary addition so much as an enjoyable epilogue", yet it is "still very, very good".[84]
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